Bantam MGL Who has their hands on one?

Reels are the hottest topic for TackleTour. Everyone wants to know what the latest and greatest is and how they compare to the old guard. What's the best for light stuff, or what's your suggestion for heavy cover. Do we really need different retrieve ratios? It's all in here.
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timinmo
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Re: Bantam MGL Who has their hands on one?

Post by timinmo » Fri Mar 16, 2018 6:07 am

I am waiting impatiently. I find it mildly funny that after chasing light weight for years, now the two reels that really interest me are the Bantam and the Ryoga. Go figure.

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Re: Bantam MGL Who has their hands on one?

Post by timinmo » Fri Mar 16, 2018 6:07 am

sorry double post.

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Re: Bantam MGL Who has their hands on one?

Post by egore1 » Fri Mar 16, 2018 10:17 am

I purchased the XG model and am impressed with the reel. I tore it down prior to usage and added some grease and extra bearings. One thing I noticed was this reel features a ceramic pawl for the line guide. Someone was asking about the level wind and it is retained in the frame by the plate that holds the main shaft in place. Frame, side plate, and handle side plate are all aluminum :D

Reel is very compact and feels like a narrower Curado K in my hands.

Casting performance is great and right on par with my Met and Chronarch MGL spooled reels. I like having the silent tune too.

The handle is a bit short (90mm) and I plan to order a longer one soon. Just a preference.

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Re: Bantam MGL Who has their hands on one?

Post by LgMouthGambler » Fri Mar 16, 2018 10:42 am

Great, the pawl is plastic. :doh:
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Re: Bantam MGL Who has their hands on one?

Post by chreim20 » Fri Mar 16, 2018 1:18 pm

LgMouthGambler wrote:Great, the pawl is plastic. :doh:
LOL ](*,)

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Re: Bantam MGL Who has their hands on one?

Post by egore1 » Sat Mar 17, 2018 6:45 am

LgMouthGambler wrote:Great, the pawl is plastic. :doh:
Or a hardened version of glass??? He he.

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Re: Bantam MGL Who has their hands on one?

Post by egore1 » Sat Mar 17, 2018 6:49 am

Is anyone else hoping for a deep spool for this reel? I saw mention of the shallow version but I am hoping to use the reel for heavy applications such as flinging medium sized swimbaits or maybe put one on my umbrella rig rod.

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Re: Bantam MGL Who has their hands on one?

Post by spookybaits » Sat Mar 17, 2018 8:23 am

egore1 wrote:Is anyone else hoping for a deep spool for this reel? I saw mention of the shallow version but I am hoping to use the reel for heavy applications such as flinging medium sized swimbaits or maybe put one on my umbrella rig rod.
That is a deep spool, atleast in Shimano world.
You said you bought the 8.1:1 version. Not to be a buzzkill, but that ain't the reel for throwing a-rigs & swimbaits. Calcutta, conquest, tranx, etc are the right tools for that job. (Or maybe older 200 size models with slower gearing & bigger capacity).
That said, maybe Yumeya will make one?
Last edited by spookybaits on Sat Mar 17, 2018 8:28 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Bantam MGL Who has their hands on one?

Post by DirtyD64 » Sat Mar 17, 2018 8:26 am

egore1 wrote:
LgMouthGambler wrote:Great, the pawl is plastic. :doh:
Or a hardened version of glass??? He he.
So it is different than the Chronarch and Metanium???

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Re: Bantam MGL Who has their hands on one?

Post by joekaz » Sat Mar 17, 2018 8:31 am

How does the palm side plate feel in your hand? The spool access thing looks like it sticks out a little. I prefer a smooth side plate with nothing to irritate my hand.

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Re: Bantam MGL Who has their hands on one?

Post by Slazmo » Sat Mar 17, 2018 2:46 pm

LgMouthGambler wrote:Great, the pawl is plastic. :doh:
Thats ok in my book's, it'll hold, otherwise its a $5 part to replace.

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Re: Bantam MGL Who has their hands on one?

Post by egore1 » Mon Mar 19, 2018 8:12 am

So it is different than the Chronarch and Metanium???[/quote]

Certainly matches my Chronarch MGL and I haven't messed with my Metanium yet.

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Re: Bantam MGL Who has their hands on one?

Post by egore1 » Mon Mar 19, 2018 8:15 am

LgMouthGambler wrote:Great, the pawl is plastic. :doh:
I'm pretty certain the ceramic pawl is an upgrade and will exhibit less wear than metal versions. They have been available for ABU reel tuners as an upgrade for quite some time. They should run smoother.

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Re: Bantam MGL Who has their hands on one?

Post by LgMouthGambler » Mon Mar 19, 2018 8:26 am

egore1 wrote:
LgMouthGambler wrote:Great, the pawl is plastic. :doh:
I'm pretty certain the ceramic pawl is an upgrade and will exhibit less wear than metal versions. They have been available for ABU reel tuners as an upgrade for quite some time. They should run smoother.
Last time Bantam tried to say the pawl was ceramic, it wasnt. So Im betting its plastic and not ceramic.
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Re: Bantam MGL Who has their hands on one?

Post by DirtyD64 » Mon Mar 19, 2018 8:48 am

egore1 wrote:So it is different than the Chronarch and Metanium???
Certainly matches my Chronarch MGL and I haven't messed with my Metanium yet.[/quote]


My bad, should have been more clear. I meant did the levelwind from the Bantam seem similar to that of the Chronarch MGL or Metanium MGL. I would be a little hesitant to break the Bantam down though, fishing is starting to get hot down here.

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