Daiwa T3 Ballistic Reel - A reel created & designed in the Bat Cave

For those of you who frequent the fishing boards that I do, then you may have seen a post entitled "my wife's gonna kill me". That post was mine, right after I pulled the trigger on a pair of Daiwa T3 Ballistic reels.. two reels I have been waiting all year to get my hands on, and with a sweet boxing day sale, they were hard.. strike that.. impossible to pass up.

If you have not seen the T3 series from Daiwa then I will admit you are surely missing out. These sleek stylish reels bring a whole new concept and design to the reel market. The first time you open and close the bail, you will be hooked.

Not only does the  face of this reel remind me of the a tool you might find on Batman's gadget belt,  but it also has some tricks up its sleeve. With a face plate that pops wide open to reveal the almost hidden  T-Wing bar (another Batman-esque tool) this reel is a casting machine. The space around the spool and the T-Wing design allow the line to more freely come off the spool.

Another Hidden gadget on the T3 Ballistic is the MegForce 3D casting control system.. Hidden just under the reel, the Megforce system allows you to quickly adjust from "maxbreak", to "all around" and "long cast". This quick adjustment will allow you to adapt to any conditions and gives you the ultimate in casting fine tuning (6o total options!). As a guy who primarily uses Shimano reels the MegForce system is a huge perk for me, no more taking off the side plate to adjust the breaks, a simple click with the thumb and Im back fishing

The T3 is not exactly the lightest  reel on the market, but it is not where near a wrist breaker either. The Ballistic series comes in at 7.5oz witch is slightly heavier then the Shimano Curado (the main reel I use in my arsenal) witch comes in at 7.1oz. What it may have lost in the weight battle it regains in profile. This low profile reel sits real well on the rod and feels great in the hand. For a small reel it has some nice power and the paddles are positioned well and don't do a number on your fingers.

Similar to the new Quantim Exo reel, this reel does not have a metal or composite body, but instead it is made of Zaion, a high density carbonate that rivals the strength, weight and flex of magnesion. Obviously this is a new technology, and only time will tell how well it stands up. But so far I really like the strength and fell of Zaion and I appreciate the cost savings that put the T3 ballistic in my price range.

If you have not yet put your hands on the Dawai T3 Ballistic, I recommend you head on down to your local shop and try one out. I think you will be impressed by this new innovation in the casting reel design. I don't think this will be the last we hear of the T-Wing design and I will be surprised if we don't come across some T-wing knock-offs at Icast 2012.