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hardy fortuna?? - anyone tried one yet!?

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ian
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hardy fortuna?? - anyone tried one yet!?

Post by ian »

thinking of another reel, anyone actually used one themselves? thinking of the 2x for an 8wt reel. I have a mate who guides and has used the smallest one I think, he loved it.
anyone else?
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James de P
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Post by James de P »

I had a play in Farlows the other day and it seems very nice. Smooth, light for its size, mountains of drag and well put together by the quick look I had. Still think the mako's have the edge on smoothness though, but I haven't field tested the new hardy so might be wrong.
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ian
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Post by ian »

thanks, the mako is pretty heavy ( i have the 9500 and 9550, wonderful reels obv) but wanted a flats reel. thats why am thinking the hardy. Are the proportions similar to the smaller mako or not as wide?
thanks James
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James de P
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Post by James de P »

The smallest model, think it's called the "x1" is comparable in size to the 9500 mako, it is much lighter though, about a 1/3 so in fact which is a lot given your application. Got to love the music of a mako going out though, haven't found anything yet that comes close!

Hope this helps. Tight lines.
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JAT
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Post by JAT »

Nautilus NV G8 would be spot on, the hardy is a great looking reel but not a very large arbor
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Post by Jeroen »

To be honest, I find that the Hardy makes a very 'made on an Asian CNC-machine'-impression. Doesn't nessecarily mean it is a bad thing, but it is not something I would expect from Hardy.
I am pretty sure that the Hardy and the Mako aren't in the same league when it comes to saltwater resistance, durability and drag performance. Would be interested to read a long term review though.
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petevicar
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Post by petevicar »

Have a look at Hatch reels. Great quality.
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ian
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Post by ian »

i have searched for a review on the hardy, all i keep finding is andy mill fighting spinner sharks on FL, whcih is impressive but not helpful!
I wont buy a Nautilus, I had a guide mate with some of the prev series, the drag used to flip into free spool mid fight with big fish which was disaster (I saw it happen not i heard about it from a mate!), and the service he got from Nautilus was appalling. I wont go there.
Hatch, pretty but I dont like the drag system, not on my radar.
the hardy concerns me slightly, made in asia for abel prices etc etc. I just wish Jack had made a flats mako, I know others would buy one in a second. the 9500 is a bit wide and a bit heavy. 10cm spool diam and light please...
the lack of large arbour doesnt bother me either, it means i get to carry a bit more braid thats all. I doubt the hardy is type 3 anodised by the look of it, not sure.
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James de P
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Post by James de P »

Jereon's spot on, it definitely has an 'asian made' feel to it, but then again so does my stella and that functions extremely well under testing conditions.

Why not go for a tibor everglades if you want a small reel and don't mind the small arbor. I've used one for bonefishing for several years and found it very reliable. Being an open drag it does require some TLC from time to time but is field maintainable with the application of a little drag lubricant.

That said I now use a mako 9500, even for the flats. It requires no maintenance, and being sealed means I have no problem dropping it onto the sand or flat when tailing a fish. The additional weight I didn't notice really fishing a #8 and #9 and the trade off is something I'm prepared to deal with for the peace of mind of having a virtually indestructible tool.

The mako's also type III (in black), the hardy, hatch, tibor, abel, nautilus are not. This is something I personally think is worth paying for. I've dropped or knocked my 9500 numerous times with no noticeable scratches or chips, but have managed to chip it once with a severe impact and this is where the type III seems to come into its own. Even though the outer 'porcelain' finish has been damaged the aluminium under it still retains a level of anodising due to the deep ingress of the type III process.

Just my two cents. Heard good things about the Hatch too.

Tight lines.
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andy_with_a_rod
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Post by andy_with_a_rod »

the drag on the Fortuna is just awesome, it's the first time I've found a reel that I can twist the drag up to the maximum and literally not be able to turn the spool with my hands.
A really fantastic bit of kit.
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standing beside me with his big black dick."

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Post by Jeroen »

Andy, you should eat more. Stop blaming the fly reel..
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ian
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Post by ian »

well have decided to sit on my $ for a while and wait and see. not totally convinced and i have a bunch of other reels that will suffice for time being. thanks for the comments from those who have actually fondled one!
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Post by formula1 »

It isn't a question of how much drag a reel has but rather how much it has that it can feed out line smoothly. I've tried some drags that get very jerky when you are maxing them out and others that were super smooth but lacked top end. The Fortuna puts out at least 25# of drag but unless you are fishing 40# tippet I think it's useless to have that much.
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Post by Tony Ong »

I picked up a X2 at the start of the year, and have since done a couple of trips with it. I've set it up to fish on a 10wt using fast sinking lines and heads.
Can't fault the machining and anodizing of the reel.
The reel has held up well, but that's to be expected for the price. As others have said, plenty of drag. The drag is silky smooth even when pushed to the extreme end. I've yet to get to the point where I need to lock up the drag on a fish, but it's good to know it's there when I need it.
It takes quite a few turns of the drag knob to go through the drag range. To me, this is not a bad thing, as it means more margin for error. The handle took a little getting used to, as most of my other reel handles are round rather than the paddle style.
If I have one negative about this reel, it's that the drag sounds like a sissy girl hissy fit. I think it competes with the Hatch for who has the hightest whine on an outgoing drag. Needs to grow up and get a growl like the Tibor. :p
As a flats reel, imo, there are plenty of reels on the market that are a lighter build.
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