Luvias, Vanquish and Stella: comparing reels for ajing

The reels I compared were the 2020 Luvias 2000S and 2000SHG, Vanquish 1000SSSPG, and Stella 2000SHG.

This was a comparison while actually fishing, not a durability test.

The 2020 Luvias 2000S scored highly for me. The 2000SHG takes up more line with each turn; my wife likes the faster retrieve and prefers that one.

I tried to consider them calmly, setting personal preferences aside. Judged by its performance, the 2020 Luvias seemed almost too inexpensive.

That leaves durability as the remaining question. But durability was outside this comparison, because we had not used any of them for very long.

What I was looking for

My first consideration was the sensitivity of the whole setup once the reel was fitted to the rod: how clearly the fish’s movements came back through it.

To me, a design using hard, light metal feels sensitive. Reels with what I would call a “damp” feel seem to reduce the clarity of a bite.

The Vanquish has a painted surface, and I felt that the coating reduced sensitivity. A little unfortunate, I thought. Shimano’s rods also have a slightly “damp” finish to my hand—pardon the expression.

A detour into rod design

Daiwa feels “drier” to me. But I think rods that are too long for their design can be prone to breaking.

As an example from the more moderately priced range, I had a long, rather weak Lateo that broke very easily on one occasion. I am certain it was not a casting mistake.

At the expensive end, the Overthere AGS 109ML/M struck me as another design being pushed too far. I had seen other people’s reports about it online. In my hands, it gave me every impression that it might break—again, pardon the bluntness.

I did not feel able to make a full cast with 25 g or more. I could not tell how far I was supposed to push through that fear.

It felt like a ridiculous test of nerve, almost cruel to ask of the person using it. The catalogue figures quoted in my original notes were 7–45 g for plugs and 7–50 g for jigs. I simply could not reconcile those figures with how it felt.

To me, the tip section of that four-piece rod was plainly too weak. I felt the design was being forced too far.

I tried various things, wondering what I could use it for. Then I found one: long-distance casting for kisu—Japanese whiting. For that, it was excellent!

Although, for that purpose, perhaps it was rather too expensive…

The model labels and catalogue weights above are those recorded in the original April 2022 article. “Damp” and “dry” describe the author’s tactile impressions; the proposed connection between finish and sensitivity was not a measured result.