The Fast Crowd, High
Speed with the Daiwa Aggrest Hyper Speed Baitcaster
(continued)
Drag:
The Daiwa Aggrest delivered 8.5lbs of drag pressure in our lab which is just shy
of
Daiwa’s published specifications. This also is on par with what you would expect
to see out of a standard Zillion or Steez reel but the Aggrest's system doesn't
offer the same range of settings. Inside this reel is not Daiwa's usual drag
stack but rather a single recessed washer and steel disc. While the system gets
the job done it is not as easy to upgrade as other Diawa reels. When it comes to max drag
pressure on low profile baitcasters Daiwa is starting to fall behind the
competition in the majority of their offerings, the one exception is the new
Type-R which features souped up drags capable of delivering over 15lbs. of
pressure.
In the span of 10 minutes we
landed over 25 fish with ripbaits in this stretch of water
The
drag star is formed from plastic with a brass fitting to lock it in place, and while ergonomically acceptable it does
not look or feel as high quality as aluminum drag stars like the one found on
the more affordable TD-Advantage HSTA. The more we delved into this reel the
more the TD-A Advantage HSTA seems like the better built reel.
Interestingly the Aggrest makes
use of the same style knobs found on the higher end Steez reels, the composite drag
star is a bit of a turnoff however
Ergonomics:
One of the nicest things about the Aggrest is how light it feels in hand and
when paired with lighter rods. The Aggrest makes use of an aluminum frame and
graphite sideplates similarly to the Shimano Curado and is able to shave off
some of the extra weight on the sides while still remaining rather solid feeling
due to the quality design. The Aggrest weighs in at only 7.6oz. which is .9oz.
less than the TD-Advantage HSTA and Zillion Type-R and a full ounce lighter than
both the Zillion Coastal.
Just in case you forgot what your
fishing with there is a shiny branding plate on the front of the reel
Not only does the Aggrest
feel light but it palms well and sits low on reel seats making this a good
choice for applications that require you to hold the rod in palm at an upright
including fishing finesse plastics. Paired with Carrot Stix fishing rods this
combo felt very light and easy to fish with for extended periods.
The cast tension knob is made out
of metal but does not click
The external cast control
dial makes it easy to make adjustments on the fly and interestingly Daiwa makes
use of the more traditional low profile knobs that are found on higher end reels
like the Steez and classic TD-Z reels versus the enlarged rubber handles (soft
touch grips) on the Zillion and Advantage reels. It will come down to preference
which you prefer, most enthusiasts prefer the lower profile knobs while some
anglers feel the rubber grips provide more positive feedback when cranking hard
or when fishing in wet weather.
To remove the on handle sideplate
anglers need to rotate a knob on the handle side
Durability:
While the Aggrest may not feel as solid as a Zillion it held up well
throughout testing. The aluminum frame provides a solid foundation for the reel
and the metal components used throughout did not show any signs of wear after a
season of fishing. The reel’s finish also held off boat rash well and aside from
a few scratches on the surface the reel’s paint didn’t chip or flake off.
Drop the sideplate downwards...
Price & Applications:
One of the things that make the Aggrest so interesting is the 179 dollar price
point. This reel is priced extremely close to the TD-Advantage HSTA which
retails for 10 dollars less. Occupying the same basic price point what separates
the two reels is the weight difference and the overall profile of the two reels.
The HSTA fishes like a much bigger reel but the Aggrest actually holds more
line. Most anglers will probably opt for the newer Aggrest and when it comes to
ergonomics the Aggrest wins hands down. But when it comes to refinement the
lines blur, the HSTA not only has a higher bearing count but also boasts a much
higher bearing count (10BB + 1RB) but also makes use of an aluminum frame and
right sideplate so it does feel more solid.
