So Bantam1...what can you tell me about...

[facelessnewsouth]

The "Cestus"?

[facelessnewsouth]

I can understand your trepidation at giving us a sneak peek, what with all the haters here lately. I found this:

Introducing the new Shimano Cestus reel! This new reel takes its name from the ancient weapon called Cestus. These in essence, were the first “brass knuckles” used in ancient warfare. The Latin word caestus means “to strike”. The main use of the Cestus was in hand to hand combat during the Roman gladiatorial games where slaves were forced to battle each other to the death for the enjoyment of the crowd. This is the perfect name for our new reel designed to take the fight to the fish…and win.

We employed several of our latest features such as HEG, new Magnumlite II spool, cross carbon drag washer, Septon grips and some all new features. Every reel will be hand assembled and inspected by skilled workers in Japan. Daikoku Masamune offered some of his input in crafting some of the lightest and strongest gears ever put into a low profile reel. Masamune is one of the most popular Samurai sword makers in Japan. His knowledge of metals is unmatched when it comes to building precise instruments of death. Who better to ask when we searched to make a light and strong gear set to handle the rigors of fishing? Based on his input of materials we set new records for corrosion resistance in our salt spray testing.


The casting performance is unmatched. Even our famous DC reels have trouble matching the performance. The spool is one of the lightest we have ever created. Long casts to tailing redfish will be effortless. By use of careful porting and new EDM machining techniques, we were able to reduce the weight of the spool without sacrificing strength. I am sure everyone will be as impressed as I have been in field testing. We have incorporated a new VBS II (Variable Braking System) that has two stages of adjustment on each brake. The Cestus reels will come with ceramic ABEC 5 greaseless spool support bearings.


The frame will be made out of high grade aluminum for cost reasons. We employed the use of a 5-axis CNC machine to maintain tight tolerances and reduce uneeded material. The side plates will be made out of our new Ci4 carbon material for further weight reduction. Overall weight is TBA at a later time.


Aluminum-lithium titanium carbide alloy composite (Magnalite) is a new composite alloy that was developed for use as armor. It never really took off in the defense industry, but we found a use for it. The new high strength alloy is ultra lightweight and easily machinable. We are using this for the handle shank, drag star and several other components inside the reel. Magnalite has allowed us to further reduce the overall weight of the reel at a reduced cost. It might even stop bullets from those pesky pirates you might encounter on the water.


We are very excited about the new Cestus reel. The reel will be officially released at ICAST in July of 2010. At that time I will post pictures of the reel. For now you only get this:


The picture didn't copy, but it wasn't anything revealing. I am curious for sure.

[makins117]

This was an April Fools joke by Bantam last year.

[5bites]

All I know is it is real and the lefty model only comes in 8.5:1 ratio.

[Bantam1]

Wow I never imagined this would pop up again I enjoyed writing this in my hotel room last year.

[SC Bassin]

To think I thought you were talking about the new Caius line.

[facelessnewsouth]

I figured I would let everyone speculate again...haha...I found it on 2cool and here on a cached tackle tour forum page titled iCast 2010...

[facelessnewsouth]

i Did however find a real picture of the new stradic FJ and some new power pro line...looks pretty nice.

[ah_long]

new FJ

http://saltyshores.com/wordpress/2011/0 ... stradic-fj

[facelessnewsouth]

thanks for adding the the link ah_long...I was at work and didn't have time to.

[y2k88]

I imagine new baitcast reels will start incorporating X-ship 'technology', as with some of the more recent JDM SW Conquests. Maybe not this year, but the ICAST after.

[gpoler]

new FJ

http://saltyshores.com/wordpress/2011/0 ... stradic-fj

Looks like Stradic Fj will be a very nice reel.