Sounds like it will be a few months before they ship, but I'll defintiely do a handful of videos with this one, including a full-on review once I'm comfortable with how i feel about fishing with it it and where it truly fits into a potential BFS lineup.
Have you tried the Daiwa Steez Air yet? It's fantastic, I have a 2016 Aldebaran and its a workhorse but the Steez just comes together in such an amazing way that is hard to explain. I also have an Abu Zenon BFS that is on par with the Aldebaran.
No - and I almost pulled the trigger on one before I bought the Alphas BF TW - but I figure MAYBE there's a new Steez coming soon since it's also 5 years old. So I held off. Also looked for the Zenon, but couldn't find any in stock in Japan. I really like my ALC-BF7, so eventually more Abus will be in the collection. And then the Alphas went on sale. So Bf TW it was - and makes sense for the channel being a new model too. Ultimately i just want to try as many as I can, even if I have a few faves I use most often. A New Steez would be a probably be an instant buy as well at this point.
I know folks put weight as being important, but some of us like better balance, and especially for some 7 ft rods, you feel the tip-heaviness, and the heavier reels will balance out more of that - it helps, to a point. I try to get my outfits to balance at the reel seat nut, so my lighter BFS reels are on shorter rods 6 1/2 ft or less. The extra weight on this reel wouldn’t bother me too much, because I am still actively fishing with my Calcutta round reels - call me old school. With many of the new brake systems, can a person even notice the difference in backlash protection with these DC reels? I also have an ABU Ultra-Cast reel that is virtually impossible to backlash, no matter how hard I have tried - so, I guess its all relative.
You are 100% correct. It can be somewhat diminishing returns, and I think it's about getting farther out on the fringes of your capability. Casting into the wind with a glide bait, skipping, etc. If I cast a lure into the face of a bridge piling with a DC reel, it still backlashes. :). And that 135g to 170g range is about the best for me. For the reasons you state, I tend to keep my CQ BFS on a 6'8" rod most of the time. But either way, I'm intrugued by this reel. a little mroe forgiveness, maybe being able to put a premium reel in my wife's hands too, all that would be great.
If you liked the Aldebaren MGL or Metanium DC, you will love this reel. Too bad I don’t need it right now. I used my Metanium DC for crappie fishing and casted 2 (1/16 oz) jig heads on a double dropshot. It got really good distance like 50ft with a rod rated 1/4oz-3/4oz. THEREELTEST channel already did a BFS test with the Metanium DC and he filled the line half filled with 4lb test and casted 3 grams with ease on a BFS rod
I will be watching your review Aaron on the Shimano Aldebaran DC to see if it can cast finesse lures, I am like you on this the price if it's sky high i will wait till the price drops on Digitaka.
Typically Digitaka or Japan Lure Shop. I usually check both to see who has it in stock or the best prices. I've also ordered reels from Plat and Asian Fishing Portal.
@@AaronHuntFishing Thanks for the tip! I was almost ready to get the Scorpion DC off Amazon - (actually have it in my cart) , but I think I might wait now in anticipation of the Alderbaran DC !
I bought the Metanium DC, so I'm probably out on this one. The Metanium weighs 165 grams, and that was one of the selling points for me. I originally purchased the SLX DC XT, and just as you stated, I found it way too heavy.
@@AaronHuntFishing I just got it for Christmas, and all the water is frozen over up here in Michigan. It got down to 15° over the weekend. 🥶 It will have to wait for the spring! Can't wait to see you out on the water with the Aldebaran. It should be interesting!
@ I hear you - i saw a bit of open water today - but it's a small creek that's rarely productive in the winter. Most of the fish seem to over-winter in the river from that stretch. Odds are the Alde DC won't arrive until the thaw anyways. ;P
@AaronHuntFishing yeah Shimano does this all the time then they keep pushing it back. And then boom it's on the website out of nowhere. I heard TW and the Hook up Tackle will be charging 499
Aaron what ever happened with you and Kistler designing a BFS reel? I have some BFS spools for my Chromiums but they're still heavy, I've been praying you guys come up with something awesome. Edit: To be clear, those aren't my only reels I use for BFS/lighter stuff. I have a Gekkabijin on one of your rods, an older Shimano Scorpion and two '24 Steez', but I'd really love to see you guys work together on a sick American designed reel.
Went through a few prototypes, but the cost to get the performance that matches the rods would price the reels out of the market. Especially if Kistler offered both RH and LH.
@@AaronHuntFishingI am surprised at how light you can go with some non-BFS reels. New D. Tatula SV100 will cast lures down to 3 grams and maybe even lighter.
@@barry4fish The Alphas SV TW 800S can also do at least that low, if not closer to 2 grams. I could also do 2g with the SLX DC XT - so technology is just really getting better.
@AaronHuntFishing yup with today's new tech and machines and software to do custom milling and maybe 3d printing. Crazy how some people put there selling the Cardiff for almost 1k 😆 used too
Line twist, accuracy, one handed casting, flat casting trajectory, efficiency, balance, enjoyment, and preference to name a few. It's a video I really need to make this year. I fished with spinning reels almost exclusively until 2021. Haven't used one since 2022. There are two things spinning reels do better for me: Distance, and slip-float fishing.
