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Sealiner
Wow how's this for a review!!!
One belief I've always held is that no reel is or will ever be perfect. There will always be room to improve or certain aspects that I could imagine ways to enhance. Even when I reviewed the 2014 Expedition, a reel I highly admire, I still criticised its messy spool shimming system and called it 'a pain'. Actually the fact that I've always found issues or deficiencies served to reassure me of my own fairness. Those who declare things 'perfect' are either the sponsored clowns at the forefront of every trade, or people who sincerely believe it but lack a full grasp of the subject. This is why the 2020 Saltiga put me through an identity crisis of sorts, having gradually come to the realisation that the only objective thing to say is something that I used to think could never be said objectively; this reel is utterly perfect in every aspect and on every level. Its design is perfect, its build is perfect, and its performance went beyond perfection and practically forced me to recalibrate my imagination and shift what I used to believe were the upper limits of what's achievable by a spinning reel.
Hobbyists and passionate collectors usually dream of an object that they can't possess, either due to its rarity or because it doesn't exist yet. An item of such greatness in one's mind that it takes an almost mythical value, ultimately being designated one's 'holy grail'. A term you'd be familiar with if you've spent any time among enthusiasts of things such as coins, timepieces, artwork, stamps, banknotes, guns, sports memorabilia, etc. This Saltiga is exactly this to me, the almost mythical item that I've always wished would one day exist, and now it finally does. Over hundreds of hours I made a special connection with this reel, and being a finely crafted item I still enjoy it even when it's not being used. Sometimes I take it out just to feel the smoothness of the rotation, spin the spool to hear its lovely strikes, or find new angles to admire the light reflection on that immersive deep blue finish. And as I type this article with the reel sitting on my desk looking clean and peaceful, I can't help but smile recalling that only days earlier it was covered in saltwater, fish blood, and my own sweat as the drag screamed braking the runs of one fish after another under a burning sun. My smile stems partially from the fond memories, but mostly from a deep sense of fulfilment that after a lifetime of looking I finally found it - my elusive holy grail.
https://www.alanhawk.com/reviews/20STG.html
One belief I've always held is that no reel is or will ever be perfect. There will always be room to improve or certain aspects that I could imagine ways to enhance. Even when I reviewed the 2014 Expedition, a reel I highly admire, I still criticised its messy spool shimming system and called it 'a pain'. Actually the fact that I've always found issues or deficiencies served to reassure me of my own fairness. Those who declare things 'perfect' are either the sponsored clowns at the forefront of every trade, or people who sincerely believe it but lack a full grasp of the subject. This is why the 2020 Saltiga put me through an identity crisis of sorts, having gradually come to the realisation that the only objective thing to say is something that I used to think could never be said objectively; this reel is utterly perfect in every aspect and on every level. Its design is perfect, its build is perfect, and its performance went beyond perfection and practically forced me to recalibrate my imagination and shift what I used to believe were the upper limits of what's achievable by a spinning reel.
Hobbyists and passionate collectors usually dream of an object that they can't possess, either due to its rarity or because it doesn't exist yet. An item of such greatness in one's mind that it takes an almost mythical value, ultimately being designated one's 'holy grail'. A term you'd be familiar with if you've spent any time among enthusiasts of things such as coins, timepieces, artwork, stamps, banknotes, guns, sports memorabilia, etc. This Saltiga is exactly this to me, the almost mythical item that I've always wished would one day exist, and now it finally does. Over hundreds of hours I made a special connection with this reel, and being a finely crafted item I still enjoy it even when it's not being used. Sometimes I take it out just to feel the smoothness of the rotation, spin the spool to hear its lovely strikes, or find new angles to admire the light reflection on that immersive deep blue finish. And as I type this article with the reel sitting on my desk looking clean and peaceful, I can't help but smile recalling that only days earlier it was covered in saltwater, fish blood, and my own sweat as the drag screamed braking the runs of one fish after another under a burning sun. My smile stems partially from the fond memories, but mostly from a deep sense of fulfilment that after a lifetime of looking I finally found it - my elusive holy grail.
https://www.alanhawk.com/reviews/20STG.html