...to reveal the standard inductor
Both reels really can’t
compete with the much more refined Zillion series but in our opinion the HSTA
fishes more like a Zillion when it comes to overall feel while the Aggrest
fishes more like the very affordable Exceler. We’re just talking just feel here,
in terms of performance the Aggrest smacks the Exceler but the similarities are
there in form factor and overall “feel.” If you’re looking for a premium Daiwa
baitcasting reel the Aggrest really only gets you halfway there. Is it worth it
to shell out another 90 bucks for a Zillion? Yes, if you intend to use the reel
as one of your regular workhorse reels. But if you happen to need another reel
that delivers a fast 7.3:1 retrieve the Aggrest will indeed fit the bill.
The non handle sideplate holds the
cast control system. This system is proven and compensates for different levels
of casters very well
Ratings:
(We've
re-calibrated our
ratings standard for
2008 and have
included a key at
the bottom of the
following matrix as
a guide):
|
Daiwa
Aggrest
Ratings
(?/10)
|
|
Construction/Quality |
The
Aggrest
is built
with
decent
materials
but the
plastic
drag
star is
a turn
off at
this
price
point.
The reel
does
have a
decent
drag
system
and the
use of CRBB
bearings
and a
aluminum
frame is
a plus.
This
reel
costs
more
than the
Daiwa
TD-A
HSTA but
in terms
of build
quality
is
arguably
not as
robust.
The drag
simple
system
is not
as
refined
or easy
to
upgrade
as many
other
Daiwa
reels
and
there
was also
plastic
gears
used to
drive
the worm
gear |
6 |
|
Performance |
The
Aggrest
was not
the most
refined
reel
from
Daiwa,
nor
should
it be
for the
price
point.
the reel
did
exhibit
excellent
casting
but was
not as
smooth
as other
Daiwa
reels in
terms of
retrieve.
Perhaps
I'm just
spoiled
on the
Zillion
series
but the
Aggrest
fished
more
like a
souped
up
Exceler
reel
than a
proper
bridge
between
the
value
and
premium
Daiwa
offerings.
In fact,
in many
ways the
cheaper
TD-A
HSTA is
just as
good
performance-wise |
7 |
|
Price |
A
"fair"
price
for what
your
getting
but
there is
a TON of
competition
at this
price
point |
6 |
|
Features |
One nice
thing
about
the
Aggrest
is it
makes
use of a
number
of
quality
features
normally
found in
higher
end
Daiwa
reels,
this
includes
the
Magforce-Z
anti-backlash
system,
a swept
handle
and CRBB
bearings.
yet with
all that
there is
not
anything
that
really
makes
the
Aggrest
stand
out
versus
the
competition. |
7 |
|
Design
(Ergonomics) |
The best
feature
about
this
reel is
the
ergonomics,
it is
reasonably
lightweight
and has
a small
footprint
making
it easy
to palm
all day
long |
8.5 |
|
Application |
High
speed is
not good
for
every
application
but the
Aggrest
proved
to be
good for
both
plastics
and
reaction
baits.
The
ability
to cast
even
lightweight
lures
makes
this a
good
choice
for
fishing
weightless
plastics
on a
budget.
All in
all the
Aggrest
gets the
job done
but some
of the
refinement
that we
like so
much
from
Daiwa is
absent
in this
mainstream
reel |
7 |
|
Total
Score
|
6.91 |
Ratings
Key:
1 =
terrible
: 2 =
poor : 3
=
lacking
: 4 =
sub par
: 5 =
mediocre
: 6 =
fair : 7
= good :
8 =
great :
9 =
excellent
: 10 =
unbelievable!
For More
Details
of the
updated
rating
system
visit
our
explanation
here |
Pluses and Minuses:
|
Plus
Minus
|
|
+
Lightweight
and low
profile
makes
for easy
palming |
-
Feels
like a
slightly
higher
end
version
of
Daiwa's
lower
end
offerings
versus a
step
down
from a
Zillion |
|
+
Capable
caster |
-
Lots of
strong
competition
at this
price
range |
|
+
Fast
retrieve
is good
for more
than
just
reaction
bait
applications |
|