@AaronHuntFishing thx for the info. I recently bought the curado 201 DC and I love it! Now I want another dc reel for lighter lures and I was thinking about slx dc xt , but I saw your vid today so I will wait a bit more
I own all of these reels. Currently fishing with a $50 combo for 3 months straight and its from china lol. Seasir commando paired with a mavlos delicacy on varivas 9lb braid. CDM market is starting to be on par with the jdm market. All my dc reels just collect dust lol. Don't get so caught up with hype most people on youtube are gearheads more so than actual fisherman.
@ Some of us are gearheads. Some enjoy lures. Others enjoy exploring new waters and new places. Some, like me, are a little of all. Just because you want to use premium line on budget gear doesn't mean everyone needs to fish like you do. user name checks out though. The Delicacy is an awesome budget rod. But I have yet to fish with a CDM reel that has me saying "Aldebaran? nah, I much prefer this way less expensive reel. I should just buy 8 of them and be done."
Just above $100 is the Haibo Arise Air (sometimes on sale for a little less). the Purelure Silver Feather is around $100 (usually a little under). Those two perform better than the $75 and under offerings like the Dark wolf Ultra, Kingdom micro monster, and Accura Hicc-50 - but all 3 of those a great budget options. Sometimes I've seen the Ark Gravity BFS on sale for $100, and I keep wishing i would grab one when i see it. :P. It's normally$150.
As always, we appreciate these informational videos
My pleasure. Tryign to do a better mix this year - hoping a few more new reels I'm waiting for get announced too. ;)
Great information thank you i enjoy your reviews and channel
Appreciate that - glad you're enjoying the channel!
No question but I do want to see the review on it and the pros and cons. 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻
Sounds like it will be a few months before they ship, but I'll defintiely do a handful of videos with this one, including a full-on review once I'm comfortable with how i feel about fishing with it it and where it truly fits into a potential BFS lineup.
Have you tried the Daiwa Steez Air yet? It's fantastic, I have a 2016 Aldebaran and its a workhorse but the Steez just comes together in such an amazing way that is hard to explain. I also have an Abu Zenon BFS that is on par with the Aldebaran.
No - and I almost pulled the trigger on one before I bought the Alphas BF TW - but I figure MAYBE there's a new Steez coming soon since it's also 5 years old. So I held off. Also looked for the Zenon, but couldn't find any in stock in Japan. I really like my ALC-BF7, so eventually more Abus will be in the collection.
And then the Alphas went on sale. So Bf TW it was - and makes sense for the channel being a new model too. Ultimately i just want to try as many as I can, even if I have a few faves I use most often. A New Steez would be a probably be an instant buy as well at this point.
I know folks put weight as being important, but some of us like better balance, and especially for some 7 ft rods, you feel the tip-heaviness, and the heavier reels will balance out more of that - it helps, to a point. I try to get my outfits to balance at the reel seat nut, so my lighter BFS reels are on shorter rods 6 1/2 ft or less. The extra weight on this reel wouldn’t bother me too much, because I am still actively fishing with my Calcutta round reels - call me old school. With many of the new brake systems, can a person even notice the difference in backlash protection with these DC reels? I also have an ABU Ultra-Cast reel that is virtually impossible to backlash, no matter how hard I have tried - so, I guess its all relative.
You are 100% correct. It can be somewhat diminishing returns, and I think it's about getting farther out on the fringes of your capability. Casting into the wind with a glide bait, skipping, etc. If I cast a lure into the face of a bridge piling with a DC reel, it still backlashes. :).
And that 135g to 170g range is about the best for me. For the reasons you state, I tend to keep my CQ BFS on a 6'8" rod most of the time.
But either way, I'm intrugued by this reel. a little mroe forgiveness, maybe being able to put a premium reel in my wife's hands too, all that would be great.
This makes me cry 😅 but good video 😉
Too funny. Have a great day.
If you liked the Aldebaren MGL or Metanium DC, you will love this reel. Too bad I don’t need it right now. I used my Metanium DC for crappie fishing and casted 2 (1/16 oz) jig heads on a double dropshot. It got really good distance like 50ft with a rod rated 1/4oz-3/4oz. THEREELTEST channel already did a BFS test with the Metanium DC and he filled the line half filled with 4lb test and casted 3 grams with ease on a BFS rod
Awesome. Definitely looking forward to trying it out.
I will be watching your review Aaron on the Shimano Aldebaran DC to see if it can cast finesse lures, I am like you on this the price if it's sky high i will wait till the price drops on Digitaka.
Right now looks like it will be about where I epxected: Metanium DC price. I'll do several videos with it, leading up to a full review.
Where do you buy the Shimano japan reels?
Typically Digitaka or Japan Lure Shop. I usually check both to see who has it in stock or the best prices. I've also ordered reels from Plat and Asian Fishing Portal.
@@AaronHuntFishing Thanks for the tip! I was almost ready to get the Scorpion DC off Amazon - (actually have it in my cart) , but I think I might wait now in anticipation of the Alderbaran DC !
