VR Reels Review

[mcnerney]

Vlad from VR-Reels (http://www.vr-reels.com/index.html) has sent out a demo reel, a Trutta Perfection 2/0, to several members to see what they think. This reel is not in production, he is wanting our feedback (after having it in our hands) before he makes a decision on bringing this reel into his lineup.
This past week I got to try out the reel first hand. Its a small clicker reel (clicks in both directions, being left handed, I really liked that feature). I put it on my 7 ft 2 in 3wt C. Barclay glass rod and gave it a whirl. The first thing I noticed is how smooth and pleasant sounding the clicker is (not loud and obnoxious like some clickers I have used in the past), plus the reel's rim is exposed for easy palming and buttery smooth operation, a very nice feature. The one drawback is that I noticed that on my 3Wt Barclay the reel foot is a little large for my retaining ring as it doesn't slide over the foot far enough, but that would be an easy fix, but it might just be my rod. The reel handle is located a bit inside for what I'm used to, but I think I could get used to that pretty easily. Overall, this is an outstanding reel with the machining and finish work of the highest caliber, IMHO on par with any Abel reel.

Here are a few photos to show how beautiful the workmanship is on this reel, truly stunning work:

The reverse side:



Top View:


The reel comes in a beautiful leather pouch:




The reel that I normally use on that 3 wt Barclay is a Bill Ballan classic style reel. It also clicks in both directions, but as you can see from the photo it isn't nearly as fine of machining as Vlad's Trutta Perfection 2/0 reel. Plus all you get for drag is the clicker, on the Ballan, no exposed rim, which I really don't care for. From my days of fishing for salmon in Alaska, I really love controlling the reel's drag by palming.

 

[gretch6364]

Interesting placement of the knob. I would also like to see the knob connected with a bolt (allen key) or something that would not get scratched up so easily. Obviously, re-attaching on the river if it loosened for some reason is easier with the flat head...but it makes it look a little banged up.

 

[vr reels]

Thank you very much Larry!

 

[mka]

This reel has fabulous aesthetics with the ability to palm the full spool for drag. When a fish takes a line and is stronger than my drag setting, palming the spool is instinctive and the quickest way to gain control for me. Not sure about the handle...that close to the axis may be too much of a change for anglers in the states. Seems that leverage would suffer when fighting a big one.

That leather reel bag is amazing!!! That could also be a standalone product in the US market.

Larry, I didn't know you were a glass fan...very nice Barclay rod you have there!

 

[mcnerney]

Mike

I used to look down on glass, but my friend Rod (aka rodneybo) is a big fan and we have been fishing together now for 6 or so years. A couple years ago he gave me a Steffen 8 ft 3in 5/6 wt that I really like, but later I began looking for a small stream glass rod, so he found that Barclay for me and I bought it, a wonderful light rod that is such a joy to cast in tight quarters at short distances.

 

[dennyk]

Thanks Larry, it looks like a very well designed reel, for me I think the handle would drive me nuts.

Denny

 

[Lewis Chessman]

Rather than start a new thread I'll hope that mcnerney doesn't mind me adding to his.

Vlad has been kind enough to send me a sample of his prototype 'Trutta Perfection 2/0', too, and I've been out field testing it several times already. I say ''field testing'' .... Fishing!


There are some good shots of it and an interesting discussion on this Classic Fly Rod Forum thread and a few graphics of a possible alternative, ported version on p. 2, #33. Personally, I prefer the classic look of the ported reel to the 'spokes' but that's purely an aesthetic rather than practical choice.

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The reel is loaded here with 50 m of 20 lb backing and a Lee Wulff Triangle Taper #3 (but could accommodate a #5 with 45 m of backing) and on a Burkheimer 7' 9'', #3, which it balanced sweetly.


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Placing the thumb in the knurled hole and turning unscrews the retaining 'donut', releasing the spool. A noticeable benefit of this design is that there is no spool wobble at all.

Interesting, huh?

Something which has concerned others was the positioning of the handle quite close to the centre but I've found no issues with it in practice. It's not so central as to feel 'finnicky' or fiddly and I honestly haven't given the matter a second thought when actually out fishing with it. While it's true that one will have less leverage if/when reeling in a fish directly, much of the time when fishing for fish under two pounds I usually hand-line, winding on loose line as and when opportunity allows during the fight rather than playing them directly off the reel. Even if it came to it (I wish!) I wouldn't be worried.


