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The Bear brings the Heat, Okuma's Helios Baitcaster
(continued)
 
During our tests we did
experience a little boat rash in the form of two small scratches on the top of
the reel right in the middle of the center frame which exposed the black frame
underneath. Other than this cosmetic damage the Helios has held up very well and
if you prefer fishing braided lines the reel’s Zirconium line guide will serve
you well.
The reel makes
use of a Zirconium line guide in case you prefer fishing superlines
Ergonomics, Price &
Applications:
If you like baitcasters with a small overall footprint the Helios has your name
all over it. The reel is a pleasure to palm ad seems to completely disappear in
hand while still allowing plenty of access to the spool. The reel feels
lightweight and the matte finish also delivers a nice tactile feel that never
seems slippery, even on those cold wet mornings.
A very compact
footprint...
While I like the use of
EVA grips I found the knobs just to be a tad too thick and while they held up
very well I just didn’t find them to feel as natural as those utilized on some
competing reels which are both thinner and wider. Okuma did a great job reducing
weight on this reel, even porting the carbon fiber handle and aluminum drag star
to shave off every little bit of unnecessary weight without sacrificing
strength.
...that seems
to disappear when you palm it
At only 6.3oz. the
aluminum based Helios is among the lightest in the class, and when you consider
the $219 dollar price point this feat is even more impressive. The Shimano
Chronarch 200E retails for $199 and weighs 7.6oz and even the smaller Chronarch
50E weighs in at 7.1oz., Daiwa’s Zillion workhorse reels cost 100 dollars more
and weigh 8.6oz., and even the Abu Garcia Revo Premier weighs more at 6.7oz.
Perhaps one of the biggest competitors for the Helios comes from Quantum’s
aggressively ported EXO PT baitcaster which weighs only 5.9oz. and retails for
just a little more at $249 dollars.
The carbon
fiber handle really stands out under the sun
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):
|
Okuma
Helios
LP
Casting
Reel
Ratings
(?/10)
|
|
Construction/Quality |
Very
good
construction
that
makes
use of
an
aluminum
frame
and
handle
side
sideplate.
The
aluminum
gearing
s held
up and
the
implementation
on the
carbon
fiber
swept
handle
is well
done, as
is the
porting
and
anodizing
on the
metal
components |
8.5 |
|
Performance |
Feels
smooth
like the
Serrano
but
definitely
more
"connected."
The drag
system
really
delivers.
Good to
see use
of
aluminum
in the
non-handle
sideplate
which
also
helps
keep the
gears in
good
alignment |
8.5 |
|
Price |
A
excellent
price
and
overall
value,
something
Okuma is
becoming
known
for
(especially
with the
3 year
warranty) |
9 |
|
Features |
Lots of
features
including
a
corrosion
resistant
finish,
high end
Japanese
ABEC-5
spool
bearings,
carbon
fiber
swept
handle,
EVA
knobs
and a
multi-disc
drag
system
that
really
works
|
8.5 |
|
Design
(Ergonomics) |
Call me
Goldilocks,
I
thought
the
knobs on
the
Serrano
were a
little
small
and now
I think
the
knobs on
the
Helios
are a
little
big.
Nonetheless
I like
the
choice
for EVA
grips
and the
overall
footprint
is
excellent
and very
palmable,
just
wish the
sideplate
didn't
have to
come all
the way
off just
to make
adjustments
to the
cast
control
system.
But
where
are the
lefties? |
8 |
|
Application |
Great
for both
freshwater
and
inshore
fishing,
the
extra
durability
and
corrosion
resistant
features
make
this a
well
rounded
reel |
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
|
|
+ Very
lightweight
and
great
overall
ergonomics |
-
Adjusting
cast
control
requires
removing
of
sideplate
which
disconnects
from
body |
|
+
Powerful
and
smooth
drag
system
|
-
No lefty
(again) |
|
+ The
carbon
fiber
handle
is light
and
durable
(and yes
it looks
cool
too) |
|
|
+
Three
Year
Warranty |
|
|
+ Takes
the
Serrano
and
makes it
even
better
while
still
delivering
an excellent
price
and
overall
value |
|
Conclusion:
The Helios is the
dawn of a new day for Okuma baitcasters and takes an already proven formula from
the Serrano and makes it even more compelling. The Helios not only ups the ante
for the company it delivers to market a truly competitive reel that is better in
many respects than the comparably priced offerings from the traditional big name
players. The Helios is right on the fringe of an editors choice award for us,
delivering both a level of refinement we have never seen from Okuma, till now,
and staying true to delivering a whole lot of reel for the money. So what keeps
it from taking this top honor? The fact that the sideplate needs to be
completely removed in order to dial in those cast control settings and the lack
of a left handed version. While there are certainly more anglers that fish
“rightie” reels there are plenty of anglers (our Enthusiast Editor Cal included)
that are not just partial to, but demand left hand retrieve. A reel as good as
the Helios really should be available in both variants, and possibly additional
retrieve speeds as well.
Okuma's new
Helios brings the heat to the competition with a very light package and Okuma's
most refined baitcaster to date
We still want to continue
to revisit the aluminum gearing over the long term to see how well it holds up
and in the next few months we will continue to put the Helios through additional
stress tests, but thus far the reel has proven to be more than enough for all
the bass fishing applications we have thrown at it. Okuma certainly has
confidence in the Helios and backs it with a 3 year warranty which far exceeds
the traditional single year that accompanies most competing reels. The carbon
fiber handle gives the reel a sporty appearance but it is the drag system,
smooth retrieve bolstered by ABEC-5 bearings and reel’s lightweight ergonomics
that make the Helios a serious contender. The competition should feel a little
uneasy about the Helios as this reel is definitely bringing the “heat” in the
form of performance, refinement and overall value.
Looking for the Okuma Helios Baitcaster? Try
Tackle Warehouse
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