Wednesday Review… Daiwa Ballistic EX Reel

This entry was posted on 18th March, 2015

Reviewed by Total Sea Fishing Magazine…

TSF lure guru Steve Neely gave Daiwa’s new Ballistic reel a thorough workout.

If you’re a tackle tart like I am, then you’ll not be disappointed with this reel. The new Ballistic has a similarly styled spool to its predecessor, keeping the vertical slash marks; however, Daiwa has darkened down the finish and turned it into a very sleek and stylish bit of kit. It’s kept up with the hints of red to highlight certain parts, which is a nice touch, as in my opinion the old one had a little too much on show. It doesn't have the same bling factor as the 2013 Certate but I think it has a certain understated class about it; think of it like owning a Jaguar XJF – it has style and class but no elaborate body work or 50 exhausts spitting fire out the back, but when you put your foot down, it performs... the EX Ballistic has that air about it.

It has the same oversized handle as the 2013 Certate, which people either love or hate. I like oversized handles, but not this one. I wouldn't go as far to say that I dislike it, but in time I know that I’d end up replacing it for a custom part like an RCS oversized knob.

Anyway, that’s enough about the looks. After a quick play around with the functions it seems to be incredibly smooth, much like the higher end Mag Seal Caldia and Certate models, and the price really grabbed me as at only £159.99 it really packs a punch. The bail arm is slick and snaps over nicely and the drag system, in my opinion, has just the right gap between increments – small enough to adjust and tweak but not too small that it becomes a hindrance if you need to change quickly in the heat of battle.



Possibly the biggest attraction of this model over the old Ballistic is the added feature of Mag Sealed technology. If you’re unfamiliar with the term Mag Sealed it basically means that a magnetic fluid is used inside the reel to prevent saltwater or residue build-up. Daiwa says: “Besides the benefits of eliminating saltwater penetration, prevention of corrosion and wear, Mag Sealed technology allows for smooth and light rotor operation, thus increasing sensitivity.”

I’m familiar with this feature in my Certate model and have found it reliable over the past season’s bass fishing trips. Of course, there’s no substitution for taking care of your reel and oiling it regularly but it certainly gives you a little extra piece of mind when out and about.

With a 5.6:1 ratio and the Mag Sealed technology, this reel is ideally suited for saltwater lure fishing in lively conditions – the first thing that came to my mind was bass fishing!

When chasing silver devils I like to be in it to win it, and this often means wading, fishing in surf or standing on rocks with a bit of fizz, so I feel comfortable using a reel with a magnetic seal. Like I mentioned above, I’ve been using the same technology in my Certate for a season and I love it. The gear ratio makes it a perfect contender for soft-plastic lure fishing where you need to slow down and sometimes almost do as little as possible to the lures. The slower speed makes this a little easier than with some of the faster specifications offered on other Daiwa models.

The 3000 size would also be suitable for light lure fishing from boats or kayaks because, again, the sealed features will provide peace of mind when afloat and the super-smooth drag system will cope with any species in UK waters.

I know I talked about it being a perfect bass reel but, with the season coming to an end, I was unable to get out after some silver bars so instead I put it through its paces with some nice Atlantic shore pollack and wrasse.

I spooled up using 20lb Sunline Super PE and fitted it on my Illex S 210 M, 5g-21g Stalking Special lure rod. Normally I’d use a 2500-sized Daiwa on the rod but because the reel is relatively light it balanced out okay. It would be perfectly suited for any rod of ideally more than eight feet in length. The line lay was spot on, as you would expect with all good manufacturers – I tend to underfill my spools anyway to prevent wind knots and suchlike.



On the first session I targeted wrasse using soft-plastic lures, worked slowly along the bottom, and, for a moment, I almost forgot that I was using a new reel – this may sound strange but it felt so natural and familiar to me. Some of this may be due to the fact that I am a Daiwa user, but to be able to pick it up, get out and start using the Ballistic with no adjustment time was great. The drag was smooth, which allowed me to set it just right to suit my style of fishing.

The best test of all was during the second session when I headed out to some new territory with the same rod-and-reel setup, only this time I was fishing with larger articulated soft-plastic lures for pollack. At the start I nailed some nice wrasse around the 3lb mark before battling a few nice pollack, with the biggest tipping the scales at 5lb 8oz. In the process of landing the fish, both the reel and I were pounded by large Atlantic swells – this was a great test for the reel’s drag, gear ratio and just its general resilience under pressure.

After the thrashing I gave it, I can say confidently that it was more than up to the task.

Of course it’s far too early to tell how it will stand the test of time because most reels need at least a season’s worth of wear and tear before any solid opinions can be formed. However, from what I can see it looks like a serious bit of kit for the money.

It sits perfectly in the mid-range price bracket but offers some of the features of a top-end reel, and, with its slick looks, it certainly gets my vote.

Tech Spec Model – EX 3000 (H) Weight – 10.4oz Ratio – 5.6:1 Line capacity – 185m/10lb Bearings – 10 (8 BB + 1 CRBB + 1 RB)

Features Mag Sealed Zain body and side cover Air rotor Air bail DigiGear ABS aluminium spool

Buy The Daiwa Ballistic EX Reel