Lamson Hyperspeed M10 Review - MAXIMUM RETRIEVE
Ok, I admit that I gave the Hyperspeed M8 reel a hard time for being too big for an 8wt. But the new M10 on the other hand makes perfect sense on a 10wt or 11wt Tarpon setup. This is where these insane reels will really start to shine. It's also great for Roosterfish / Jack species setups where you need to be able to pick up line as fast as you possibly can. It retrieves an absolutely insane SIXTEEN INCHES PER TURN. Yes that's right it's a foot and a quarter every time you turn it. So that's about as quick as it gets for fly reels. Nothing else is going to touch this in the 10wt reel class. Which, I assume, was Lamson's intention.
SIXTEEN INCHES PER TURN - GAWWWDDD DAMN.
When fishing around mangroves or docks, this reel will shine (you don't want fish taking off and getting tangled before you're tight to them, although stripping them in is sometimes preferable to even being on the reel at all). Or in open water with certain fish species that can really take off, ripping line from your reel in seconds. This helps you fight back fast and take that slack line up as quickly as possible. Keep in mind, line management is a hidden variable that most places won't tell you about, but it's very important as you get more advanced in saltwater fly fishing. It can mean the difference between losing or keeping a fish. Especially when you don't have a stripping bucket (I may be in a kayak / paddle board or on foot), fly line can get everywhere quickly so you need a way to deal with that and get tight to the fish before you tangle or trip over yourself. Many times stripping a fish in is the better option but you will still end up with a pile of line on the deck, or wherever you stand, so you will have to pick that up eventually either way. This reel is the quicker picker upper.
Build quality is very high, exactly the same as we all know and expect from the Litespeed M series (I own two of those) and of course the Hyperspeed M8. For most situations the Litespeed M reels were already some of the best saltwater options. Lightweight (among the lightest saltwater reels) and with arbors plenty big for great retrieve rates. So what's the Hyperspeed M trying to achieve here? It helps a ton with line management, something many people overlook. A few quick turns and then you aren't tripping over extra line on the deck. It's that idea of "even more" for the customer who just really wants or maybe even needs it. Like a high-performance car, you don't "need" it but come on, it's so cool. Same great looks as the M8, same color scheme which is a sort of charcoal with a nice green highlight on the drag knob and also the handle has a little color accent as well. I never thought I'd say the M8 was "smaller" than anything except maybe a bicycle wheel. But the M10 could probably serve as a replacement wheel for a kid's bike in a pinch. It's big. If you like 'em big and chunky like Moto Moto does, you are really gonna love this reel.
For MAXIMUM RETRIEVE, it's the HYPERSPEED, baby.
Normally I do "Pros and Cons" of each rod or reel I review, but in this case "it's really big" is both the main pro and con. It is really a large reel (not "heavy" just big across). You either like that or you don't. I think it makes tons of sense for this specific rod size range and target fish species, much more so than with the original M8. When I reviewed the first Hyperspeed, I just didn't think it was as important to have for the 8wt class (though it is cool, and made much more sense to me on a 9wt).
If you still want a great reel for a 10wt that maybe isn't quite so large, the Litespeed M10 really is fantastic as well. But for MAXIMUM RETRIEVE, it's the Hyperspeed, baby.
The awesome new Lamson Hyperspeed M10 reels are here! Shop with us and support our entirely independent reviews! As a reminder, I pay for all the gear I review, nothing is given to me or paid for by any brands/companies. I keep it to use for myself unless I don't like it. So the great thing is that I can update any review later if I notice anything else or have more thoughts as a long-term review. Most gear reviews are done by people who do not own the gear and have barely tried it out for a day. Keep that in mind as you read all the reviews on the internet!
Questions? Comments? Need therapy after being scared by this giant reel? Give us a call or email us and we can try to help.
*Don't read this last part if you're a fly fishing purist: My Shimano Saragosa retrieves 41 inches per turn, and I have had that reel for more than a decade already. Nothing in fly fishing can touch spinning gear for retrieve rate. I also cast at least three times farther than any fly rod, so I need that massive retrieve. I haven't even brought it with me in a year or more though so it doesn't really matter. If I go fishing it's usually for work (testing gear, etc) so it's all fly these days. My only point is perspective, and understanding different tools for different purposes.
