Handsome reel. Pale gold will turn some people off, but who wants everything to be matt black or dirty olive? Not me.

In my hand this feels light, rim to rim the diameter is a fraction over 100mm, a true large arbour but still only 125g (4.4oz). Fit and finish are good. Actually the fit between spool and body is very good indeed; this uses a familiar quick-release mechanism which can leave a little play between the two main parts, very little or none here. The spool release lever is tiny, discrete but thinking of function, when I want to change spools in a hurry, it’s fiddly.

Anywhere my hands might touch the SLA when I’m using it has had a lot of attention, very smooth indeed. Inside the spool, where line meets metal, the flat surfaces are similarly smooth, the edges around holes are crisp, no ragged line cutting edges but a little more roundedness, more radius, might be comforting.

The wooden handle is large enough and the spool is properly counterbalanced. Bringing line in the spool runs free, no check, drag on the way out, silent in both directions.

On the back, the SLA drag knob is fairly flush to the reel, clicks as I adjust. I like that nothing can tangle around the drag knob, but it is finger-tip sized and a little fiddly.

Daiwa has fitted a smooth drag with a relatively light drag range which adjusts positively (clicks) in small increments – I like that a lot. Having a smooth drag is pointless if I can’t set the reel for my tippet strength.

Inside the body, the small drag housing protects sensitive friction surfaces very well – no grit getting in there. The spool hub holds a small one way bearing/clutch, which can be reversed to change the winding direction. This is a 7/8 model and the capacity to deal with those line weights, Daiwa lists this at WF8F and 130 yards of 20lb backing – no arguments from me.

Overall, this is a reel I’d use in a heartbeat. I like the large arbour form. I like the silence when the spool turns. I like the smooth drag. I like that I can adjust that drag in small steps very much indeed – the deciding factor for me.