Yes, Ben, it's 2024... and the opinions flow... as one who actually owns two of these reels (the 7/8 I bought from Trident last Sept, the 5/6 I bought in Alnwick in January at The Hardy Store), I absolutely love them and feel I can speak about them... as we know, at the end of the day, the fish don't care about the reel attached to the rod... I just happen to love the "old school" look and feel of Hardy Heritage reels... I have fished both Sovereign reels and feel the drag is completely adequate for the fishing I do... and they actually do happen to be "classic" made-in-England reels, literally... I will say, the 7/8 is light enough (and small enough) to put on a 6WT rod... I put a 6WT line on it and use it on my 9' 6WT Hardy Marksman I bought from Trident... I put a 5WT line on the 5/6 reel and it works on a few of my 5Wt rods (Burkheimer, Hardy, T&T and Winston)... at the end of the day, everyone has their preference on rods and reels... I'm a Hardy fan and do most of my fishing with Hardy reels... I love a few different rod companies, and although they work for me for whatever reason, I would never say they are the "best"... I just have my connection with them...thanks for everything you do... love your videos, love your shop.
Marquis best value for sure. The quality is awesome and it´s light weight. You can fish it on every modern carbon rod. Bouglé Heritage (I got 3 of them) best look and super feel. It is a light weight tuned Perfect if you will. Perfect is just the Perfect. No words needed.
I like the classic heritage Hardy reels like the Lightweigt and Marquis ranges etc and I’d be willing to compromise on functionality of a modern large arbor reel to get that classic look and feel, however this new Sovereign reel doesn’t appeal at all to me, it doesn’t look like a classic made-in-England Hardy reel, more like something made in the far east, in fact it reminds of the “retro” remake of the Pflueger Medalist.
I question your statement about the size of the arbor determining the rate of retrieve. Seems that it is the diameter of the spool. On a reel with a small arbor, I can use backing to make the arbor any size I want.
It’s 2024 Ben. I’ll keep my Lamson Speedster S -5+ in midnight with a great look, very light weight and awesome retrieval rate. The Hardy looks better in a magazine or on a desk.
A beautiful reel and a great review. That reel IS classic fly fishing culture. Very cool.
Yes, Ben, it's 2024... and the opinions flow... as one who actually owns two of these reels (the 7/8 I bought from Trident last Sept, the 5/6 I bought in Alnwick in January at The Hardy Store), I absolutely love them and feel I can speak about them... as we know, at the end of the day, the fish don't care about the reel attached to the rod... I just happen to love the "old school" look and feel of Hardy Heritage reels... I have fished both Sovereign reels and feel the drag is completely adequate for the fishing I do... and they actually do happen to be "classic" made-in-England reels, literally... I will say, the 7/8 is light enough (and small enough) to put on a 6WT rod... I put a 6WT line on it and use it on my 9' 6WT Hardy Marksman I bought from Trident... I put a 5WT line on the 5/6 reel and it works on a few of my 5Wt rods (Burkheimer, Hardy, T&T and Winston)... at the end of the day, everyone has their preference on rods and reels... I'm a Hardy fan and do most of my fishing with Hardy reels... I love a few different rod companies, and although they work for me for whatever reason, I would never say they are the "best"... I just have my connection with them...thanks for everything you do... love your videos, love your shop.
Good the hear I’ve never owned a Hardy , this will make me have another look at them . Thanks for sharing
Please do the other heritage Hardy reels as well. Would love to see perfect, bougle and lightweight reviews
Marquis best value for sure. The quality is awesome and it´s light weight. You can fish it on every modern carbon rod. Bouglé Heritage (I got 3 of them) best look and super feel. It is a light weight tuned Perfect if you will. Perfect is just the Perfect. No words needed.
I like the classic heritage Hardy reels like the Lightweigt and Marquis ranges etc and I’d be willing to compromise on functionality of a modern large arbor reel to get that classic look and feel, however this new Sovereign reel doesn’t appeal at all to me, it doesn’t look like a classic made-in-England Hardy reel, more like something made in the far east, in fact it reminds of the “retro” remake of the Pflueger Medalist.
Looks a lot like a Golden Prince or a Pall Mall Centenary to me. Both reels I’d put in the classic category…at least neo-classic?
Reminds me of my old Martin reels!
Such a classic design with a rather contemporary performance. Amazing.
I question your statement about the size of the arbor determining the rate of retrieve. Seems that it is the diameter of the spool. On a reel with a small arbor, I can use backing to make the arbor any size I want.
It’s 2024 Ben. I’ll keep my Lamson Speedster S -5+ in midnight with a great look, very light weight and awesome retrieval rate. The Hardy looks better in a magazine or on a desk.
You never fight a fish on a click check he? Be careful with your Lamson. Do not drop it or bang it it can bend :D