What’s the most overrated piece of high end tackle you’ve ever owned?

Finally another legit post…

The ONE thing that jumps at me I sadly can’t remember the name of. It was a JDM braid I imported that literally caused my $1400 budget mega line shootout. Upon which I kept relevant to personal typical user diameter, all items I had not previously used. And at that time, I had tried probably considerably more than most.

Of note, of FC, Tatsu stood alone at the top. It just did. And of braid, at THAT TIME, not saying today necessarily, ironically, Maxima’s 8 new at that time stood out. I still use both. As for mono/copoly, use what you want IMO.

This particular JDM braid I bought upon, don’t hate me, Tackle Tour’s editor choice highly recommended super insane price for what could barely fill a spool flavor of the week had to give positive press item. The line was a bite marker system. That bled all over my gloves, shirt, pants, shoes, socks, reel, rod, tackle trays, boat deck, even my damn glasses I was wearing, AND my hat. All in about 4 hours…. it separated repeatedly midline, was an early gen 8 that somehow lay flat not round on spool, dragging so much water out that my shirt was soaking wet from casting. Not just wet, I could and did wring it out in disbelief. No joke. I didn’t get my belly totally clean for 3 days showering. I could literally feel the water weight upon retrieve.

Not long after that review the line somehow landed at Tackle Wearhouse. And somehow had 3 immediate glowing reviews of its dominance. Then I placed MY review. The cost went from $84-85 as I recall, for barely enough to fill a spool, dropping 60% off where it lay in clearance for way too long. Then Tackle Tour’s glowing review got deleted, not in archive either. I know 100% there is NO way anyone actually tested that line. Not a chance. Maybe, and I mean maybe, fished it 15 minutes tops. Because by then it was starting to show and loosen and blend and I’d have been done with it but it was the only braided assembly I brought that day. To say I was pissed is an understatement.

And then, the shootout… so all was well in the world. After I spent bank and probably 40 hours shore casting identical sticks side by side to determine preference over a period of probably 6 weekends. It was a mission and I was pissed off. Moral of story, that was the last time I read Tackle Tour. And that was the last time I trusted anything tackle related I ever read. If it’s not someone I know, or a friend of a friend putting their reputation on the line, then I’ll figure it out myself.

Megabass Black Jungle F10-76XBJ second or third generation, about 2010 series, because I had sold it before 2015.  I sold it for shipping costs because the rubber/plastic reel seat and stuff was peeling off.

@rise I had a Megabass monoblock, was great to look at, and that’s where the benefits ended.  Those handles were absolutely terrible for fishing, and it weighed a ton.  If anyone owns a monoblock here and likes it, sorry I don’t mean to talk smack about it.  Just wasn’t my thing.  I do know that it is hyped and well received by most general JDM tackle fans, but it just wasn’t my thing.  I didn’t own another round reel, that was the only one I had owned for a bit.  I’ve used other people’s but they were more practical calcuttas or ryogas.

@one-love brutal, and I agree…test it myself before I trust any reviews that are usually biased/swayed/influenced. Especially the “never bad” TT reviews.

@blitzdr I still own this rod. First Gen Super Red Demon, no issues with the rubberized grip, but she only sees water time if I’m tossing a big swimmer that I need to impart action on. I agree 100 percent, those coated grips are one of the worst things Megabass ever implemented, big letdown. I do have several that needed a complete cleaning/removal of that tacky mess. Pain in the ass to get off and very annoying after spending premium money.

@hkbasser careful now, you’re definitely going to offend someone with this one…🤣 

Jokes aside, I can completely understand your sentiment. You are spot on about the handles. I’ve never been able to figure out why they went with a 70 mm handle on that profile of reel. Makes absolutely no sense. The machining makes for some sharper edges that are definitely not what I’d call comfortable, and the price tags are well above premium. That’s for sure.

That said… I have very big hands and they are pretty comfortable to me in terms of palm-ability, but I’d be lying if I said they are designed with comfort in mind…they aren’t. Aesthetics were the primary focus and In my experience, most people either like or dislike round reels altogether. Very few are in the middle. They (The Monoblocks) are definitely legendary in the JDM world and absolutely stunning. Performance is excellent, especially after a nice tune, handle swap and drag upgrade,  but as you mentioned, they are not on the light side of the scale and take some commitment to fish. Love the honesty, brother. 🤙🏼

@rise haha, I knew someone here would enjoy them.  As a piece to look at they’re absolutely beautiful.  A few modifications and they can absolute be useful on the water.  I’ve never been one to modify my gear but if I were to own another I’d definitely change those silly handles out.

Anything St Croix. Specifically the Legend Extreme 7’1 MH. This rod was awful, not great sensitivity and the action, taper and tip section was not for fishing jigs or plastics. I lost 3 fish over 4-5 lbs on it. I only ever landed one fish on it. Couldn’t get a hookset to hold. Sold it within 3 outings of use. Haven’t bought anything St Croix since and never will. 

MB Jota SB- not for me, maybe it’s the SB but this rod is not as great as I hoped for. Will be up for sale soon. My Etna is so much better for jerkbait fishing. 

