daiwa lexa 100P first impressions

[21farms]

my daiwa lexa 100P was just delivered. i had pre-ordered it way back in the early summer and was pleasantly surprised when i got an email yesterday from TW saying it had shipped because i wasn't expecting it until november 15.







here are my initial thoughts:
1. not as small as i thought it would be.
2. smooooooth. when i turn the handle, it is like melted butter...very impressive.
3. the knobs are nice and meaty...about the size of the curado septon knobs. excellent shape and feel (and, yes, the knobs are removable)
4. the handle is quite substantial. i can't help but feel that i could save a lot of weight by replacing it with a carbon handle.
5. the cast control (spool tension) knob doesn't have click detents!
6. the the click detents on the drag star are nice and firm...you get a real positive engagement. love it
7. daiwa still sets the standard as far as how the thumb bar feels when depressed...feels solid and positive

my first chance to get it on the water won't be for almost three weeks!

[damian_megabass]

Not bad!!! Let us know how you like it....

First and foremost I hate the brake adjusment area. That's where the Air'd adjustment is and I keep adjusting it when I fish...casting, catching fish etc..... poor placement for me atleast.

[M Perry]

Not bad!!! Let us know how you like it....

First and foremost I hate the brake adjusment area. That's where the Air'd adjustment is and I keep adjusting it when I fish...casting, catching fish etc..... poor placement for me atleast.

I noticed that with the Airds as well but for some reason none of my Lexas have that problem. Its in the same location as you pointed out but either through hand placement on the reel or simply cause the dial is not as easy to turn I have yet to do it like I did with the Airds.

[21farms]

First and foremost I hate the brake adjusment area. That's where the Air'd adjustment is and I keep adjusting it when I fish...casting, catching fish etc..... poor placement for me atleast.

i was playing around with the reel tonight, mounted on my new winch rod. very comfy to palm. the mag dial is right where my left thumb sits but i don't think it will be a problem. the click detents are very robust. in fact, the clicking drag star and the mag dial have the most solid detents of any of my reels. it takes a lot more force to move than even my zillion CC.

[ecu daniel 14]

I wish the Lexa had Mageforce Z

[damian_megabass]

Awesome! It was very annoying but if it takes more effort to move then that's good news!

[M Perry]

BTW without saying too much there are plans for an entire family of Lexa products including a freshwater rod series under than name designed to be matched with the reels. From what I know Daiwa is very committed to this price point and expanding it as best they can by offering a whole family of products for it.

[Native]

BTW without saying too much there are plans for an entire family of Lexa products including a freshwater rod series under than name designed to be matched with the reels. From what I know Daiwa is very committed to this price point and expanding it as best they can by offering a whole family of products for it.

Hot Dam! Quality construction, performance AND value pricing all from the same product line! Imagine that, lol. Thank you Daiwa! ( I love my Lexa 300 also and have plans to buy one or more of the 100's) Thank you 21Farms for the review and Darkhorse for the series update!

[M Perry]

I am now up into the high teens in the amount of Lexa 100's I have in all 3 speeds. Gotta damit they are really impressing me a lot at that price point. They are a solid reel and the larger knobs area welcome addition as is the beefed up drag. Nothing wrong at all with the lower drag ratings on past Daiwa baitcasters but the Lexas feel like a definite improvement to be honest. Just a comfortable reel to use. Hand fits well on it and it has "that" good feel to it for lack of better technical terms. They cast extremely well and all of mine sounded fine out of the box and tolerances are tight in a good way. I have horsed some good fish out of heavy cover and also have used them on smaller/lighter presentations with equal success. The finish is holding up and all in all I will be switching to the Lexa model almost exclusively. Got some more coming as well as a spinning reel and a 300 for larger baits.

[Hogsticker2]

Buck2thPerch asked a question a while back, wondering if the Lexa 100 would cast as nice as the HSTA. The answer for me is NO. My buddy got one and we switched for a few hours. The free spin is not as friction smooth free. You know how the HSTA almost feels strange, as though your reeling anything at all, yeah, the Lexa 100 doesn't have it. I thought it was a decent reel, and I'm sure it will generate a lot of sales in that market. My buddy and both concluded that the HSTA inside the Lexa 100 frame would have been a smash slam dunk. Thats what I was hoping for, but I can hope some more in 2013. The HSTA was just so great cause you got that Zillion feel at half the price.

[Hogsticker2]

Buck2thPerch asked a question a while back, wondering if the Lexa 100 would cast as nice as the HSTA. The answer for me is NO. My buddy got one and we switched for a few hours. The free spin is not as friction smooth free. You know how the HSTA almost feels strange, as though your reeling anything at all, yeah, the Lexa 100 doesn't have it. I thought it was a decent reel, and I'm sure it will generate a lot of sales in that market. My buddy and both concluded that the HSTA inside the Lexa 100 frame would have been a smash slam dunk. Thats what I was hoping for, but I can hope some more in 2013. The HSTA was just so great cause you got that Zillion feel at half the price.

AS THOUGH YOUR NOT REELING ANYTHING AT ALL - My Bad

[21farms]

just thought i'd post a followup now that i've been on the water with the lexa twice now and have about 10 total hours of use on it. so far, i am very impressed. mine is very smooth and solid-feeling. i'm not sure how well it will cast light lures but with 3/8-ounce rattlebaits i seem to get at least what i can get on my other "small" reels and perhaps just a little more (nothing scientific obviously). i was using 30# green power pro and had no problems with line digging nor with any professional overruns. accidentally moving the mag dial was never a problem. very comfy in the palm of my hand and i really like the size and shape of the knobs but don't like the feel of the ribs on them. at one point, i set the hook on a fish and was disappointed that the drag slipped so much when i thought i had it locked down pretty good. however, later i was fishing my 3G revo STX-HS with the drag "locked down purty good" and the same thing happened so my disappointment went away. i also noticed that it was very easy to thread line from the spool back through the line guide...the access is very easy due to the large distance inbetween just like on the curado/chronarch E-series.

[E73Bass]

Held one of the Lexa 100 at the local BPS yesterday. Definantely as small as I thought it would be. Very Elongated. Definantely larger than my TD-Z's and Fuegos. I will leave this reel alone.

[bronzefly]

I just spent a few days on the water in Louisiana absolutely crushing big redfish with a Loomis GLX 894 JWR paired up with a Lexa 100HSL. I was able to cast a 1/4 oz jighead threaded with a shrimp and spooled with 50lb braid an impressive and effective distance. The stock drag was outstanding - smooth and powerful - and the reel handled all the abuse those big reds dished out and then some. I am definitely impressed with this reel at its price point! We've been selling a good number of the new Lexa reels in both the 100 and 300 size and our customers have given us a lot of positive feedback on them. So far go good, thanks Daiwa!

[Hogsticker2]

BTW without saying too much there are plans for an entire family of Lexa products including a freshwater rod series under than name designed to be matched with the reels. From what I know Daiwa is very committed to this price point and expanding it as best they can by offering a whole family of products for it.

We...need...another...more...elaborated...update. Are we talkin 1st of the year, ICAST, 2019??