Reel Review: Hiumi MX6000 Spinning Reel (Daiwa Saltiga knockoff)

Started by Abombs, April 30, 2021, 04:58:01 PM

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Abombs


Background: I have wanted one more big game reel for awhile. I have fished a Senator 4/0 113H as my heavy reel before I got this one. I wanted more stopping power, and more versatility than the Senator, but was interested in budget options. It needs to be cast-able from the surf, but easily adapted to boat fishing. So ideally I can troll with it, cast a swim bait occasionally, or most often, do bait-and-wait fishing from shore. I am a curiously optimistic person, and thought this reel might be worth a shot. This is what it is trying to mimic, so for 1/38th the cost, this was a curious reel to me.

This is what I bought. I got mine from Amazon so I could more easily return it if it was bad. You can also find them on Alibaba and Wish for similar price points. The brand you get on the reel might not match what you see in the photo exactly. They seem to print a variety of brand names on them and sell them to wholesalers. I ordered a "Hiumi" and received a different brand. But they all use this model descriptor of MX----. For reference, mine is the 6000 size, denoted as MX6000. You can also find these on American re-seller's pages under their own brand with a mark-up (I've seen them reselling around $139). Alternatively, if you order one direct from China you get it somewhere around $73-76.

Initial impressions: This reel has a lot of drag (somewhere between 66-88lb of drag by the description claims). Spooled with 90lb braid, it holds plenty of line for my purposes, and the drag does in-fact feel very, very strong (drag measurement to come). I opened the top to look under the spool and to look at the drag washers. Mine were assembled correctly and are thick, nice looking carbontex. Drag washers shipped dry, and I added a light coating of Cal's Tan Drag Grease. It has a medium-high gear ratio for fast retrieve (different websites list it as 6.3:1, 5.5:1, or 4.7:1--I have no idea what mine is), combined with a power handle with a nice bearing. Mine feels like a nice balance between power and speed. I am happy about that. The bearings, are in fact, high quality (by initial appearances). Everything spins nicely. Not quite as silky smooth as my Penn Battle II, but spins very nice. It is almost entirely solid aluminum. There is a small gap between the handle and body that concerns me (missing a gasket?)--only concern I had at the time of unboxing, but the bearings appear to be sealed, so maybe it's okay.... I plan to do a full take-apart with good photos, asap.

Fishing so far: Took to the beach a few times with cut bait and got few hits. Took it on a boat looking for snook and tarpon, and accidentally hooked a 6 foot shark with a live mullet. Got to hear the clicker spin for a minute before getting bitten off. Sounded wonderful. Got everyone's attention on the boat, but it is much quieter than my Senator. Third trip out I tried my luck fishing for big sharks at night, and hooked up with a 10-12 foot monster and could not stop it. Likely a hammerhead. Had I not gotten dragged around a concrete piling I may have stood a chance, but oh well... . You can hear what the reel sounds like when the drag is stopped down tight to the max and line keeps ripping until it is too hot to touch. Haven't landed anything with it yet, but definitely put it through a rigorous test. Somewhere between the first shark and second shark the clicker tab broke off and is now silent (I plan to make a new clicker tab). Otherwise it has performed very well. But I will do a full take-apart in coming posts to inspect for any signs of damage or stress. After the fight, the tan drag grease squeezed out black (photos below). We will soon see what the drag washers look like....


I will post photos from the full take-apart of this reel. If there is anything you would like to look at let me know and I will try and get you a good look at it. There is so little information out there on this reel, I feel a proper review is in order. Help me generate any questions you may have and perhaps we can answer them. Cheers.  :)






Dominick

If the drags are carbon-tex the blackening of the grease may be the carbon-tex wearing in.  Dominick
Leave the gun.  Take the cannolis.

There are two things I don't like about fishing.  Getting up early in the morning and boats.  The rest of it is fun.

Donnyboat

Good point Dominic, I have found that from time to time, sweet reel, cheers Don.
Don, or donnyboat

Abombs

Yes, I assumed exactly that. I assumed it turned black from broken down carbontex material, and perhaps heat generation as well.... Thanks.

Abombs

Hello fishing reel people, and anyone interested in this reel.... I have some feedback on the Hiumi MX6000 after about 11 months of regular use. I took it apart yesterday for servicing for the first time. I said I would do a video take apart, but honestly it's not worth the extra trouble. This reel performs pretty well, is smooth, and I will use it until it dies, but honestly I would NOT buy this again for the following reasons.

