I received my Tatula 100HS on Saturday and had a chance to take it out on the water on Sunday. Spooled up with 10lb. mono and put on a Daiwa Steez XT 701MRB casting rod, my intent was to fish jerkbaits (and topwater) at a local private lake. Ended up catching a few and here are my thoughts on the reel:
Cosmetics: Matte black finish very similar to a Fuego CT which I had side-by-side. The Tatula spider on the left plate is noticeable in the sunlight but to me was not gaudy. There is a larger than I expected white dot as a marker for mag adjustments and a Daiwa logo on the front plate of the reel. The red accents next to the thumb bar are okay but I would have actually rathered them blend right in with the matte black.
Ergonomics: The reel is small but not that small. It fits nicely into my larger but skinny hands but really is a toss up between the CT platform and this (for me). The reel sweeps back moreso on this platform than the CT (palming side) and the mag dial doesn't seem to interfere with the way I palm the reel. Mag adjustments are solid and not loose so I never had to re-adjust.
Casting: It was odd for me to just adjust only the magnets since I always have used a cast control to fine tune my casting. Nonetheless, I found that 7-8 were where my adjustments needed to be to cast the lures I wanted the distance I wanted and still maintain control. I did get some small backlashes but nothing out of the ordinary. Casting distance was good but for me not any farther than the Fuego CT and/or SV105.
Mechanics/Durability: The reel feels solid but not as tight/refined as some of my higher end offerings (SV105). Not saying its not solid at all and it does feel (to me) very similar to the Fuego CT (which is slightly hollow if that makes sense). Not sure how the matte black paint will hold up. Drag was solid when fighting fish and seemed to be working just fine and smooth.
Overall, the Tatula 100HS is a nice reel. I like the feel and finish of the Tatula SV reels a little better but this is just the tip of the iceberg I think with this smaller frame. An SV version of this or a higher end Zillion version of this would be nice but I think would take away them from the market for sales of the Steez A and TW SV. Who knows what Daiwa will bring as far as further price-point refinement to this frame in the future. However, for the price and the market, the Tatula 100HS is a fine reel and I am sure will sell/perform well to the variety of anglers it will appeal to. I see it truly as a toss up for many though between the matte black look and more compact Tatula 100 versus the more refined and tighter Tatula SV. Hope this review helps. Best wishes on the water!
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Originally Posted by txsunfish
