Shimano

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With a long history of precision manufacturing in the performance bicycle market, Shimano first entered the fishing realm in 1970 with a focus on applying their expertise to produce fishing reels of outstanding quality and craftsmanship. In the years since, Shimano has expanded their offerings to include fishing rods, fishing reels, lures, apparel, tackle bags, and accessories that anglers across the globe have come to trust. With saltwater product lines such as Stella, Saragosa, Tiagra, and Talica; Shimano has enabled saltwater anglers worldwide to pursue their quarry with full confidence in their tackle. Freshwater anglers have equally relied on products such as Curado, Chronarch, and Stradic to provide years of daily use and enjoyment. Whether you are a bass fisherman targeting largemouth and smallmouth bass, or a saltwater angler trolling for tuna, live-bait fishing for tarpon, casting to striped bass, or pitching a bait to a lit up billfish, Shimano has everything you need to fight and land whatever your target species happens to be. Here at TackleDirect we've been working with Shimano since the earliest days of our company to offer you every product that Shimano produces, so be sure to check back regularly to see the latest and greatest from one of fishing's top brands of cutting-edge products.

Technology Found in Shimano Reels: 

• A-RB Bearings - These stainless steel bearings are specially treated to drastically increase corrosion resistance and will last more than 10 times longer than traditional ball bearings in saltwater environments.
• Aero Wrap II - Utilizing a patented worm gear design, this two-speed oscillation system lays the line onto the spool in a X pattern that reduces line-on-line friction and helps to increase casting distance.
• Aluminum Cold Forged Spool - Provides increased strength and durability over diecast aluminum or graphite spools.
• CoreProtect - The concept of CoreProtect is simple – to provide exceptional water resistance without creating any additional rotational resistance on the retrieve. The reel is treated at key areas such as the roller clutch, body, and line roller to resist water intrusion.
• Core Solid Body - Core Solid Body combines the side Plate, levelwind guard, and frame into one solid piece. This is the first of it’s design in a low-profile baitcasting reel and eliminates frame flex, which provides an unprecedented feeling of rigidity and sensitivity.
• Cross Carbon Drag - Allows for a wider range of drag settings, enhanced drag washer durability, and the smoothest Shimano drag performance ever.
• E.I - Shimano’s proprietary treatment on the spool and body that allows for advanced corrosion resistance that’s more than twice as effective as the conventional surface treatment.
• G-Free Body - G-Free Body technology enables the reel’s center of gravity to be moved closer to the center of the reel seat, and therefore the anglers hand position. This shift in weight and balance helps to reduce fatigue and enhance casting comfort.
• Hagane Body - A reel body with high rigidity, which virtually eliminates body flexing due to it’s stiffness and impact resistance. The result? An angler’s actions are more efficiently transformed into cranking power. It’s efficiency through strength.
• Hagane Gear - Boasting amazing strength and durability, Hagane Gear is a process in which the gearing is calculated in minute detail and cold forged instead of being cut. This application of state-of-the-art technologies gives the angler reel smoothness from the first use through years of enjoyment.
• I-DC4 Braking - Intelligent Digital Control braking features an easy to use 4 setting external dial that can be easily adjusted on the water to provide optimal braking as conditions and lures change.
• I-DC5 Braking - Intelligent Digital Control braking features an easy to use 5 setting external dial that can be easily adjusted on the water to provide optimal braking as conditions and lures change.
• Instant Drag - Allows the quick adjustment of the front drag knob to take the reel from current drag setting to free spool in only a half turn of the knob.
• MGL Rotor - The Magnumlight Rotor is 25% lighter and allows for better balance and requires 22% less inertia, which makes it easier to start and stop the retrieve for a smoother feel.
• MGL Spool - Lightweight spool design significantly reduces the moment of inertia, allowing the angler to experience greater casting distance and accuracy with a wide variety of lures.
• Micro Module Gear - State-of-the-art gear design makes use of smaller gear teeth and more of them, which results in a more efficient gear train and much smoother retrieve.
• Propulsion Line Management System - The most obvious component of this system is the Propulsion spool lip design, which has been proven through tens of thousands of casting tests and computer simulations to provide longer casts while preventing backlashes and wind knots.
• Rigid Support Drag - By strengthening the spool support of the main shaft, the play and fluctuation of the spool during operation are suppressed. This translates into smoother drag even under the heaviest of loads.
• S A-RB Bearings - These bearings undergo the same anti-corrosion process as Shimano’s A-RB Bearings, with the addition of shields on both sides of the bearings to reduce the possibility of salt, dirt, or other foreign objects inhibiting the bearing’s rotation.
• Shimano Stable Spool Design (S3D) - S3D Technology utilizes a balanced and uniform thin wall aluminum spool to significantly reduce spool vibration and increase smoothness when casting and retrieving.
• SilentDrive - A long list of fine-tuned internal micro adjustments and enhancements that reduce any handle play and noice from moving parts.
• Silent Tune - By applying slight pressure to the bearing supporting the spool, Silent Tune reduces spool vibration during the cast which results in quieter casting and smoother spool rotation with less play.
• Super Free Spool - SF was designed to eliminate friction on the spool shaft during the cast. The pinion gear is supported by a ball bearing, which keeps the gear in perfect alignment with the spool shaft to eliminate friction for longer casts and smoother operation.
• Super Slow Oscillation - Allows for exceptional line lay and casting distance by reducing the speed the line travels up and down the spool on the cast. This results in less friction as line leaves the spool which improves both distance and accuracy.
• Super Stopper - Super Stopper II anti-reverse uses a one-way stainless steel roller bearing to eliminate back-play in the reel and provide the angler with instant power and setting the hook.
• SVS Infinity - Provides easy to manage, consistent spool control and brake force that is easily adjusted as conditions change. Brake weights use inner friction against the raceway during the cast for precision casting even when using lighter lures. The external adjustment knob provides quick, precise adjustments on the fly for when conditions or baits change.
• X-Protect - By combining a water repellant coating and a specially designed water channeling labyrinth construction, X-Protect provides high-level water resistance without adding weight or sacrificing light rotor rotation.
• X-Shield - X-Shield and X-Protect combine to provide extreme water resistance in the harshest conditions thanks to a number of strategically placed seals.
• X-Ship - By supporting the pinion gear on both ends with bearings, the pinion gear remains in precise alignment with the drive gear and stays in the same position under even the heaviest of loads. This eliminates friction between the spool shaft and gear which translates to better casting performance and increased gear durability.

