Shimano and Daiwa have the lightest spools, but Abu Garcia and 13 Fishing are not that far off (Clockwise from top left Tatula SV TW, Revo4 STX, Chronarch MGL, Concept Z).

The main gear of a casting reel can account for a lot in the reel's overall weight (left to right Tatula SV TW, Revo4 STX, Concept Z, Chronarch MGL).

Main Gear: The main gear of a casting reel can account for a lot in the reel's overall weight. Manufacturers targeting a low overall weight typically choose an aluminum gear and those seeking smoother performance generally choose brass.

Brass gears also tend to hold up better over the long term and heavy duty use. Shimano has a very interesting strategy of hollowing out that main gear as much as possible making theirs significantly lighter than the other brass entries.

Manufacturers targeting a low overall weight typically choose an aluminum gear and those seeking smoother performance generally choose brass (Clockwise from top left Tatula SV TW, Revo4 STX, Chronarch MGL, Concept Z).

What I found more interesting when comparing these main gears side by side was their relative sizes (left to right Tatula SV TW, Revo4 STX, Concept Z, Chronarch MGL).

What I found more interesting when comparing these main gears side by side was their relative sizes. I just naturally assumed Shimano had the largest main gear but as it turns out Abu Garcia's Revo4 STX takes this crown followed by Daiwa's Tatula SV TW. Shimano's Chronarch MGL came in third while 13 Fishing's Concept Z had the smallest gear out of the bunch. Of course, we're not talking about a huge difference here.

All four have relatively smooth and consistent drags (left to right Tatula SV TW, Revo4 STX, Concept Z, Chronarch MGL).

Drag: We've fished and written up all four reels and all four have relatively smooth and consistent drags. Today's reels all feature almost the same material in their drag stacks so smooth and consistent drags are almost a foregone conclusion. The primary difference today is the number and size of those drag washers and how much surface area is leveraged to create each reels' drag. These factors all contribute to what's become the bragging rights for low profile casting reels - max drag. This contest came down to 13 Fishing vs Abu Garcia and in this instance, Revo4 STX came out on top.

The primary difference today is the number and size of those drag washers and how much surface area is leveraged to create each reels' drag (left to right Tatula SV TW, Revo4 STX, Concept Z, Chronarch MGL).

Each of the four reels in our shootout feature 90mm handles (left to right Tatula SV TW, Revo4 STX, Concept Z, Chronarch MGL).

Handles: Each of the four reels in our shootout feature ninety millimeter (90mm) handles, but how each manufacturer finishes these handles is different. Two manufacturers make use of light weight EVA foam, sculpted and contoured for a comfortable grip. The other two rely on more traditional synthetic rubber material for even thinner and honestly, more comfortable grip. This battle came down to Daiwa vs Shimano with the Chronarch MGL's knobs narrowly edging those of the Tatula SV TW in comfort.

This battle came down to Daiwa vs Shimano with the Chronarch MGL's knobs narrowly edging those of the Tatula SV TW in comfort (left to right Tatula SV TW, Revo4 STX, Concept Z, Chronarch MGL).

While we had all four reels apart, we thought we'd take a look at another topic of discussion - pinion bearings (left to right Tatula SV TW, Revo4 STX, Concept Z, Chronarch MGL).

Pinion Bearing: While we had all four reels apart, we thought we'd take a look at another topic of discussion. Much has been made of Shimano's X-Ship and how the manufacturer is using this term to describe a feature all manufacturers provide. That feature is a bearing located within the reel's frame around the base of the pinion gear to compliment the one underneath the spool tension knob. This is not a scoring section of the shootout (at least not directly), but since we had the reels disassembled, we wanted to demonstrate this feature is not universal.

Some manufacturers install a bearing within the reel's frame around the base of the pinion gear to compliment the one underneath the spool tension knob - but not all of them do (Clockwise from top left Tatula SV TW, Revo4 STX, Chronarch MGL, Concept Z)

To Be Continued: This concludes the first part of our 2018 Low Profile Casting Reel Shootout. Shimano Chronarch MGL and Abu Garcia Revo4 STX score preliminary points in ergonomics and max drag respectively. How these preliminary points will contribute to the casting tests we have planned is unclear. For now, consider it a more or less even playing field.

Four technologies, three countries of origin, two price points, one goal - are you ready to find out which reel is best?

Once our set of Legend Elite EC70MFs clones arrive, we will string the rods up with identical line and fish them side by side in real world conditions to see if we can discern a difference in casting performance. Our intent is to run the gamut from finesse applications to L.O.U.S. cranks and quite possibly with three different line types, a superline, fluorocarbon, and nylon monofilament. Not only are we anxious to see how low and how far each reel may go, but really, how much effort is required to acquire peak performance from each reel. Four technologies, three countries of origin, two price points, one goal - are you ready to find out which reel is best?

Interested in conducting your own tests? Each shootout contestant can be found right now at TackleWarehouse

Tatula SV TW : Chronarch MGL : Revo4 STX : Concept Z