With the handle close to the hub one will make a smaller rotation to turn the spool one revolution than if it is placed further out towards the rim so, in theory, with the hand travelling a smaller distance per full turn one should actually be able to retrieve line faster with this positioning then that which we're used to, towards the rim. (It reminds me a little in this respect of the old ABU Deltas which also mounted the handle close to the centre.)

Unfortunately, on the three forays I've made with this reel all I've caught is tiddlers and nothing yet has forced me into a decent scrap which could test the clicker mechanism, something I really wanted to achieve before writing. I can safely say it's more than sufficient to avoid over-runs and emits an audible click a little like a sleeping bag zipper being undone. Or done up.
It offers the same degree of resistance in and out so I believe no adjustments are needed to convert from left to right hand wind.

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I've spent some time trying to think of something negative to say about the 'Trutta Perfection' but I can't think of anything. Naturally, I can't comment on durability and, as the reel is on loan, I'm being extra careful not to scratch it. I rather like the colour, too. All in all, I like the reel. To paraphrase an old ad slogan, 'It's scene, but not herd'.

My thanks to Vlad for his trust and the opportunity to field test his work. Hopefully I'll get out with the reel again and catch a 'proper' fish before he demands its return. If I do get to truly test it I'll let you know how we got on.
Cheers,
Lewis.

 

[sweetandsalt]

This elegantly finished reel looks excessively wide in the above image. Also are there any shots of the internals?

 

[mcnerney]

James

Thanks for adding on your thoughts on the Trutta Perfection 2/0 reel!

S&S: I didn't feel this prototype reel was excessively wide, but remember this is a very small reel, suitable for 3 wt rods and below. That was the main reason I didn't make a big deal out of the reel handle placement, as I usually just strip a fish in anyway when I'm fishing small mountain streams, where on larger fish I almost always put the fish on the reel.

 

[Hirdy]

I've been playing with one of Vlad's beautiful reels for the last two weeks too.

I can only echo the sentiments expressed by Lewis. This is a stunning little reel, perfectly suited to 3 and 4 weight outfits. It wouldn't be out of place on a 5wt rod either. Unfortunately for me, I don't fish outfits so light and was testing it out as a reel purely for instructing with (due to the low weight and stunning good looks - on the reel, not the caster! )

I love the spool removal system. Stick your finger inside the hub and wind the handle and the spool is removed. Putting it back on, stick your finger in the hub and pull line off the spool. Voila! The spool is back and ready to fish.

My only dislike - and it's a very minor one - is the ease with which the spool spins. I would prefer a little more resistance because when casting, I always had to have line trapped between the cork and my hand to prevent the line extending. That wouldn't necessarily happen with a 3wt outfit though (I was casting a 6wt line.)

I can't improve upon Lewis' wonderful photos but I do have a pic of the internals for you S&S. It's a simple reel, elegantly simple ....



All in all, I would highly recommend this reel for any aficionado of light outfits. Congrats on a wonderful product Vlad.

Cheers,
Graeme

 

[dynaflow]

The rationale behind moving the reel handle close to the centre of the spool of course is to increase the retrieval rate,but on a small reel like this it's wasted and looks ridiculous.

 

[Hirdy]

It does improve the retrieve rate but it has other benefits too, like reducing the need for a counterweight offsetting the handle's mass. Without a counterweight, the reel is a few grams lighter. It also reduces the number of steps required during manufacture.

I would not call its looks "ridiculous". It looks unusual, for sure, but I wouldn't ridicule it. If it was orange, maybe I would.

Cheers,
Graeme

 

[Lewis Chessman]

Hi, Hirdy, it is nice, isn't it. I can only say that my sample's c&p resistance is fine and exerts sufficiently more pressure than needed to prevent over-run. Perhaps 'mine' (No. 001) has a stronger spring fitted?