1). The manufacturer claims of 30-40kg drag force are extremely exaggerated. I have tested it with a suitcase scale over and over, including after servicing, and I cannot get more than 9kg (~20lb) of drag out of this reel, even clamped down uncomfortably tight. Bogus claim--totally bogus. I wish someone else had done a review and found this sooner, because it was the main selling feature for me. I was really hoping it would come closer than 1/3 or 1/4 the label claim. I am led to believe they are deliberately saying this to make people think this is a Daiwa Saltiga clone. It is not at all.

2). The clicker tab broke off after the first run by a 6 foot shark. Not unusual, nor heavy conditions. The drag was pretty loose, and the bait was taken and it got ran pretty fast, and by the time I picked up the rod it had gone silent. I've been meaning to make a new one from a sheet of aluminum. But it's super annoying to fish bait-and-wait and not have a working clicker when fishing multiple rods at once. It broke way too fast and easy. Basically, it was never going to hold up at all.

3). I was concerned about the seals on this because there is a gap between the handle stem and reel body where a small gasket is, but is not thick enough to fill the gap. Turns out the seals suck, (even though it is made of well-machine parts that fit very well overall). I never dunked this reel, and I religiously and carefully rinsed this reel every single time out and somehow at the time of first service it had a relatively large amount of sand inside. Yes, sand. Took forever to clean out and it was a disappointing shock. This reel never got dunked and never got laid in the sand. Not even sure which way it came in. Probably had small amounts "rinsed in" over time while I was trying to care for it.

4). Saltwater splashes on the exterior finish have ruined the paint. The paint is coming off and leaving behind surface corrosion. It isn't dead yet, and most other components are corrosion free thus far, but I am afraid in time the body will be damaged by corrosion.

5). Bail arm screw and the crosswind block screws work themselves loose and need tightening/servicing pretty often. I might need Locktight to make this more durable. I don't have this problem with other reels.

6). Bearings are nice quality and very smooth, but I have no idea how they count 12+1 bearings..... After servicing, I count 6, (not including the anti-reverse system). There is a little one in the power handle, another little one on the bail arm roller, 2 on the main shaft, and 2 on either side of the main gear. Another bogus claim, in my humble opinion (unless they are counting all the parts of the anti-reverse system). It is a buttery smooth reel, but it doesn't make me feel good when the claims don't match reality.

7). No idea where to get parts. Probably no parts are available...



Good news about it:

After hooking and fighting some very large fish, both on boat and in the surf, I have to say the gears all look great. No signs of wear yet in this regard. No signs of anything mechanical failing. After servicing it is buttery smooth again. I trust it, and it performs pretty well for what it is. I am sure I will get plenty more seasons out of it if I continue to service it frequently. The gears are machined well, fit well with minimal play, and it works well as a unit. If I can somehow keep the body from corroding, I am sure it will go beyond 5 years of regular use. It is built pretty tough.

It isn't the lightest reel, but sometimes I still use it to throw big swim baits. As far as casting goes, I would rate it medium/medium-long casting. It DOES cast pretty well, but not the best. My most similar reel for comparison is DAM Quick Super 270, which I also use in the surf for targeting the same species. Line comes off the DAM Quick Super more smoothly, it has a couple more pounds of drag (measures ~22lb), much higher quality steel gears, and offers a much better seal. Go figure! Old, obscure German reel outperforms this shiny new CNC machined reel in pretty much every capacity.... Not to get down on the Hiumi. I still enjoy using it and will for some time.

Take-apart for servicing is easy. It is very similar to other reels like Penn Battle. One screw for the side plate is hidden under the rotor, so you have to loosen the rotor nut, take the hidden screw out, then remove the plate, then remove the crosswind block screw before it all comes apart. But it's easy to get into if you know about that one hidden screw. It's a shame no one stocks parts for this reason.

Another thing that is nice is the line lay. The line is consistently even across the spool and packs in tight. Not all reels lay the line down this nicely.

I conclude this reel is socially engineered to capture the large market of infrequent, occasional fisherman that may never get enough fishing time to discover it leaves a lot to be desired. Considering the fact a Penn Battle or Daiwa BG can be found for a little bit more money, (but almost same price point), I would venture out on a limb to say it would be stupid not to get one of those and avoid this one. They both would produce more drag, are sealed better, hold up better, and parts can be found easily, offering a much longer service life.


Last, here are some photos from yesterday's take-apart.



Wompus Cat

Thanks Abombs for some Great info on these Reels .
I had NEVER heard of them till today I was talking to local Guide and he was telling me how they sponsor him with thousands of Dollars in Reels each year . I think I can see why he gets so many ..... lol
Not impressed with those pewter lookin gears ?
When I book a trip with him I will use my own Gear.
If a Grass Hopper Carried a Shotgun then the Birds wouldn't MESS with Him