Technology Found In Shimano Rods:

• Spiral X - Spiral X construction consists of three layers: a blank made of vertical fibers, an inner layer, and an outer layer both comprised of carbon tape that tightly winds the blank diagonally in opposite directions. By using this carbon tape in place of a conventional horizontal fiber sheet, Spiral X achieves enhanced torsional rigidity without adding extra weight. This in turn facilitates instant power transmission for precise casting and fighting fish. Through its exclusive lightweight structure, Shimano’s Spiral X construction enhances anglers’ “catching power.”
• Hi Power X - In Hi-Power X construction, the blank’s outermost layer is diagonally wrapped with carbon tape, which forms an array of “X” shapes. The width of the tape, its winding angle and the part of the rod being wrapped are fine-tuned according to the target fish species. The flexibility allows Shimano to adjust these wraps during construction for precise actions, enhanced overall strength and added twist resistance. In short, Hi-Power X construction delivers sharp and crisp rod control by the angler.
• C4S Blank Construction- C4S Blank Construction utilizes a high modulus blank and wraps four outer layers of 90° graphite. This new construction increases the hoop strength for maximum pulling power without inhibiting sensitivity.
• TC4 Blank Construction- TC4 Construction wraps a double inner horizontal layer of advanced, dynamic fibers with an inner and outer spiral of high modulus graphite. This breakthrough in design construction results in an extremely durable, crisp, yet lightweight fishing rod.