Welcome to the Daiwa SOL 3 Review. Now, these reels have been around for a while initially released back in November 2017. In fact, it was the first of Daiwa’s reels to be released with LT technology. The reason why were reviewing these reels in 2020 is major fishing retailers have dropped the price of this reel from $529 to $389 and with a saving of $140 this reel is now at a price point in that mid-market sector that will appeal to many anglers. We highly recommend the Daiwa SOL 3 reel. You can buy a Daiwa SOL 3 using this link
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See the detailed video review of the Daiwa SOL 3 reel below
The Daiwa SOL history
The Daiwa Sol name has been around for a while now. The original SOL reels were released back in 2010 followed by the Sol 2s in 2012 and the SOL 3 widely became available on the market in early 2018. The SOL name has grown and even has its own range of rods. In spin, baitcasting and swimbait options.
This golden colour scheme has been pretty consistent across the SOL 1, SOL 2 and SOL 3 series of spin reels. I suspect when you pick up a reel with flashy colours like this that you’re going either love it or hate it on first look. We like the look and like the fact that its compact, light, has a strong drag capacity and those flashy colours make it stand out like a high-end reel.
Daiwa SOL 3 specifications
With the Sol 1 and Sol 2 series, there was a limited range of sizes available however the SOL 3 has 7 models to choose from including 2000, 2500D, the 2500S, 3000, 4000, 5000 & 6000. Let’s have a look at those in a bit more detail.
What’s impressive with these reels is the weight and drag capacities. They achieve this through a technology that Daiwa call LT.
Daiwa LT Light Tough
This was the first of Daiwa’s reels released with LT technology. LT stands for light tough and that simply means that the new reels weigh less and are more durable. The LT concept started with the Sol 3 but has since flowed into most of Daiwa’s range of reels including the Aird, Freams, exceler, Luvias, Certate, Exist, Emereldas, TD black, Silver Creek and others.
Now Daiwa achieve this LT technology in several ways. Basically, by making the body, the spool, the handle and the rotor lighter whilst making the gears stronger and smoother.
- Daiwa now uses a Zion body which is basically really tightly packed carbon fibre. This technology allows Daiwa to create lighter and stronger body frames over previous reels which used to be made from magnesium.
- The gears have been completely redesigned in what Daiwa calls Tough Digigear. Basically they have increased the size of the gears and the teeth which makes the gears up to 50% stronger.
- They have also introduced a technology called Airspool. which makes the spool 30% lighter and improves casting distance. And a custom aluminium air handle which makes the handle up to 50% lighter than previous generations.
- They have also introduced Magseal a concept developed from Daiwa’s saltiga range of reels. Which is a magnetic lubrication system which seals the reel and reduces the volume of dirt, sand and water getting the gears
Daiwa Warranty
One thing that’s really interesting is when you compare the warranties from different brands in the mid-market sector. For instance, the Daiwa reels at this price point come with a 1-year warranty whilst the Shimano reels come with a 10-year warranty. You can make your own interpretation of what that means.
Dawia SOL 3 Verdict
Daiwa makes many great reels spread across a whole range of budgets. I like to think of the Sol 3 as quality all-rounder. A versatile reel that can do a lot of different things. The smaller 2000 size is a very capable reel for chasing bream, bass and eps. ( If you’re a serious bream angler than you’d probably step up to a Luvias or an exist if you could afford one ).
I think the 2500D is a real sweet spot for these reels. 180g in weight with a 10 kilo drag capacity means there a really good choice for freshwater fishing trout and redfin. It will also make an excellent compact saltwater reel. I know I’ll be using this on my kayak and boat around port Phillip Bay to chase pinky snapper, flathead and squid. Whilst the bigger models are very capable of targeting larger fish such as snapper, kingfish, gummy sharks and so on.
The Sol 3’s were selling for $529 but most fishing retailers now have them for $389. Which makes them a really good option in the mid-market reel sector at that price point. I suspect the price drop is driven by some competitive pressure in the market with reels such as the Shimano Vanford just being released. However, at that price point, this is an excellent reel and you certainly wouldn’t be disappointed.
Acknowledgements
All images and videos shown on the Daiwa Sol 3 review are Fishing Mad originals. You can find out more about the reels from Daiwa Australs website.
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