Sage 3850 Cf Reels

[vanven]

Anyone had a chance to fish one of these yet? I am a bit curious about this reel.

I currently have a Lamson Velocity reel that I really like. Noone is going to accuse the velocity of being a beautiful reel. It is clearly a functional design. It does have a great drag and all around it is a very good reel. I wish it was a bit larger arbor though.

The Blaze color is beautiful on this new Sage. I have handled one and they are very light thanks to the carbon fiber spool. I have seen it referred to as plastic, but it is much stronger and lighter. I am curious about the drags on these reels. I dont see much about them as far as reviews go. Any advice?

This might be worth selling my Lamson Velocity and Orvis Battenkill Mid Arbor for the upgrade even if it is mostly cosmetic.

-Jerod

[Greg]

It is a beautiful thing. That's the first I've seen of that Sage model. Something in me rebels against plastic on a fly reel though.............? I'm not sure why? Just a personal bias I guess.

Greg

[Geoff]

its not plastic, its molded carbon fiber. They are SUPER light reels, the drag on them is AWESOME!! I have a 3850 CF from TU and its a great reel. I also have a 1680 and it is just as good as the higher end reel. I have absolutly zero complaints about them, plus the burnt orange finish is kickass

[3wt]

Calling carbon fiber plastic is like calling your flyrod plastic.

Not too bad of a price if you're in the market for a fancy reel.

How much does a used Konic go for?

[vanven]

Beautiful huh? That Orange would look great next to my green Z-Axis.

K&K Flyfisher here in KC has this model in the Blaze orange in their display. I did get a chance to handle it a bit and check out the adjustable drag. I love the little red dot that lets you see how tight the drag is set. I like the idea that you can use the dot as a reference when adjusting it. I wish it was a bit of a larger arbor although it is clearly larger than my Lamson. It is not as large as the Lamson ULA, but the ULA is on the very far end of large arbor size. This thing is ridiculously light as in under 4 ounces for the 5/6 weight. The other big bonus is that the carbon fiber spools are cheap at $50-$60.

I guess I need to play with this thing a bit more. I want to see the insides to make sure there aren't gears that are easily exposed to sand or elements. At $260 this isnt a cheap reel, but the limited reviews I have read compare it favorably to some $500+ reels.

-Jerod

[Geoff]

I will say this, the drag on it all the way tightened down will stop the spool. Plus it has a very nice lip to palm

[vanven]

Now if they made one in a Wildcat purple instead of a Cow Orange........

(Although the orange is sweet on this.)

-Jerod

[Greg]

Calling carbon fiber plastic is like calling your flyrod plastic.

You are right of course. But I still prefer my fly reels to be metal. Not saying that's right or wrong.

Greg

[3wt]

You are right of course. But I still prefer my fly reels to be metal. Not saying that's right or wrong.

Greg

I know carbon fiber to generally be strong and light, but is it potentially brittle to impact?

[Geoff]

its has to blunt pin point impact. it can withstand a knock or a rub, put if its gets a small enough dink it can shatter. Its one of the goffy things about it