Daiwa Exeler 100HA 100HLA 100 HSA 100 HSLA 100PA Product Review

Reel Review

Does Daiwa's Exceler Excel or Repel?

Date:	10/20/13
Tackle Type:	Reel
Manufacturer:	Daiwa
Reviewer:	Cal

Total Score: 7.24 - GOOD

Introduction: The buzz surrounding Daiwa this past summer was all about the Tatula and the Tatula Type R, but in the midst of that new reel intro madness, Daiwa slipped in another introduction just a few short weeks prior to ICAST that went relatively unnoticed. Leveraging the success of last year's popular Lexa introduction Daiwa continues to bolster their product line for the budget conscious angler. Introducing our look at the sub $100 Daiwa America Corporation Exceler casting reel.

Daiwa Exceler 100HLA Specifications
Line Capacity - Rated	14/120 : 16/100
Line Capacity - Spool Volume	17 cubic centimeters
Retrieve Ratio	6.3:1, 7.3:1, & 4.9:1 (right hand only)
Inches Per Turn (IPT) - calculated	6.3:1 = 12" - 26.5"
	7.3:1 = 13.5" - 31"
	4.9:1 = 9" - 21"
Weight	8
Spool Weight	18 grams
Bearings	5+1
Tested Max Drag	~9lbs
Origin	Made in Korea
MSRP	$99.99

Introducing Daiwa's Exceler casting reel.

Quality/Construction: Priced one cent under one hundred dollars ($100), the Exceler is in what we consider the budget category of casting reels. Certainly there are choices available that are even more affordable, but anything at this price point is considered a great value when we're comparing them to the likes of Steez, Z2020, and T3, all priced at over four times the price of the Exceler - and that's just in Daiwa's lineup.

The Exceler is available in three retrieve ratios although only two of these are available in left hand retrieve.

So with such an affordable price point in comparison to Daiwa's flagship offerings, it's easy to overlook a few things when it comes to fit, finish, and perceivable tolerances. Well, Daiwa did not take these things for granted with the Exceler. In fact, if you pick up an Exceler, before knowing what its price tag is, you might guess this reel is more in the two hundred dollar ($200) than one hundred dollar price range.

Looking closely at this reel, it's hard to believe it's priced at only $99.99.

The Exceler comes with a sleek, black finish with just a hint of metal flake. The frame and sideplate tolerances are very good, and there is no backplay in the reel's handle, although there is a small degree of see-saw action if you try to wobble it. Also the reel's knobs move into and out from the reel's body just a little bit.

Quality Ratings for Daiwa Exceler 100HLA
Finish (1-5)	Frame & Sideplate Tolerance (1-5)	Handle Tolerance (1-5)	Knob Tolerance (1-5)	Total	Possible	Rating (= Tot/Pos * 10)
5	4	4	3	16	20	8.0

The Exceler comes with a sleek, black finish with just a hint of metal flake.

Performance: I fished the Daiwa Exceler aboard a new Tatula 7'2" heavy powered rod (TAT721HFB), and spooled it with fifty pound Daiwa Samurai braid swapping leader material from fluorocarbon to nylon monofilament depending upon application.

We fished the Daiwa Exceler aboard a new Tatula 7'2" heavy powered rod.

Retrieve: Were it not for the small play in the reel's handle and knobs, the Exceler would score top marks in this category. The gears themselves are very smooth and consistent, but every know and then, you can feel a knocking as you spin the handle. This knocking comes from two places, the small play in the knobs and the in and out, see-saw play in the handle. If you're able to make perfect circles with your hand while making your retrieve, this won't be an issue, but if you're like me - imperfect - then you'll probably feel this slight knocking.

Performance Ratings for Daiwa Exceler 100HLA
Retrieve (1-5)	Drag (1-5)	Power (1-5)	Casting Range (1-5)	Brakes (1-5)	Total	Possible	Rating (= Tot/Pos * 10)
3	3	4	4	3	17	25	6.8

Drag: Our Daiwa Exceler 100HLA tested out on The Machine with a max drag of nine point two one (9.21) pounds - just a hair under ten pounds of maximum pressure. Those with stronger fingers can probably crank the dial to reach a full ten pounds of pressure, but with us, the drag is about so much more than just lockdown performance.

Sweet Drag Performance for Daiwa Exceler 100HLA (~2.3 Turns to Lockdown)
	Full Turn	Full + 2	Full + 4	Full + 6	Lockdown	Avg % Change
Start Up	.78	.77	1.79	4.22	8.04
Sustained	.76	.82	1.87	4.28	9.21
Biggest Drop	.64	.64	1.63	3.96	7.79
Change in Startup vs Sustained	2.5%	5.9%	4.5%	1.4%	14.5%	5.8%
Biggest Drop from Sustained	15.8%	21.5%	12.9%	7.5%	15.4%	14.6%

In case you haven't been paying attention to our most recent reel reviews, what we're able to do now, thanks to The Machine, is run a quick profile on our test reels' drags to see how smooth and consistent they perform under five different settings. The data from these tests gives us a better idea of what to expect out on the water. For the Exceler, our analysis suggests that at the low end of adjustment, there's not much difference in drag pressure until you get past about one and a third turns of the drag star. From that point on, is where we see the curves begin to differentiate.

Fig 1. Above is our Sweet Drag Performance Chart for the Daiwa Exceler 100HLA. In this chart you can see the Exceler's drag is relatively sweet (smooth and consistent) throughout its range until you get to its maximum setting. Then we see a little more erratic behavior.

Looking at the individual curves more closely, the Exceler's drag performs very consistently up to the point of full lock down where performance is more erratic. This is pretty common with most reels we've tested in this way. Our interest really lies in the red, green, and purple curves as this is the range where we commonly have our drags set when fishing - not at full lockdown and certainly not at wide open.

If max pressure is your game, we tested the Exceler at right around 9 lbs. Daiwa rates this reel at 11.

Next Section: Excelling at Power and Casting?