What do y'all think of this reel? Looks like it was made for Bass Pro shops and is the Daiwa Exceler with 4 more bearings.
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores...0001000_100-1-1

I'll put it this way. I have access to any Daiwa products direct from Daiwa. I have an association with them. I have to get these reels from BPS just like a regular customer and I own 8 of them if that tells you anything. I get no discount or freebies from BPS on these reels and pay full price. These reels are excellent. I cannot say anything negative about them. They are improved over the Exceler. I use them primarily for moving baits and love them. They have held up exceptionally well and have gotten a ton of use. Still look new and performance has been excellent. Smooth reel, great castability and the drag handles big fish just fine. Finish is very durable as well. Great price too.

The consumer reviews I have seen are pretty much split 50/50. They either love them or hate them. I had the impression the ones that had a bad review got a hold of a bad one from the descriptions of the problems they were having. We all know that is possible from time to time. Anyway, I bought one yesterday because it just felt like quality in the hand. Can't wait to get it on the water.

I know BPS sells the heck out of them and are often hard to get because they sell out so fast. I asked the guys at the BPS store and were told they get little if any returns on them. They seem to be dependable so far. They have been on the market less than a year so we still need to see how longetivity is but so far , so good.

Thanks Mark, sounds encouraging. I can't wait to get it on the water.

They are awesome reels, great for the money too. They have the same workings as the Steez but without he magnesium frame. You wont regret it.

They differ greatly from a Steez. Thats not a knock on the TD Pro at all but very few if any reels have the Steez performance and quality. The drag and internal workings are night and day. I own a bunch of both and have been through Daiwa product training and trust me they are different. The only reason I posted this is because I do not want anyone buying a TD Pro thinking it is the same as a Steez. In all actuality they share the same frame as the Exceler but have a fw more souped up internals and more bearings. They are made specifically by Daiwa to sell at BPS stores only. The TD Pro as stated is a heck of a reel and easily one of my favorites. Thanks

funny how daiwa makes that for bps and they make cabelas reel and cabelas slaps their name on them.

Its not really that Daiwa makes them for BPS its just that BPS is the only retailer that sells them. Much like the Lucky Craft RC baits. That is a BPS only item. Daiwa makes a few reels for Cabelas but the newer ones usually still say Daiwa somewhere on them. The Cabelas version of the Advantage is a good reel. Just as an FYI Daiwa also makes a few reels for St. Croix.

Yea i wasnt saying they are the same, they are just similar in how they are made and what type of systems they have inside. I worked at bass pro for a while and that is what the manager always told me so im sorry if that was misleading, i just figured he was a credible source. Doesnt really matter to me, i love TD pro regardless.

Mark,

A couple of weeks ago I was in Mack's when the St. Corix rep came in. When I ask him about St. Croix reels he said that St. Croix was only listing a big Muskie reel in the 2009 catalog. St. Croix still has some of their Avid spinning reels in stock, and the some AC200, and AC250 baitcasting reels in stock, but after they're gone that's it.

I already owned an AC200, and while the St. Croix rep was there I ordered an AC250.

I can tell you that the AC200 is one HECK OF a reel! Very, very smooth casting and retrieving. It's an extremely powerful reel. It has a frame that is machined out of an aluminum billet. The amount of machined aluminum components in these reels is quite unusual. The AC200, and AC250 will not have any problems handling bull reds, or big catfish, stripers etc.. In a way these reels are sort of an older version of the Lunas.

I'm planning to use my AC250 as a swimbait reel.

TFP