NEW SALTIGA EXPEDITION REELS

[Mark Harris]

My Saltiga Expedition 8000H arrived today.  My expectations were high but the reality has exceeded all that and some. 

What a superb looking reel. The attention to detail and the precise level of finishing recall a luxury Swiss watch (no exaggeration).  Also noticed right away that the crank is lighter than any other Saltiga I have ever picked up.

The proof will be in the performance but I can't stress enough how good this reel looks and feels.

To top it all off, Plat had a limited number for a special price. With no import duty, that meant this beauty was in my hands for $1,010 including postage.  Absolute bargain 

If this reel performs anything like as well as it looks and feels, Daiwa have raised the bar for large spinning reels.

[Mark Engelbrecht]

Hope you enjoy the new reel Mark - they certainly look great.

I have not managed to get my hands on one as yet, please post the stats around what you end up spooling onto the Saltiga

I am toying with the idea of an 8000 with 100lb or 80lb JB hollow, probably on a reel that size JB100 hollow should cover all bases

Having read the weight stats and it looks to be slightly heavier than the 18000 Stella SWB, having received yours, is it noticeably bigger than say an 18000 or an old dogfight? (my gut feel is that its pretty similar)

Cheers

[Mark Harris]

Hi Mark

I spooled the 8000H with Varivas Avani GT Max PE10 and got about 330 metres on there.

On it's size - pretty much identical to a Dogfight. Only the spool is a little bigger (obviously). You are correct on the physical weight - very similar to a 2013 Stella 18000 but with a lot more line capacity.

Performance-wise I am very impressed.  The reel went through some hard yards in Oman last month. A particularly good test was a very angry GT that sent the scale needle 48-51 kg.  Two big runs from that fish with about 14 kg of drag and the drag was as smooth as. It felt very different from previous generation Saltigas.

My only lingering concern was the drag performance. I knew the reel was a tank mechanically.  Now that concern about the drag has been completely allayed.
 
So overall, extremely happy with the reel. So much so that I am right now looking to source a 5500H to compliment my existing Stella 10000s.

[Mark Engelbrecht]

Thanks Mark, very useful info.

I've resigned myself to the fact that my bank balance is probably going to suffer due to these new Saltiga's.

[Dan Hanon]

It's great to see such enthusiasm over a new reel, but it needs to be put through its paces.  Time will tell how good it is.

[Mark Harris]

yes that goes without saying Dan.

[Dan Hanon]

Mark, my comment wasn't directed at you, but rather the more impressionable GT gear consumers, like myself.  I've seen guys sell their brand new Stellas, only to buy the new Saltiga, surely influenced by Alan Hawk's glowing review.  That's an emotional response, not a logical one.  The Saltiga sounds like a great reel, but consumers do often make knee jerk purchases.  But, it's only $$$....

[Mark Harris]

I thought it would be useful to post that the Expedition 5500H arrived today.

The line cap stated by Daiwa is VERY conservative.  I just got on 235-240 metres of Varivas Avani GT Max PE8 and the spool is not overloaded. From a line cap viewpoint, this makes the reel a valid GT option out of the box. The equivalent of a Stella 10000 with 16000 after market spool.

Whether it is up to it mechanically, I will find out next week I hope!

[Ben Yeo]

It is Mark, you wont be disappointed.
I'll be getting a second one before my next trip.

Ben

I thought it would be useful to post that the Expedition 5500H arrived today.

The line cap stated by Daiwa is VERY conservative.  I just got on 235-240 metres of Varivas Avani GT Max PE8 and the spool is not overloaded. From a line cap viewpoint, this makes the reel a valid GT option out of the box. The equivalent of a Stella 10000 with 16000 after market spool.

Whether it is up to it mechanically, I will find out next week I hope!

[Kenny Tan]

Is 6500H same as 8000H in terms of parts and built just the difference in capacity?

Still deciding between the two S. 

[David Lumanauw]

Most parts in 6500h and 7000h, 8000h are the same. In expedition reels, bearings are alredy magsealed. You can read in alanhawk.com

[Felix Lux]

Not sure what exactly it is, I found for example the 5000 and 5500 expedition feel quite different too, with the Expedition feeling smoother. That's only playing around with mate's reels, haven't actually caught fish on them.