Daiwa Tatula HD Casting Reel Product Review

Reel Review

The Next TWS Variant : Daiwa's Tatula HD

Date:	5/13/15
Tackle Type:	Reel
Manufacturer:	Daiwa
Reviewer:	Cal

Total Score: 7.52 - GOOD

Introduction: By all accounts, Daiwa has gone all in with their new TWS line guide, a.k.a. T-Wing Gen 2, and why not? The Tatula has been a good success for the company with the only real drawback, in some eyes, being the reel's line capacity. This past Fall, Daiwa stepped up to the plate and addressed this deficiency with the new variant featuring a deeper spool giving the reel 30% more line capacity. Here now is our look at Daiwa's Tatula HD low profile baitcasting reel!

Daiwa extends the Tatula lineup further with the Tatula HD.

Daiwa Tatula HD Specifications
Line Capacity - Rated	12/195 : 14/165
Line Capacity - Spool Volume	21.6 cm³
Retrieve Ratio	6.3:1	7.3:1
Inches Per Turn (IPT) - calculated	7" - 27"	8" - 31.5"
Weight	8.1 oz
Spool Weight	22 g
Handle Length	100 mm
Bearings	2CR, 5BB + 1RB
Bearings per Knob	1 bearing, 1 bushing
Levelwind Bearings	two bushings
Tested Max Drag	~10.51 lbs
Origin	Made in Thailand
MSRP	$199.99

The Tatula HD shares the same overall shape and size as the original.

Quality/Construction: The Tatula HD shares the same overall shape and size as the original. Its finish is a dark blue with very subtle metallic flakes in the paint. Frame and sideplate tolerances are spot on but the handle does exhibit a little play when moved into and away from the reel (there is no backplay however) and same goes for the reel's knobs.

Quality Ratings for Daiwa Tatula HD
Finish (1-5)	Frame & Sideplate Tolerance (1-5)	Handle Tolerance (1-5)	Knob Tolerance (1-5)	Total	Possible	Rating (= Tot/Pos * 10)
5	5	4	4	18	20	9.0

Matched with a Phenix Rods X13 cranking stick for power tests.

Performance: I fished the Tatula HD matched up with a number of different rods in a variety of applications both with braided line and nylon monofilament. Tests were conducted primarily on Clear Lake, California and the California Delta.

Out on the California Delta giving this bass a Paycheck Baits Nose Job and a bit of Missile Baits Shockwave.

Retrieve: The Tatula HD is available in two retrieve ratios (6.3:1 & 7.3:1) both available in left and right hand configurations. It shares the same Air Rotation technology as the original and feels more or less the same during retrieve as well. This is all a good thing as the Tatula is a very smooth reel during retrieve.

Performance Ratings for Daiwa Tatula HD
Retrieve (1-5)	Drag (1-5)	Power (1-5)	Casting Range (1-5)	Brakes (1-5)	Total	Possible	Rating (= Tot/Pos * 10)
4	4	5	4	3	20	25	8.0

Drag: Back in the lab, we strapped our Tatula HD up to The Machine to see how sweet (smooth and consistent) its drag performs out of the box. While our original Tatula tested out with a Max drag value of just over sixteen pounds, our Tatula HD peaked at right around ten and a half (10.5) pounds. We're not sure the reason for this difference, but we've never been too concerned with max output of a drag for black bass unless it's atrociously underpowered. Instead, our concern is with how smooth and consistent that drag performs and the Tatula HD charts out with a very sweet drag.

Fig 1: The Sweet Drag Performance chart above shows the consistency in drag performance of our Daiwa Tatula HD.

Out on the water, I was once gain stymied by the inability to tempt any fish of significant size and strength to really put the Tatula HD's drag to any significant test, but it was certainly strong, smooth, and consistent enough to subdue bass up to five pounds from Clear Lake and the California Delta.

Sweet Drag Performance for Daiwa Tatula HD (#.# Turns to Lockdown)
	Lock - 8	Lock - 6	Lock - 4	Lock - 2	Lockdown	Avg % Change
Start Up	.26	.46	.9	2.41	8.99
Sustained	.25	.53	1.02	2.75	9.52
Lowest Value	.16	.37	.81	2.16	8.37
Change in Startup vs Sustained	5.2%	15.1%	13.2%	14.1%	5.9%	13.7%
Biggest Drop from Sustained	35.1%	30.1%	20.5%	21.5%	12.1%	23.8%
Drag on this reel was tested with the dragstar fully tightened. Then with each successive test, the drag was backed off with two short pushes of the dragstar with our thumb.

Power: The Tatula HD is available in 6.3:1 and 7.3:1 gear ratios. Neither of these ratios are considered super high power retrieves. In fact, at one point in the not too distant past, 6.3:1 was considered high speed! This reel, as one might suspect, has the same feel as the standard Tatula. The greatest benefit with regards to power and this reel, is its stock 100 mm handle. The extra length really gives you more leverage when turning the gears and is a nice enhancement over the already generous 90 mm handle on the standard Tatula.

The Tatula HD comes with a 100mm handle!

Casting Range: The Tatula HD comes standard with an old school deep spool. At one point in time, all reels came with a spool like this only to be supplanted by the current norm of a more shallow spool. The benefit to the more shallow spools is a lighter rotational weight due to less line on the spool, so if you want a reel with more line capacity, you have to upsize.

There are 20 steps of adjustment on the HD's external brake dial.

The unfortunate thing about that is if you don't like large, 300 sized baitcasting reels ( and I generally do not ), there are few other options. So it's nice to see a 200-sized reel with higher line capacity. You just cannot expect a reel like this to be very useful with baits lower than three eighths of an ounce. Small price to pay really and the Tatula HD is very capable with lure weights from about three eighths of an ounce on up to as heavy as you'd like to throw.

A look inside the Tatula HD.

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