What's your opinion on the ICAST winner?

[george]

Inside the ICAST-Winning 2026 Daiwa BG SW

A Nor’easter Living Product Anatomy experience.

stories.noreaster.com

 

[Leprechaun]

Are you asking me? Well, Okay, here goes - if they are still using those zinc/pot metal gears in the BG series, then as Randy Jackson used to say on American Idol, "It's a hard pass for me, dog."

Next time you're in there, Ask John @Trophy Tackle about the longevity of those gears. That conversation will prove enlightening, for sure.

Also, why does this, Daiwa's latest design, look like a cheap Penn reel from the 1990's?

The old-school first-gen BG's were infinitely better looking than these new ones.

 

[george]

Are you asking me? Well, Okay, here goes - if they are still using those zinc/pot metal gears in the BG series, then as Randy Jackson used to say on American Idol, "It's a hard pass for me, dog."

Next time you're in there, Ask John @Trophy Tackle about the longevity of those gears. That conversation will prove enlightening, for sure.

Also, why does this, Daiwa's latest design, look like a cheap Penn reel from the 1990's?

The old-school first-gen BG's were infinitely better looking than these new ones.

Not sure if you looked at the article, but it's interactive and shows you everything that's inside of it.

 

[george]

Power Digigear & pinion
Manufacturer claim
Handle torque passes through the main drive gear to the pinion, rotor, line roller, and line.

Daiwa says the larger, thicker drive gear reduces deflection and power loss under sustained load.

 

[Leprechaun]

I have already seen numerous on-line ICAST reviews of this reel (because being a reel nerd, that's what I do at 05:00 during breakfast - and during work breaks as well), and I did look at the article. Nowhere to be found is exactly what those supposed "Power Digigear and Pinion" are made of.

Where is "Fishing Advisors" YT channel when you need it? The only on-line channel that would actually talk real tech, not a manufacturer's B/S advertising babble. He would completely disassemble reels and go over the pluses and minuses of each component utilized. I think he got a job with Tsunami or some other tackle company and stopped posting because he felt it would be unethical to poop on other reel manufacturer's products. And poop he would - if called for, of course!

This is especially funny - " Manufacturer claim
Handle torque passes through the main drive gear to the pinion, rotor, line roller, and line."

Is Daiwa friggin' kidding with this nonsense? That's how literally every spinning reel ever invented works. They need a real tackle expert to write their copy, not just rely on AI slop to spin an ad.

 

[Roccus7]

HAL needs to learn to use PRODUCT LINE instead of LINE in a REEL evaluation. Had me scratching my head for a second.

 

[george]

HAL needs to learn to use PRODUCT LINE instead of LINE in a REEL evaluation. Had me scratching my head for a second.

I love how you just point out all their mistakes. Honestly, I really, really do. I'm going to plug you into the brain so you can explain it better.

 

[Roccus7]

I have already seen numerous on-line ICAST reviews of this reel (because being a reel nerd, that's what I do at 05:00 during breakfast - and during work breaks as well), and I did look at the article. Nowhere to be found is exactly what those supposed "Power Digigear and Pinion" are made of.

Where is "Fishing Advisors" YT channel when you need it? The only on-line channel that would actually talk real tech, not a manufacturer's B/S advertising babble. He would completely disassemble reels and go over the pluses and minuses of each component utilized. I think he got a job with Tsunami or some other tackle company and stopped posting because he felt it would be unethical to poop on other reel manufacturer's products. And poop he would - if called for, of course!

This is especially funny - " Manufacturer claim
Handle torque passes through the main drive gear to the pinion, rotor, line roller, and line."

Is Daiwa friggin' kidding with this nonsense? That's how literally every spinning reel ever invented works. They need a real tackle expert to write their copy, not just rely on AI slop to spin an ad.

You know what drives me nuts with this claim? It trains inexperienced fishermen that a reel is a winch taking all the punishment, when it’s the rod that does that and a reel is a line storage and delivery device, with the fishermen using rods for the mechanical advantage of a lever.