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Reel Review


The Budget Friendly Daiwa Exceler Spinning Reel

 

Date: 6/15/15
Tackle Type: Reel
Manufacturer: Daiwa
Reviewer: Cal






Total Score: 7.30 - GOOD

Introduction:
Despite the burgeoning economy, one area of the tackle market that continues to grow and thrive is budget segment of the market - especially with rods and reels. By budget, we're referring to any rod or reel below the $100 threshold. Today, we take a look at a popular new introduction in this segment by Daiwa. Introducing the Exceler 2500SH spinning reel.


Introducing the Daiwa Exceler 2500SH.

Daiwa Exceler 2500SH Specifications

Line Capacity - Rated 8/220 : 12/160
Line Capacity - Spool Volume 14.5 cubic cm
Retrieve Ratio
6.0:1
Inches Per Turn (IPT) - calculated
24" - 35"
Weight 9.3oz
Handle Length 57mm
Bearings 4+1RB
Bearings per Knob Unknown - Riveted Knob
Roller Guide Bearings Bushing
Origin Made in China
MSRP $79.99

 

Quality/Construction: Straight out of the box, the Exceler 2500SH is nice looking reel. It features a painted silver finish with clean joint lines between the body and sideplates. The handle has a very small degree of wiggle back and forth and in and out from the body of the reel and the knob also has a small degree of movement into and away from the reel.


Straight out of the box, the Exceler 2500SH is a nice looking reel.

Quality Ratings for Daiwa Exceler 2500SH

Finish (1-5)
Frame & Sideplate Tolerance (1-5)
Handle Tolerance (1-5)
Knob Tolerance (1-5)
Total
Possible
Rating (= Tot/Pos * 10)
4
4
3
3
14
20
7.5

Performance: I spooled the Exceler up with 10lb Sunline SuperNatural monofilament and mounted it on a Lamiglas Infinity INF 703S spinning rod.


Unfortunately, ours developed some quirky sounds and noises if listened to very closely.

Retrieve: Out of the box, the Exceler spins just fine but after a handful of casts out on the water, the reel developed a slight, very faint squeaking sound. The play in the reel's handle translates to a little knocking here and there too but you have to be paying attention to notice it. Overall, quality of the reel's retrieve is about what we come to expect for a product in this price category.

Performance Ratings for Daiwa Exceler 2500SH

Retrieve (1-5)
Drag (1-5)
Power (1-5)
Bail Operation (1-5)
Line Twist (1-5)
Total
Possible
Rating (= Tot/Pos * 10)
3
3
4
5
3
18
25
7.2


Fig 1. The Sweet Drag Performance chart above shows the consistency in drag performance of our
Daiwa Exceler 2500SH.

Drag: The Exceler's drag performance in the lab was a tad erratic with a real slow, gradual build in pressure before hitting the peak at each setting, then oscillating a bit between highs and lows. The closer we set the reel to max drag, the more erratic the performance - typical of most reels anyway. Out on the water, at low settings, inconsistencies in the drag were not perceptible.

Sweet Drag Performance for Daiwa Exceler 2500SH

Turns backed off from locked drag >>>>
1.5
1.25
1
.75
.5
Avg % Change
Start Up
2.3
2.67
3.69
5
4.71
Sustained
5.13
5.86
6.77
8.38
11.26
Lowest Value
2.25
2.62
3.6
4.92
4.59
Change in Startup vs Sustained
123.2%
119.5%
83.6%
67.6%
139%
106.6%
Biggest Drop from Sustained
56.2%
55.3%
46.9%
41.3%
59.2%
51.8%

 

Power: The Exceler 2500SH comes with a 57mm handle and a 6.0:1 retrieve ratio. This is equivalent to a 104mm handle on a baitcasting reel with a 8.0:1 gear ratio or higher, so the Exceler takes up a lot of line. The stock handle is a really good length affording you a lot of leverage. The reel's aluminum frame performs as expected providing very sure, solid, and torque free performance.


The Exceler's 57mm handle is foldable making storage a bit easier.

Bail Operation: Manufacturers continue to redesign and innovate the often overlooked by consumers feature of the bail trip in spinning reels. Not too long ago, this was accomplished by a trip lever extending down from the rotor that, when spun around to the reel's support arm that leads to the reel foot, would hit a specially designed ridge on the support arm and pop back into the rotor kicking the bail arm over to closed.


The Exceler's drag stack is dry out of the box.

For the Exceler, Daiwa has installed a tapered ridge to the reels body, just beneath the rotor. This tapered ridge engages the discretely placed trip mechanism, also located beneath the rotor, to kick the bail arm over to closed. It's a very clever design and all hidden from view making the reel's operation feel all the more automatic. More importantly, we ran into zero instances where the rotor kicked over only halfway, failing to close.


No bearing at the roller guide.

Next Section: Managing line twist on a budget

 

   

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