Quantum Smoke S3 Spinning Reel Product Review

Reel Review

Solid, Smooth, Refined, Quantum's New Smoke S3 Spinning Reel

Date:	2/15/18
Tackle Type:	Reel
Manufacturer:	Quantum
Reviewer:	Cal

Total Score: 8.08 - GREAT

Introduction: Quantum's Series Three (S3) Re-imaging and re-engineering of their entire suite of reels as debuted at ICAST 2017 did not end with just their casting reels. No, the revamp includes their spinning reel lineup as well. Today, we take a look at of their Smoke S3 spinning reels to see just how well it performs.

Quantum Smoke S3 25 Spinning Reel Specifications
Line Capacity - Rated	8/150
Line Capacity - Spool Volume	13.8 cm³
Retrieve Ratio	6.0:1
Inches Per Turn (IPT) - calculated	21.5 - 32
Weight	8.1 oz
Handle Length	45 mm
Bearings	11+1
Line Guide Bearings	One
Origin	Made in China
MSRP	$159.99

Introducing Quantum's Smoke S3 Spinning reel.

Impressions: The big news out of Quantum's S3 efforts with their spinning reels is the new uni-body construction.

The uni-body one piece frame provides a more stable, flex free environment to house the reel's guts. This is all done within the existing aesthetic of the reel because looking over the final product, you cannot really tell one way or the other, what's part of the uni-body, and what is cosmetic - unless you know where to look. That's a good thing.

Quantum's S3 spinning reels will all feature uni-body construction as shown to us at ICAST 2017.

Otherwise, the reel comes with a pretty standard looking spool and a very nice machined handle capped off with a knob made out of EVA foam. The Smoke S3 spinning reel tipped our scale at 8.1 ounces, but feels relatively light in hand for a spinning reel.

This reel features 12 bearings.

Real World Tests: The Smoke S3 25 sized spinning reel comes with a standard, deep spool, that I filled with ten pound (10lb) test Sunline Super Natural nylon monofilament for our tests. I matched it with an ARK Rods Invoker IVK610MLXS spinning rod.

I underfilled the spool to get a better sense of how well line flows off the spool.

Casting: Quantum's Smoke S3 Spinning reel comes equipped with a titanium bail that snaps open with minimal effort and holds in the open position very well throughout the cast. If you're one to turn the reel's handle to snap the bail back into closed position, there's a mechanical trip internal to the reel that will kick the bail back over. Otherwise, if you close the bail by hand, the reel is equipped with a very strong spring that delivers a very reassuring assist when you make your move to close the bail.

Available in 4 sizes, we tested the 25.

I purposely underspooled my line on this reel to see how well the line would come off the spool during a cast and am happy to report, I couldn't really tell. Despite a good three thirty seconds of an inch (3/32") of space between the edge of the spools taper to my actual line, each cast was made unencumbered, to or beyond my intended target.

The line roller is bearing supported to help mitigate against line twist.

Retrieve: On the retrieve, the Smoke S3 Spinning reel's line roller is bearing supported so your line lays onto the spool very smoothly and evenly. The reel's gears are super smooth and that uni-body construction translates to solid, reassuring performance with a level of refinement surpassing that of the reel's price point.

The reel's guts are carefully sandwiched within the uni-body frame.

Next Section: Let's talk about winding power...