DAIWA BASIA
RRP: £499
NEXT off the production line is something sleeker and much more exclusive. The new Basia reel is set to hit tackle shops on November 1 and will surely be on a few privileged carpers’ Christmas lists.
At nearly £500 each, these will be considered purchases, but the features and looks are definitely mouth-watering.
Aesthetics are always subjective, but we reckon Daiwa has vastly improved the Basia in this department for 2020. Thanks to some clever internal wizardry, the reel body has been significantly shortened. The ‘long tail’ that marked out Basias of old has now gone, and a more squat, compact design has taken its place.
We think it looks miles better, as does the ’50 shades of black’ livery, which is full of textures and subtle colour variations when you get up close. The only concession to colour is a flash of petrol blue visible inside the cutaway rotor. Another classy touch.
As you would expect from a Basia, this new reel feels barely there when you pick one up. We don’t have the exact weight at the moment, but it’s so ridiculously light it’ll make you chuckle as you hang it off a single finger.
Tech-wise, Daiwa has unsurprisingly thrown everything at this model. It’s got the new Slow Cross Wrap oscillation, a QD front drag, the Air Rotor made from Zaion carbon composite, a 45mm long-cast spool profile and a sprung line clip. Our only gripe? The anti-reverse switch is now tucked flush to the body slightly off centre. In our hands it felt fiddly to access, even though it clearly fits in with the sleek design ethos.