MB X4 110 rod- another awful JB rod. Way too moderate even with braid. Another rod that might work for something else like a small crank or popper but to market it as a 110 rod isn’t right to me. I love everything about the rod just not application I needed it to be for. Another rod up for sale soon

100m spool- this thing has never done well in anything I have tried it in. I get way better distance from the basic TDZ spool and R+ spool. Another spool that was not worth the hype.

MB IP/J Dream spool- so over braked. You would have to mod it like crazy to get any usable distance. Maybe good for a beginner to get their feet wet. 

Shimano Metanium 2016 the all silver model. Ordered new from Japan and it was a coffee grinder out of the box. It was a common issue with the gears. That was the last Shimano I have bought. I am sure the newest models are good but that soured me

Older Daiwa side plates- not reel specific but just in general I have had the brake dials on many of these basically quit functioning properly. Where you can turn the dial to increase the breaks or reduce them but it doesn’t have any affects on the brake applied. The parts in and around the mag dial need to be properly aligned and glued back. 

Ceramic bearings- just too noisy for me. 

Hawgetech handle nut retainers. They look like colored frying pans. 

Most over rated thing of all time you ask? Red ZPI Racing 92mm handle. Been looking for this dam thing for over a year with no luck. If I can’t find one soon I am going to sell off all my tackle and take up ping pong. 

Thanks for the bitching thread. I feel a little better now 🤣 

Entertaining to read, Gents.

I still can't figure out what high end Japanese braid y'all's speakin'-bout.  Lol.

Yeppers, TT reviews, always with more than a grain of salt.

A few pieces that I was left unimpressed with through the years:

Calais 200 (non-A, which had the perforated spool).  This reel just had underwhelming performance.

Chronarch MGL plastic/ci-sumpfin' frame material...geary and hollow feeling.

Tatsu...yeah, not a fan.  Especially for the insane cost.

Shimano Calcutta 150...this reel just didn't cast as well as it should have being it was the smaller 100 sized frame and smaller spool.  The CT TE 100 improved performance quite a bit, as did the OG Conquest 100.

Daiwa: Ringa SLC stock spool, JDream stock spool, MB IP68 stock spool, BBS stock spool, SV103 stock spool.  All underwhelming, granted with different spools dropped in and  some mods, all the reels were significantly better to superb.

Shimano MM gears, especially the duralumin and even the 2014 4.8:1 Conquest brass gears that went buzzy on me in less than 2 years of moderate use.  The Bantam is the only one that I have personally witnessed the MM being durable.

T-Wing chatter on even the highest echelon Daiwas when cranking fast under load...almost as annoying as the piercing DC whine on a perfect, quiet sunrise morning.

A few more in the bucket anyway.

@kickerfish1 tell us how you really feel, brother…🤣

I agree with you on St. Croix, I don’t agree with you on the Jota, it’s a specialized stick but a very good one once you figure out where it shines. The X4 110 stick, I definitely agree… I sold mine because it just felt like a cheap version of the rod they should’ve produced. The 100 M spool, I never really considered it hyped up, so I never felt let down. Definitely nothing to write home about, but… Put a R+ inductor on that spool and it is an absolute dream. You definitely nailed it on the IP/J dream spools. Probably some of the most over-braked/worst performing spools out of the box. But on the flipside, they are pretty good for pitching, which is what I use my IP’s for. With that much capacity, those things should be bombers out of the box, though. You are on point about everything else. The Daiwa glue failing in the side place was so annoying. 

And that red ZPI handle…don’t get me started. 😆

Seriously….Great response, bud. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

@dragon1 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻…that chronarch was a joke…absolutely brutal iteration. Same in the Tatsu, but I know quite a few people that swear by it. I’ve only sweared at it after trying it twice…

The SLC, BBS and SV103 spools are definitely worthy additions to the crappy stock Daiwa list. I will say that the SV 103 with an inductor/spring swap is a beautiful thing afterwards. 

Posted by: @rise

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@kickerfish1 tell us how you really feel, brother…🤣

I agree with you on St. Croix, I don’t agree with you on the Jota, it’s a specialized stick but a very good one once you figure out where it shines. The X4 110 stick, I definitely agree… I sold mine because it just felt like a cheap version of the rod they should’ve produced. The 100 M spool, I never really considered it hyped up, so I never felt let down. Definitely nothing to write home about, but… Put a R+ inductor on that spool and it is an absolute dream. You definitely nailed it on the IP/J dream spools. Probably some of the most over-braked/worst performing spools out of the box. But on the flipside, they are pretty good for pitching, which is what I use my IP’s for. With that much capacity, those things should be bombers out of the box, though. You are on point about everything else. The Daiwa glue failing in the side place was so annoying. 

And that red ZPI handle…don’t get me started. 😆

Seriously….Great response, bud. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

I just like to say it aloud .... "Joe-Tah",  "Joe-Tah" ... drove the wife nuts!

Sort of like a cross between Jabba the Hutt and Greedo, "Ayye, Solo?"

Posted by: @rise

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@dragon1 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻…that chronarch was a joke…absolutely brutal iteration. Same in the Tatsu, but I know quite a few people that swear by it. I’ve only sweared at it after trying it twice…

The SLC, BBS and SV103 spools are definitely worthy additions to the crappy stock Daiwa list. I will say that the SV 103 with an inductor/spring swap is a beautiful thing afterwards. 

The SV103 spool, stock, is beyond exceptional in the OG Steez 103.

@blitzdr 🤣🤣