A line capacity of 300/20 mono is awfully close to the Newell 229 (sigh) and the photo shown suggests that the two reels have a similar profile on the rod. Is that correct? But I take it that the spool is much heavier, as the recommended payload weight starts at 3 oz. Is that correct?

Release shipped a half dozen to us at the end of last week, hoping for arrival in the next day or two. I can't provide much more info or images than what we have up on the site right now.

We await your comments with breathless anticipation.

Well, they released a few, then found a problem... They have made the correction and are now finally sending the reels which should have arrived three weeks ago. (Shipment date was said to be this Friday - puts them here towards the end of the week and at that time we'll dissect them and see just how good they are). Took almost 2 years to finally produce the piece, you'd have thought it would have been ready for prime time. But, things can happen and with the reels in more folks hands, areas for improvement become more apparent. Glad they pulled back to get things right. Okuma has had similar result with the Metaloid and updated Andros 12 and 16 size reels. Those should also have been in good supply by now, but they too found a problem and have worked to correct it now rather than down the road. Both firms value their reputations, and know it's better to get it right even if that means not meeting delivery schedules. Only downside for us is that we've blown some advertising $ based upon expected delivery times...created some demand with no way to fill it.

If that's the worst sin you can manage, I think you're still good for Heaven. Most likely, anyway.

Thinking about it, I can't fault them for finding a bug late in the game, either. It's still a small shop and there are only a few people with hands in, elbow deep, and it's much better to ship a product late then a product flawed.

Yep, exactly. Very interesting pieces and one of the good things about the firm is it's size - it cuts both ways no doubt, but small can mean more responsive. They won't be for everyone, but they will appeal to those looking for a powerful small surf piece with enough drag and capacity to go after some interesting catches.

Nice to see the new photos. That gearbox is huge, just huge, the manufacturer's own photos didn't really show just how big it is.

As I'm mostly a plug and tin caster, I believe I'll wait for the recommended casting weight to drop below the three ounce minimum. That's more than most of my striper plugs weigh.