mcm83 Posted December 11, 2015 Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 Around the Spring of 2015, I was shopping for some new line when I came across Sunline Defier Armilo. I have been a long time user of Sunline fluoro and braid but have have never used their heavier mono’s for swimbait fishing. I figured, "why not?†Back story is, I started out using Big Game because that is what I grew up using for conventional bass fishing. The downside to Big Game is the amount of stretch and memory that one has to deal with when spooling on fresh line. I changed over to P-Line Original for season but had some inconsistencies so I went back to Big Game. That is until I bought a couple Defier Armilo spools. After fishing this line for a good season on three different reels and three different pound tests, I believe I could give it a fair review. The pound tests that I have used are 19, 22, and 25. Whether one purchases 11# or 25# test, the spools only come in lengths of 165 yards. Each 165 yard spool retails for $17.99. It’s quiet expensive when you figure that a 595 yard spool of 25# Big Game is only $8.99 and 500 yards of 25# PLine PF is $13.99. Because I like the premium stuff in life, I purchased a couple spools of the 25#. When it arrived I spooled it onto my Ryoga Shrapnel (which arrived about the same time). The new line lays nice and evenly on the reel and is slick. The grey color looks great and matches up nicely with the murdered-out combos. Sunline coats the halfway point (assuming halfway point) of the spool with a length of red plastic. This is common practice with Japanese brands to let the user know how much line is left on the spool. This coating does no harm to the line and eventually rubs off. First thing I noticed was that Defier Armilo is supple and smooth. I really liked the feel of the line. I didn’t have to deal with the line jumping off of the spool like how Big Game does sometimes, but then again, Sunline uses tall, narrow spools versus the short, wide spool of Big Game. Line diameter is also smaller than Big Game. Armilo 25# comes in at .405mm while Big Game 25# is .480mm. I loaded up my Ryoga with an entire spool and headed out to the lake with a 9†Gliding Gizzard and an OG SS250. Knot of choice was the San Diego Jam. My first few casts were not the greatest due to me not adjusting the brakes on my Shrapnel and casting into the wind. I spent the first few minutes picking out backlashes while freaking out because I was fishing in fairly shallow water with lots of rock and rubble for structure. Once I had the brakes working for me, I started bombing the baits out. Still freaking out a bit because of the new line. The line flowed smoothly, cast after cast. I didn’t catch anything on that trip but I had a good idea that I had found a new line. I continued to fish Defier Armilo throughout the season and added 19 and 22 pound tests to the lineup. I spooled the 19# on a new Conquest 300, the 22# on a Z2020H, and the 25#on a Ryoga Shrapnel. Armilo is very abrasion resistant - something that we all like. I’ve fished Mission Fish in grass and Hudds and crank-down type baits in and around rock and timber throughout the season and it seems to hold up well. I do strip off about seven to nine feet of line every time I retie - I don’t retie as often as I should but I do check my line and knots after every dozen or so casts. I had the chance to fish in 30 degree weather not too long ago. I dragged Hudds in water with skim ice. I was sure that there would be nicks in my line from that if not from the ice forming in my micro guides. to my surprise, no nicks. I continued to bomb ROF12 Hudds until about noon when the air temps climbed up to a whopping 40 degrees. Armilo is fairly low stretch, so enough sensitivity is still there for most all applications that swimbaiter’s utilize(moving baits). Knot strength has never been an issue for me whether tying the Palomar, San Diego Jam, or my new favorite, the modified Morizo. I suppose learning how to tie a proper knot and retying often helps as well. Just like other mono’s out there, it’ll stretch out and one can clearly see the difference between the used section versus the unused section at the end of a long cast. Everything looks to be holding up well. The 22# on the Z has been on for a few months now and still works just as well. I haven’t had any break off’s to date using Armilo. One thing that I do not like about Armilo is that the line itself begins looking tarnished after the first couple trips. The finish on the line becomes dull. I have tried spraying line conditioners before and after trips as well as “buffing†it into the line. No matter what, the line retains the tarnished appearance. Another thing that I don’t like about this line is the price. For the guys who re-spool after every couple of trips, this may not be the line for you. From my experience, it holds it’s own quiet well over a season but if one is more comfortable with fresh line every couple of trips, this gets expensive quick. The amount of line that comes on each filer spool is less than desirable as well, especially for the guys with 300 and 400 sized reels. All in all, even with the price to yardage ratio, I really like this line and to date, I haven’t had any major issues with it. I will continue to use Armilo on my combos. lunkerglx10, Bloodkitty, chevro1et and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcm83 Posted December 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 Sunline Defier Armilo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YELOSUB Posted December 11, 2015 Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 Very nice review, thanks...I use Sunline FC Sniper when I fish conventional see I get what you're saying...I really like the Sunline brand... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Top Ramen Posted December 11, 2015 Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 I love Sniper; may have to try this stuff out if I ever go back to throwing mono. Thanks for the review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynem Posted December 11, 2015 Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 Thanks for the really thorough review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magic Man CP Posted December 12, 2015 Report Share Posted December 12, 2015 I thoroughly love this stuff! I throw it on a couple setups, some non swimbait gear and some of my lighter swims, especially great on my negotiator setup! I also really like the sunline super natural mono,, very affordable alternative, around $7 for 300 yds Primus 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCOOL Posted June 27, 2016 Report Share Posted June 27, 2016 Thanks for the review. I've used this in the 19lb and I also haven't had any issues with this line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thastickybandit Posted August 3, 2016 Report Share Posted August 3, 2016 Seeing how I really enjoy sniper I figured this summer I'd give their mono a try. And MCM83 review on it is on point. I will be keeping this on my top water set up. Hit this line with some conditioner and it will go a long way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevro1et Posted January 6, 2018 Report Share Posted January 6, 2018 I'm currently researching different lines for my first 'real' dedicated swimbait setup, and I think that this will be the winner. I'm already a Sunline fanboy, so that helps, too. Thanks for the thorough and insightful review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigSlant Posted January 7, 2018 Report Share Posted January 7, 2018 (edited) Great review..Stuff is great..I use it 17# for the suspending and high water column baits that i would typically want a mono for.. great sensitivity and great strength.. if money is an issue and people need to stretch the spool fill then topshot s cheaper line with half the defier Edited January 7, 2018 by BigSlant chevro1et 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HookdUp Posted January 7, 2018 Report Share Posted January 7, 2018 Wow great read . Thanks for your efforts .. Any experience with sunline assassin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevro1et Posted January 9, 2018 Report Share Posted January 9, 2018 spool fill then topshot with half the defier My plan exactly, sir. BigSlant 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klash9 Posted March 25, 2018 Report Share Posted March 25, 2018 excellent review. i have also tried the armilo and it was an excellent line, but i prefer the original defier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.