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The Speed Spool
returns – Lew’s Tournament Pro baitcaster
(continued)
 Price
and Applications:
The Lew’s Tournament Pro is available at Tackle Warehouse for 199.99 and the
primary competition for this reel is the venerable Shimano Curado 200E which
retails for the same price, the Abu Garcia SX and STX reels that are 30 dollars
less and 40 dollars more respectively, and the increasingly popular Quantum
Smoke 100 which retails for the same amount. The Curado is the most popular of
these competitors but the Quantum Smoke probably represents the biggest
competition as it features an all aluminum construction and is ultra light at
only 6.2oz.
...to reveal the cast control
system which features both magnets...
Based on the balance of
specifications and price I believe the Tournament Pro is probably the sweet spot
in the company’s lineup. The Lew’s “Team” reel features very similar
specifications as the Tournament Pro but has a silver titanium deposition
coating with red highlights, and while it is certainly a lot flashier it also
retails for seventy dollars more.
...and centrifugal weights
Below the Tournament Pro
the “Tournament” reel is 40 dollars cheaper but does not have the carbon fiber
handle and weighs 2.4oz. more. The standard “Speed Spool” lacks some of the
refinement of the other reels and weighs in at a very reasonable 8.1oz. but is
very aggressively priced at only $89.99. This reel represents the workhorse reel
of the bunch and on paper the reel may not be as feature rich but it definitely
looks like a great value.
All the adjustment knobs feature
audible clicking mechanisms
The Tournament Pro 6.4:1
reel is available in both right and left hand retrieve and the faster 7.1:1 is
currently available in right handed models. This series of reels blends both
power and refinement into a reel that is well suited for both power and finesse
fishing techniques. We pitted these reels up against both Peacock and Smallmouth
bass and not only did these reel’s survive, they excelled.
Overall the Tournament Pro is an
impressive new reel for under 200 dollars
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):
|
Lew's
Tournament
Pro
Speed
Spool
Baitcaster
Ratings
(?/10)
|
|
Construction/Quality |
The
Tournament
Pro
makes
use of
good
overall
materials
including
an
aluminum
frame.
Though
the
sideplates
are
graphite
they do
the job
nicely.
The
carbon
handle
is a
nice
touch
but the
Lew's
decal
comes
off
easily |
8 |
|
Performance |
The reel
performed
very
well in
terms of
casting
and
smooth
retrieve.
The drag
delivers
excellent
max
pressure
but had
a
slightly
hesitant
start up
at
certain
max
settings |
8.5 |
|
Price |
The
Tournament
Pro is
reasonably
priced
at
$199.99
(used to
be even
more
aggressively
priced
at
$179.99
until
around
Jan
2012) and
delivers
on both
features
and
performance
at this
price
point |
8.5 |
|
Features |
A well
rounded
reel
that has
all the
clickies.
The
external
MBS cast
control
is a
nice
addition
as is
the
carbon
fiber
handle
which
helps
reduce
the
reel's
overall
weight |
8.5 |
|
Design
(Ergonomics) |
Excellent
ergonomics,
this
reel is
lightweight
and
palms
beautifully
|
9 |
|
Application |
Good for
the
complete
range of
freshwater
applications,
this
small
lightweight
reel
proved
it could
handle
powerful
species
as well
as
lightweight
finesse
applications
|
9 |
|
Total
Score
|
8.58 |
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
|
|
+
Good at
casting
both
lightweight
and
heavy
baits |
-
Drag is
powerful
but
could be
more
refined
at the
top end
pressure
settings |
|
+
Very
smooth
retrieve |
|
|
+
Powerful
drag |
|
|
+
Excellent
ergonomics |
|
|
+
Great
balance
of
performance
for the
price |
|
Conclusion:
Lew’s has a long history but will have to work hard to garner interest from
younger anglers that have grown up fishing other brands. The good news for the
company is that it has kicked things back up again with quality reel offerings
and the Tournament Pro is absolutely worthy of representing the storied history
of the brand.
The reel is manufactured in Korea
The only issue we had with
the Tournament Pro was the slightly hesitant drag startup in certain extreme
drag settings and while this proved to be a replicable issue in the lab it
really was a corner case that most anglers will never see. The drag’s sheer
stopping power helped move this reel back up in the ratings, as did the rest of
the metrics including performance, refinement, durability, and excellent
ergonomics.
The Tournament Pro feels equally
at home working finesse jigs for smallies and casting Woodchoppers for Peacock
Bass
Lew’s did a great job with
the Tournament Pro and few reels can match
this baitcaster when it comes to overall performance at the 199.99 dollar price
point making it a “Best Value” for anglers looking for a quality baitcaster with plenty of refinement and robust features. The Tournament Pro
signals the return of Lew’s to the reel market and we can’t wait to see what the
brand has in store for anglers in the coming seasons.
Looking for the Lew's Tournament Pro? Try
Tackle Warehouse
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