Hello, s&s, welcome back!
I posted these internal pics on the UK forum this week but no harm repeating here. Any artistic qualities are purely accidental.
There are 11 photos in all on my Flickr site here but here is a smaller selection:


The retaining cap showing the knurled interior. Applying thumb pressure and turning the cap unscrews it allowing the spool to be eased out from the cage's rotatable centre (black/silver/black in the third shot).


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Front of the spool showing threads into which the retaining cap screws from the rear.

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The dimples on the central hub provide the sprung pin on the reverse of the spool with its c&p resistance.

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The Spool, reversed:
The clicker-pin/spring is at 9 o' clock and is accessed via the handle which sits opposite. It's a clever idea to incorporate of two functions into one design, I think.


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The Cage:
When the spool is in place the frontward ring of the cage (bottom of frame, below) is encompassed within a groove in the spool's outer rim so minimising any likelihood of the line getting trapped between the two.

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Only 5 pics per post allowed .... one more shot I'd like to show ....

 

[Lewis Chessman]

The Spool's Palming Rim:
The groove for housing the cage's rim (above) is facilitated beneath this nicely rounded palming rim:

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I can't say that the thought that the reel was too wide has occurred to me when fishing the reel, it looks fine to my eye and balances the rod correctly. Perhaps the camera has put a few pounds on it?

Hope this helps,

Lewis.
(James)

 

[fishgolf]

Cool looking reel. The handle placement is novel - I don't recall ever seeing another reel like that. That position does reduce crank leverage and could be an issue on larger game reels.

 

[Hirdy]

That position does reduce crank leverage and could be an issue on larger game reels.

Yep, in the same way that spinning reels and multipliers reduce crank leverage to benefit retrieve ratio. Not by as much though.

Cheers,
Graeme

 

[sweetandsalt]

Hirdy and All, What reels have you had experience with employing the in-board handle concept? I have zero but am curious.

This is a beautifully made reel, no doubt about it, VR. Without examining it in person my only two observations from the images are that its aspect ratio errs in being too wide for intuitive uniformity of line retrieval and the inside of the line guard pillar might be more radiused to eliminate the apparent edge. One should not strip off line in a downward motion against the pillar anyway but rather out without contact. But many ignore or develop a bad habit. I encountered a man in Idaho a few weeks ago who I spoke with because I noted he was fishing an older Redington, Ari't Hart built reel. Upon examination I observed he had sawed half way through the pillar during a couple decades of downward line stripping. I commented to him about modifying his technique but he said he knew it was wrong but can't help himself. Something about old dogs and new tricks.

 

[Lewis Chessman]

One of my first fly reels was the ABU Delta 3, a much larger reel than the TP 2/0 here but with a somewhat inboard handle. I still have it, now set up for dapping.



Swedish style a la '70s.

Around this point in the season I might use a #10/11 reel on a d-h for salmon, a #6/7 for evening sea trout and a #3/4 for little loch brownies, all within a day or a week, so I guess I'm used to using reels with varying turning circles. Honestly, this little fella hasn't given me a moment's concern in respect of feeling fiddly or awkward. I suspect that if you are used to a normal placement it will seem a tad odd to begin with but muscle-memory soon sets in and I expect it'd become second nature in a short time.

 

[Hirdy]

Hirdy and All, What reels have you had experience with employing the in-board handle concept? I have zero but am curious.

1/ ... its aspect ratio errs in being too wide
2/ ... the inside of the line guard pillar might be more radiused to eliminate the apparent edge.

G'day S&S,

I haven't held a reel with this much internal offset of the handle before. It did not take very long to become accustomed to it at all and by the end of my time with it, it felt completely natural.

1/ The spool is only an inch wide. Regardless of the aspect ratio, that is as narrow as any of the reels I own. The line winds onto it as well as it does with any of my reels.

2/ You are probably right as far as you've stated. There is a very slight edge to the frame. However, the resistance to stripping line off the spool is minimal and I can't see how there would be enough "drag" to cause damage to the line or the frame. I don't strip line off the reel while I cast at any time, but I imagine doing it with this reel would cause an overrun. Certainly, when I was casting to the end of my stripped 6wt line, the spool would make at least one revolution as the line slapped tight. (I always strip the line off the reel before beginning my cast.)

Cheers,
Graeme

 

[scotty macfly]

I would definitely buy one, or two.