MudRiverDan
14-12-2012, 06:25 PM
Bought myself a Christmas present off Ebay last week (yes I bought presents for other people as well), and since I sold my Alphas I have had a good bait-cast rod sitting under the bed for over a year now and decided to give it another shot.
I seen an Okuma Serano SR200W on Ebay for US $118.00 + $15.00 Postage (which arrived in a week BTW). Checked out a few reviews and there seemed to be a lot of good things said about the reel.
So I bought one.
First impressions and spool up:
Very light and compact, attractive design, swept handle that doesn't rattle, very free spinning spool.
You have to pull the side-plate off to adjust the velocity control thing then its done, the side panel turns then releases and is pretty sturdy. The setting goes from 1 to 8 and I set it at 2.
Spooled it up with some 20lb spectra braid (thinner than normal 20lb braid) I had left over and set the cast control dial with a sinker weight and went outside to give it a cast with a small 3/8 oz ball sinker tied to the end.
Cast and drag:
Drag felt ultra smooth and was very easy to adjust with the click star drag.
I would have to say I was worried about birds nests but the reel just cast and cast again and again effortlessly.
I did not even have to feather the reel or thumb the spool when the cast landed.
I have read reviews saying the reel has a very effective anti-reverse ball bearing setup, and this must be what they mean.
So for $140.00 out of the box this reel is very similar to an alphas, easier to use,very light, spool spins more, tighter compact construction on the handle and for me it was easier to cast than the alphas by far.
Not saying it is better than the alphas, but out of the box and in a dry test run it certainly feels flawless.
I guess the wet run will be the true test, though I have read a few review of guys who have caught a lot of fish on them and they stack up.
They are a very lightweight reel designed for salt water with carbon drag rated at around 5 kg.
Not sure why these don't see the market over here?
They go for $170.00 RRP in the US but have seen them on Ebay lately in the US going for $104.00 - $118.00 (with an Okuma 3 year warranty).
Cheers
Dan
87057
I seen an Okuma Serano SR200W on Ebay for US $118.00 + $15.00 Postage (which arrived in a week BTW). Checked out a few reviews and there seemed to be a lot of good things said about the reel.
So I bought one.
First impressions and spool up:
Very light and compact, attractive design, swept handle that doesn't rattle, very free spinning spool.
You have to pull the side-plate off to adjust the velocity control thing then its done, the side panel turns then releases and is pretty sturdy. The setting goes from 1 to 8 and I set it at 2.
Spooled it up with some 20lb spectra braid (thinner than normal 20lb braid) I had left over and set the cast control dial with a sinker weight and went outside to give it a cast with a small 3/8 oz ball sinker tied to the end.
Cast and drag:
Drag felt ultra smooth and was very easy to adjust with the click star drag.
I would have to say I was worried about birds nests but the reel just cast and cast again and again effortlessly.
I did not even have to feather the reel or thumb the spool when the cast landed.
I have read reviews saying the reel has a very effective anti-reverse ball bearing setup, and this must be what they mean.
So for $140.00 out of the box this reel is very similar to an alphas, easier to use,very light, spool spins more, tighter compact construction on the handle and for me it was easier to cast than the alphas by far.
Not saying it is better than the alphas, but out of the box and in a dry test run it certainly feels flawless.
I guess the wet run will be the true test, though I have read a few review of guys who have caught a lot of fish on them and they stack up.
They are a very lightweight reel designed for salt water with carbon drag rated at around 5 kg.
Not sure why these don't see the market over here?
They go for $170.00 RRP in the US but have seen them on Ebay lately in the US going for $104.00 - $118.00 (with an Okuma 3 year warranty).
Cheers
Dan
87057