@@dobrobo1 So far my semi-confirmed price is around $356, left hand shipping in April, RH in May, just in case that info helps.
I bought the Metanium DC, so I'm probably out on this one. The Metanium weighs 165 grams, and that was one of the selling points for me. I originally purchased the SLX DC XT, and just as you stated, I found it way too heavy.
Well, you know I'll do some decent testing on the new Alde DC once I get it. How's the Metanium been? How light do you throw with it?
@@AaronHuntFishing I just got it for Christmas, and all the water is frozen over up here in Michigan. It got down to 15° over the weekend. 🥶 It will have to wait for the spring! Can't wait to see you out on the water with the Aldebaran. It should be interesting!
@ I hear you - i saw a bit of open water today - but it's a small creek that's rarely productive in the winter. Most of the fish seem to over-winter in the river from that stretch. Odds are the Alde DC won't arrive until the thaw anyways. ;P
They acrually changed it from January to TBD and the price is TBD now on shimano Japan
I got a couple updates today: price around $355, April shipment for LH, May for RH.
@AaronHuntFishing yeah Shimano does this all the time then they keep pushing it back. And then boom it's on the website out of nowhere. I heard TW and the Hook up Tackle will be charging 499
That's probably close to list price or so... and I'd be surprised if TW even gets it.
@AaronHuntFishing Japan tackle is taking pre-orders. It says delivery in April for left hand and May for Right hand
Yep - same info I got. Kind of as expected...
Good luch i hope so i know you will give a real review on it
Absolutely. I'm hoping it's better than the SLX DC XT, but we'll see.
Aaron what ever happened with you and Kistler designing a BFS reel? I have some BFS spools for my Chromiums but they're still heavy, I've been praying you guys come up with something awesome.
Edit: To be clear, those aren't my only reels I use for BFS/lighter stuff. I have a Gekkabijin on one of your rods, an older Shimano Scorpion and two '24 Steez', but I'd really love to see you guys work together on a sick American designed reel.
Went through a few prototypes, but the cost to get the performance that matches the rods would price the reels out of the market. Especially if Kistler offered both RH and LH.
If it’s no a good BFS reel in size 30 what do you use it for
I don't know - whuch is why I plan to use it for BFS. :)
@@AaronHuntFishingI am surprised at how light you can go with some non-BFS reels. New D. Tatula SV100 will cast lures down to 3 grams and maybe even lighter.
@@barry4fish The Alphas SV TW 800S can also do at least that low, if not closer to 2 grams. I could also do 2g with the SLX DC XT - so technology is just really getting better.
they need to bring the cardiff dc back
Amen to that. With the new tech? It would be killer.
@AaronHuntFishing yup with today's new tech and machines and software to do custom milling and maybe 3d printing. Crazy how some people put there selling the Cardiff for almost 1k 😆 used too
Why not use a finesse spinning reel?
Line twist, accuracy, one handed casting, flat casting trajectory, efficiency, balance, enjoyment, and preference to name a few. It's a video I really need to make this year. I fished with spinning reels almost exclusively until 2021. Haven't used one since 2022. There are two things spinning reels do better for me: Distance, and slip-float fishing.
Hopefully it will be a price close to metanium dc😢
Initial pricing was released on Digitaka: $356. So that's a decent sign. I'm in at that price for sure.
@AaronHuntFishing thx for the info. I recently bought the curado 201 DC and I love it! Now I want another dc reel for lighter lures and I was thinking about slx dc xt , but I saw your vid today so I will wait a bit more
@@adrianb65 Also just got an estimated ship ate: April for Left hand and May for Right.
@@AaronHuntFishing lefty here! Niceee
with i can afford high end reels but for now ill stick with my acura pro
Understood! I've come to appreciate the performance of the nicer reels, so this one has me intrigued.
I own all of these reels. Currently fishing with a $50 combo for 3 months straight and its from china lol. Seasir commando paired with a mavlos delicacy on varivas 9lb braid. CDM market is starting to be on par with the jdm market. All my dc reels just collect dust lol. Don't get so caught up with hype most people on youtube are gearheads more so than actual fisherman.
@ Some of us are gearheads. Some enjoy lures. Others enjoy exploring new waters and new places. Some, like me, are a little of all.
Just because you want to use premium line on budget gear doesn't mean everyone needs to fish like you do. user name checks out though.
The Delicacy is an awesome budget rod. But I have yet to fish with a CDM reel that has me saying "Aldebaran? nah, I much prefer this way less expensive reel. I should just buy 8 of them and be done."
I was talking to about the kaatking zephyr bfs but what is a good for around $100.00 dolar
Just above $100 is the Haibo Arise Air (sometimes on sale for a little less). the Purelure Silver Feather is around $100 (usually a little under). Those two perform better than the $75 and under offerings like the Dark wolf Ultra, Kingdom micro monster, and Accura Hicc-50 - but all 3 of those a great budget options. Sometimes I've seen the Ark Gravity BFS on sale for $100, and I keep wishing i would grab one when i see it. :P. It's normally$150.
@@AaronHuntFishing thank you I real be checking them out