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From RiverAndReef.com Reviews
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Reels
Smooth is the word that comes to mind. Pretty is another word I hadn’t thought I’d ever use on a reel but the Lamson Velocity Open Back is all that. Elegant would be another way of describing the company’s new smoke finish on these reels too. So much so I have actually been looking at a new rod just to show off the color. The brown tones of my old Sage DS2 just don’t quite work. OK slap me around it’s a reel for God’s sake and trout don’t care if your color co-ordinated. My wife is the fashion designer in this household (and she has been eyeing off this acquisition). The trouble is this is one hell of a good looking reel and looked damned nice in the dawn light when we filmed some bass fishing footage for a local outdoors program recently, and certainly a hell of a lot better than the bloke wielding it. Beauty is only skin deep of course, in this case a tougher than expected anodized coating. I discovered this helpful fact after clumsily dropping the reel on the type of tarmac surface you expect to serve up a few dings and scratches, but there was nary a mark. At the heart of the reel though is the company’s unique sealed conical drag system, the same as offered on its high-end models, which has been tested on everything from steelhead to bones and other lineburners. It is smooth and worry free, with easy adjustment, its so good I’ve barely thought about it. The fit and workmanship on this reel is superb, it feels solid, and while it isn’t the lightest in its class, it balances well for a 9-foot 6wt rod. Waterworks lightened up the body with the open back design introduced in 2003. There are lighter reels around but your going to be paying more money. The only minor gripe I had with the reel was during the changeover to righthand wind. This is accomplished by using the supplied rubber pad to unscrew the central mechanism. My reel came from the factory over-tightened to the point where I couldn’t get it free with hand pressure alone and went to a dealer friend of mine for advice. Apparently its not an uncommon issue _ though I didn’t have the same problem with a friend’s Lamson Radius I performed the operation on _ and with a gentle squeeze from pliers on the rubber pad gave us enough grip to unscrew the thread. In the great scheme of things, it’s a minor quality control issue. There are way too many other things to like about it. My greatest problem will be keeping it on my rod’s and not losing it to my wife. © Copyright © 1998-2007 RiverAndReef.com |
