Ceaser Posted August 5, 2012 Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 I've been waiting to do this review for a while now. Im not sure how it will be recieved due to the dollar amount of this reel. At $65 most guys laugh at the idea of throwing swimbaits with it. I had my gear stolen years back and to get back on the water I got different cheapo reels that never really worked out. The Millionaire-S has been around for a long time, id say around 10 years. I bought one for my Dad back in 2001 i think, for bait fishing for sturgeon. He still uses the reel, with braid! No problems yet. While Im not advocating this reel as a replacement for nice high dollar reels, I am saying this reel is a good way for someone that is young, short of cash or just starting out to get their feet wet and have a reel that will perform. I have been pound these Millionaire 250's for two seasons now and they keep taking the abuse. I use my equipment as tools and do not baby anything I have. I should apply lube and clean my reels more often than I do, I think Ive done it to the 250's two times in two years. But these reels have not missed a beat. Cranking power, casting, smoothness, all are pretty unbelievable to me on a reel at this price point. It is advertised as having two ball bearings but the schematic in the reel box shows four. Dont know the deal with this. It is a 5:1 ratio and has an aluminum frame and side plates. also a plastic drag star, thumb bar, line guide and and tension cap that are kinda cheapy but they dont hinder performance. The handle is not good, short and cheap, but I replaced it with a BPS power handle for 10 bucks and i was in business. Power handle on the right. Besides this shortfall i havent experienced any others. The reel my dad owns (300 series) has been in service for a decade, while it hasnt been throwing big baits cast after cast, it tossed up to 12 lead and bait and has hauled in countless sturgeon. The 250's I own have been putting a hurtin on all sizes of bass and big stripers since i got them and missed a beat. I recently grabbed a 300 to compare along side my Luna 300 and Abu Record 60 to see how it performs along with mildly upper class reels. When I handed it to my buddy to cast for the first time his reaction was "damn this thing will cast the line off the reel". I was equally surprised. The fish have cranked right in with no excess torque, the reel just eats them up, as I expected from my experience with the 250's. The brake system is the same as the Luna 300. the miliionaire is also very smooth and well balanced. It works well, but I turn mine off or just one the first setting. I like this brake system, its really easy to use and effective. The internals are pretty solid. I opened the side plate only to see plastic gearing for the level wind system, this was a downer until I opened the Luna side plate and found the same thing. The main gears are brass and solid. So withoutn rambling on about it, I wanted to present members with a reel everyone can afford, that will perform well under swimbait conditions. I have used these reels to the fullest and are my fav set ups. I have no bias for reel companys or sponserships. I juts appreciate a well made product at a resonable price. Say what you will about this CHEAPO special, but it has put alot of fish in the boat and made me a good amount of $$$$ so it gets my vote Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
echoedd Posted August 5, 2012 Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 Nice review Ceaser! I like the thumb bars on the Daiwa, they go from sideplate to sideplate with no gap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chooma Posted August 5, 2012 Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 Really good review cesar. Has your dad been fishing for sturgeon in the salt? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceaser Posted August 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 My dad fishes it in brackish water. I dont think its ocean salt but its up there. We are pretty good about rinsing our gear after fishing in any type of salty enviornemnt though. They always get a hose down. @Echoedd-I have always liked Daiwa reels. The thumb bar on the Luna is solid aluminum and all the way across, pretty tight. I's like to get my hands on a pluton one day, but those are a bit rich for my blood, Id rather grab a couple LDC's.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyforfish21 Posted August 6, 2012 Report Share Posted August 6, 2012 The levelwind gears are plastic for a reason. If something get's wedged in there, some part of the reel is going to fail. MOST reels will have at least one piece of the levelwind gearing that is plastic, that way, if something does happen, it's an inexpensive fix. Otherwise, it would be a nightmare trying to fix everything that would shred if that happened. Nice review. The Millionare series is a solid platform, think blacksheep Geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceaser Posted August 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2012 The levelwind gears are plastic for a reason. If something get's wedged in there, some part of the reel is going to fail. MOST reels will have at least one piece of the levelwind gearing that is plastic, that way, if something does happen, it's an inexpensive fix. Otherwise, it would be a nightmare trying to fix everything that would shred if that happened. Nice review. The Millionare series is a solid platform, think blacksheep Geoff Ok cool. I thought there was probably a reason for this. I have always loved the Millionaire series.. it was killing me seeing that 253 you had up in the black market not get taken. I would love to think blacksheep but that ish cost way to much for me. I need a reel that casts and reels the fish in. Simple and straight forward. I cant imagine needing anything nicer than a Luna in terms of function... My drags get the pliers when I lock em down so i dont need anything too fancy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizard5 Posted November 21, 2012 Report Share Posted November 21, 2012 i guess they dont make those in lefty eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceaser Posted November 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 26, 2012 i guess they dont make those in lefty eh? huh I guess not. Never thought about it but I cant remember seeing any. I'd have to check. Update. The 300 series I have is holding up well, catching fish and casting like a champ. Its not as rock solid as my Cv-z series millionaires or my lunas, but it still has been holding up very well and catching fish right next to all my other daiwas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comescrashing Posted December 6, 2012 Report Share Posted December 6, 2012 I figure if youre using these on sturgeon as well then they should hold up to striper and musky right? Looking to get an inexpensive reel and these are really appealing to me . Thanks again for the awesome review Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceaser Posted December 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2012 As for the ability of the 300 to stand up to casting big baits for more than a season I cannot say for sure because I havent owned one of that size for more than a season. But being a converted Abu Garcia fan, these reels offer things not see at this price point in other reels. Solid one piece aluminum frame. Solid Brass gearing, may need to replace the drag washers for a super smooth drag. The only isues I could see would be maybe the plastic line guide? But on my dads its lasted through fishing BIG fish, but the casting aspect I can speak on. It worked fine for me as I used it for my BAA's this season. New drag washers and a ceramic pawl and I think your in business for right around 100 buck, with the upgrades. The larger handle is definitely needed though. Also what makes this a step above, say the ABU's, is the bearing supported pinion gear. THis can be a bind point on abus and other cheaper round reels, but daiwas got it down and mine have never lost a beat under load (geoff clued me in on this). I can say the 250 series will ast through about anything as I have mine for seasons and I throw baits all the way up to 4 oz's with them. Those I can say for sure will last, mine are still my go to's even though I have lunas and CV-Z's in the same size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comescrashing Posted December 7, 2012 Report Share Posted December 7, 2012 Thanks man it looks like its going to be my next real purchase Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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