Lamson 2013?

[addni]

So...W/L officially pulled the wraps of their "new" reels. Although they have been out in the wild for some time, I am curious as to what you guys think, and have you tried any?

I have been heavily seduced by the dark side, and cant keep my eyes off the ARX. Although it weighed a bit in my hand, it still felt sturdy and solid as one would expect from a W/L. ( I am just a tad biased )

So lend me your thoughts.

 

[sweetandsalt]

My criticism of Waterworks-Lamson's wide/shallow spool aspect ratio has earned me the enmity of some brand loyalists in there forums. I would not wast my time if the design concepts incorporated into these Idaho-built reels were not otherwise noteworthy. Therefore, though I have not even seen one in person, much less fished the new larger diameter, narrower "Speedster", it is very intriguing, a creative and "fishy" departure from this company's long-standing proportions.

 

[addni]

Indeed that reel fascinates me more than any other, as it quite the break from the norm. It's still LA and that's sort of best of both worlds. Bit like the Sage reels.

 

[sweetandsalt]

I believe this extra large arbor/narrow width design is the direction that light weight/high performance reels are moving toward. Note Hardy's award winning Ultralite DD series and Nautilus's "Giga" spools. Abel, unique in having been offering Super series reels in both wide and narrow configurations has been steadily revamping their line-up to be narrow spools only. I grasp the drag uniformity concept of the wide spool fans, I just believe the uniformity of backing/line retrieval is more relevant in fishing situations. Pay more attention to keeping that bone out of the mangroves and less to how evenly the line is going back onto the reel...I still use a first generation Orvis Vortex (designed and built in the USA) large arbor/wide width reel for False Albacore fishing because of its great drag and very rapid line retrieval (important for little tunny's) and it is on my desk now in preparation for immediate use. The line is on there nice and uniform; it can be done, there simply are superior aspect ratios available. Actually, I just measured this much maligned for bulk and width when originally introduced reel; it is only 1 1/8" wide in its interior spool width which is less than some contemporary trout reels and this thing sports a #9 line.