Saltist vs Torium Field Test

[titan05]

"The Saltist versus The Torium........at Colonett"


I thought I would post this up for info purposes



Just got back from a 1.5 day on the Indian and wanted to report back on my field test between the "New" Daiwa Saltist and the Shimano Torium. I spooled the Saltist 40 and Torium 30 (Both New) with 30# Magnaflex and fished them both on Seeker G970 rods. I DID NOT do anything to the bearings on either one of these reels so that they were as stock as stock could be. Normally I degrease the bearings on my reels and then add my special blend to make this bad boys spin for a day but both of these reels come from the box ready to go. The Saltist 40 and the Torium are almost the same as far as size and line capacity goes and the gear ratio is a bit higher with the Torium at 6.2:1 versus the Saltist at 4.9:1. I Set the drags to 8lbs per reel and had plenty of room to spare.
We had made the decision to run inside to Colonett because the offshore was looking so bad and we figured some Salmon Grouper, Reds and Lings would make people happy and then look for some of those Colonett Yellowtail.

Dropped the first line at about 9am after running all night, had the Saltist up first. Ran just a single dropper loop with a 16 0z. weight and a huge 7 inch Sardine to the bottom.......50 to 60 fathoms and the Saltist spun like a top going down......very smooth.
Hit the bottom and bounced it a few times and ...."Hello", fish on. I just started to crank as fast as I could and up comes a very nice Salmon Grouper in the 7-9 lb range. Dropped again and hooked up with a nice Red. The Saltist was so smooth and it had some umph to it. I think the 4.9:1 had something to do with that.
Next up was the Torium......made a drop and again.....Salmon Grouper, but this guy runs bigger and puts a nice bend on the rod and is a bit more active. The Torium doesn't skip a beat and the 6.2:1 made the 300 plus ft of line magically reappear on my reel.
I drop again with a mackeral on and now we have something going on.......a Big Ling and it is taking some line.......no problem. The Torium just ate him up and he is on the deck. Grabbed the saltist again and dropped another Mackeral and .....another Ling. The thing I like about the Saltist was the torque.....this reel has some shoulders to it and the retreive is almost as fast. The reel had nice balance to it.
I continued to alternate between the Torium and the Saltist the rest of the day. We went outside paddy hopping and I got a chance to throw some good sized sardines.........I give the edge to the Saltist by the narrowest of margins on the flyline. I wish we would have seen a few more kelps so I could throw some iron but no luck. I should have just hooked some up and tossed a few in the bay when we got back but I was bushed.

All in All........these reels are keepers for sure. The handle on the Saltist is the same shape as the Saltiga but it is made out of a different material (plastic) and it feels that way. The Torium has a much nicer handle and it gives it that finished feeling. The Saltist has a better torque but gives up a little in line retrieve. I checked the drag when I got home and both of the reels held at 8 pounds.....no drag creep to speak of. The Torium is just a solid reel that plays stronger than the 6.2:1 should allow. I took both of the reels apart and there was nothing to indicate any problem so I degreased them both, put a new blend back in and now they are ready for their next adventure.
I know that I am going to take them both on a 5 day in June on the American Angler so hopefully they will get the chance to either beat up on some tuna or get beat up BY some tuna......regardless of how it goes, I think that both of these reels are going to stay in my collection.
Take the time to really check both of these reels out and then just pick one.....you won't go wrong with either one but we already knew that

Next field test........the Saltiga versus the Trinidad

Jim

[Dos Locos]

I have a Torium and a Saltist as well.

In my opinion, they are virtually the same reel. The only thing that I don't like about the Saltist 30T is the reel clamp. It is cumbersome and non-funtional. Does anyone have a suggestion for any clamp I can use on the Saltist 30T??

[Reel Trouble]

I have a Torium and a Saltist as well.

In my opinion, they are virtually the same reel. The only thing that I don't like about the Saltist 30T is the reel clamp. It is cumbersome and non-funtional. Does anyone have a suggestion for any clamp I can use on the Saltist 30T??

I can't agree more with you, my only complaint about the Saltist is the reel clamp. I understand the concept just think it was not completely thought through. A good bro of mine bought a Saltist and had fresh line spooled on it, he brought it by for me to check out and the first thing I saw was the dumbass didn't put the reel clamp bolts in. I was like WTF take it back and tell him to fix this. Well he did and came back with the bolts slide right in no need to remove the line. My first thought was if they get loose......but the reel is a great reel just the clamps IMO are suspect.

[Mean-Machine]

I have both and just used the Saltist the other day for the first time. The Saltist feels stronger. I like the handgrip on the Torium better. I will punish them both this summer and figure out which is best for future purchases.

[capt josh]

I can't offer any advise on the Saltist but we went through 4 Torium 30's in less than a month...and that's with meticulous maintenance...they just crapped out...complete malfunctions from seizing to gear failures...IMHO not worth the cash at all...we made the switch over to Avet JX 2 speeds and i don't think you're going to beat these reels for saltwater use...we have some that went through the rest of the season in PV and are still going strong up here on salmon and halibut...zero maintenance...and perfect performance every time...just what we paid for....which is nice to get for a change...

[Surfdoc]

Man that is a great side by side challenge!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for the report!

That is what we pay for here...

Hey Josh.. I have the JX 6/3 .. man that reel is bullet proof.... keep informed on how yours are working out..

as they'll get alot more work then mine...........

[divedemo]

Are they around the same price?

[Fresh One]

I finally broke down and retired my Daiwa SL50SH as my jig reel and picked up a Saltist 40. Nice looking reel and they do feel like they have significant cranking power. The reel seat/clamp design is a joke though.

I will put it through its paces on my upcoming 7 day in July and report back. I have never owned a Torium but have heard from deckhands out of Seaforth that they don't hold up all that well under regular use (whcih backs what Josh had experienced). Of couse, deckhands typically don't take care of their shit which is why most fish with Penns. Shimano and Daiwa both make great reels. Its good to see both companies competing head to head. Shimano had them beat for a few years there in the late 90's but I think Daiwa has made a little comback with the Saltist and the Saltiga and their new line of 2 speeds.

Tough to go wrong with either.

[tinfish]

Wife bought me a Torium 30 last year for my b-day and other that the 30lb squids last winter never had the opportunity to fish heavier. Nice to know Im covered