Retrieve: It was clear that Okuma put a lot of work into the casting of the Hakai but just after a day fishing with it I could tell that this wasn’t just a new spool put into previous generation internals. The Hakai feels powerful during retrieves, and even the high-speed version delivers a smooth and connected feel. There is a very small amount of play in the handle but hooksets and there is an immediate response from the gearing. While there is still some room for refinement in terms of a completely friction free retrieve, I do feel like the Hakai is both smoother, and quieter, than the Citrix and even the more expensive Helios.

A look underneath the hood of the Hakai

Often when manufacturers are trying to lower the overall weight of baitcasters they turn to aluminum gearing. This is very common in Japan where low overall weight is a priority, and especially in BFS oriented reels. The U.S. market is viewed a little differently, and many manufacturers believe that the anglers and applications lean towards the power end of the spectrum, and in turn place more pressure on gearing and stress on all the components.

The Hakai's brass gearing meshes well and features very unique porting to reduce weight

For this reason, many manufacturers that decide to use aluminum gearing will turn to more exotic treatment processes to harden the gears, while most are willing to sacrifice that extra weight to leverage the proven reliability of brass gearing.

In the Hakai Okuma has engineered an entirely new oversized brass gear that is machined with eight ports for weight reduction. The resulting main gear is an absolute work of art that delivers a solid retrieve and the rare combination of the strength of brass without all the added weight.

The oversized gear has precisely angled teeth that are cleanly cut but not nearly as small as some competitors. This gear is built for durability

When we examined the internals of the Hakai we can see the teeth on the main gearing is still relatively large. It is cut with precision, and meshes well, but doesn’t have as tight a tolerance as those found within some competing reels. There is still some room for refinement here but the fact that Okuma was able to maintain use of brass gearing in a reel this light is very impressive. It not only helps deliver strength and reliability in a lightweight reel, but also helps keep the overall cost down by utilizing familiar materials and finding a solution that leverages existing manufacturing capabilities.

The drag system is adjusted with an injected carbon fiber drag star

Drag: Key to a high performing drag system is the combination of plenty of surface area, which is enhanced through stacking of materials, and reduction of performance robbing heat. Okuma accomplishes both with this new system to deliver not only their most powerful, but smoothest, drag in a compact lightweight baitcaster yet. When battling fish, the Hakai’s drag is quiet and provides protection for light fluorocarbon, or sheer muscle when locked down during power and reaction applications.

Okuma rates the drag at 20lbs. and in our lab we were really surprised that the Hakai was able to deliver 22.1lbs. of max drag pressure at full lock on The Machine. This is over a 10% premium over the maximum rating, and honestly much more than most anglers will ever need for bass fishing applications.

Notice how the maingear is ported and still accommodates a large carbon drag washer that is secured within the gear

Okuma’s drag design is clever and goes hand in hand with their main drive gear. When Okuma developed their new maingear it is also clear that they were thinking about enhancements to their drag system in parallel. By increasing the diameter of the main brass gearing they also increased the space in which to drop in a new more-powerful drag system.

A multi-surface stack alternates between materials and moving and locked washers to create more surface area and increased stopping power. The porting helps further reduce heat under load, much like a cross drilled car rotor and brake system

Rather than just float the carbon and steel drag system within the cavity they used the ported holes to by locking in the hybrid drag system, allowing the other washers to tighten around the surface like brake pads on a rotor. Similarly, to a cross drilled rotor these machined holes help dissipate heat when the drag is employed over longer runs.

The Hakai's drag provides plenty of smooth stopping power to help control and land fish

Ergonomics: The Hakai feels both light and compact in hand and on every rod we tried it on it sat low enough to make it easy to feather the spool and extend a finger to make direct contact with the line to detect those subtle bites. There is a lot to like about the ergonomics on the Hakai, as well as a few things that could be improved. On the plus side the Hakai is light and balanced and all the adjustment knobs feel high quality. The star drag is a highlight, and the injected carbon looks and feels great. The universal line indicator is easy to set and a useful addition, and the externally adjustable magnetic cast control makes on the fly adjustments quick and easy.

The Hakai has a very compact form factor and is easy to palm

The areas where the Hakai could use some refinement is the position of the worm gear assembly which is exposed below the front of the frame and can easily touch your finger during retrieves when palming. It is still possible to palm and retrieve but you must be mindful of the position of your finger around the front of the reel. The second area are the EVA knobs, which feature a round barrel versus paddle shape, and is a little polarizing as not all anglers are used to this style. Personally, I like flatter paddle knobs on my light baitcasters but am ok with larger barrel knobs on my heavier big-bait oriented reels where that extra grip is nice for wrapping your entire hand around the knob for extra leverage. The Hakai’s knobs are kind of in the middle, and are a lower profile knob designed for a finger style grip. At the end of the day this will come down to personal preference. Finally, the clutch button seems a little out of character compared to the rest of the reel and is shiny, a little slick, and feels somewhat plasticky. I would have preferred a matte button that feels a little more solid to the touch.

One ergonomic issue that anglers may experience depending on your rod hood is the position of the levelwind assembly which is exposed below the face of the reel and can come in contact with your finger when palmed and placing your index finger right above the contact point between the rod and the Hakai

Next Section: The best Okuma Baitcaster yet?