Product name: Shimano Metanium Mg7
Price: Depends on JPN yen, but around $400 USD.
This is a baitcasting reel made with magnesium alloy for the reel frame and comes with 11 lbs of drag. It is the Japanese version of the US Shimano Core 100Mg. It's very light and weighs in at 6 oz. This reels comes with 8 bearings with four of them in the handle knobs. The gear ratio for this on is 7.0 but amazingly it has the power to crank medium divers decently although the handle only comes in at 80 mm. That is due to the larger gears it has of which we know in the US models as HEG. The drag star clicks, but the cast control knob does not. The level wind guide is taper to be larger on the side of the spool so this helps reduce backlash as well as increase casting smoothness. The level wind guide is also titanium nitride coated. The spool is a standard 100 size and is machined aircraft aluminum with crossed drilled holes.
The nice thing about this reel is that the reel body is all smooth with no holes on the outside for screws that you see on most reels. It gives one a really nice reel palm feel. Performing reel maintenance is kind of tricky as you may need a fairly long #1 phillips to get at a screw. The main drive gear is made of aluminum instead of the normal brass you find in most other reels.
Over the past year, I've used this reel for cranks, spinners, buzzbaits, poppers, and some plastics. This reel can cast light weight of 1/4 oz with great distances. I've been getting roughly about 35 yards a 1/5 oz popper lure with 15# Fireline Braid on a 6' rod. There is almost no backlash because of the tapered levelwind line guide. The line lay on the spool is tight and very uniform. The magnesium alloy frame makes this reel feel kind of hollow and fragile while you crank. It's a great reel for finesse techniques but will perform as an utility reel just as well. The best thing about this reel is that I do not have to consciously think about my casting form, thus I can concentrate more on my lure presentation. It's almost like the reel is not part of the equation on the rod.
