Lamson Hyperspeed M8 Review - A Very Cool Reel, But Why? - Maximum Retrieve.
*Note that this review is from back when the M8 reels came out last year but I moved it up in my blog so it's next to... something new and exciting... The BRAND NEW HYPERSPEED M10!
Ok guys the arbor wars have gotten out of hand at this point. This is getting silly. The new Lamson Hyperspeed M8 reel is huge... Don't misunderstand me: I like the new reel, it's very cool. This is a great reel, I just don't think anyone needs it to have an arbor this large in the 8wt range. But you know what, for a 9wt setup this thing is excellent. Lamson has always designed great-looking reels so this one is no surprise. And it is intentionally over-sized, but my easy solution is to just put it on the next size up of fly rods and then it is ideal. Makes me wonder what else is in store for this Hyper series... Hmmm... Can't tell you yet. But it's very cool.
Ok guys the arbor wars have gotten out of hand at this point.
This is essentially a 9/10 reel labeled as an 8wt so it becomes the largest arbor in the 7/8 size range. Same exact thing happens with many fly rod brands, to make a "powerful" saltwater rod which impresses people who cast it, they just change the number on it from 9wt to 8wt, and so on. Most powerful 8wt rod that you have cast? It's actually a 9wt. Don't believe me? Put a "true-to-weight" fly line on it and watch it fail miserably and not want to load. Then put a 9wt line on your "powerful 8wt" and see how that does. Oops, did I forget to say that almost all the fly lines have been moved up in size/weight too? Rio Flats Pro is extremely popular, but it is one full size heavy. So an 8wt line is literally a 9wt line in grain weight. What I say in my reviews is usually controversial but easy to verify for yourself. Go check if you doubt any of this.
I would consider this a very cool 9wt reel, it's just a bit big for an 8wt.
Some history for those of you new to this: Nautilus first pioneered the idea of a lightweight, large arbor, minimalist reel with the XL and XL Max reels. Then many years later, Sage came along and borrowed heavily (some might say they stole) from Nautilus, specifically the XL and XL Max, to make their "Arbor XL" - which honestly they really should have named something else because that's way too similar to both Nautilus' original ideas and name for their reels. Lamson created their own vision of this lightweight theme with the Litespeed M, leading to this new Hyperspeed eventually as you can see by the resemblance.
Plenty of other saltwater reels have a great retrieve rate. This one is even higher. Hatch makes one of the best fly reels of all time, the Iconic, and it's only $815 so that's worth keeping in mind.
Obsessed with getting the maximum inches per turn? Well, now you have it! Engineers and tech-spec lovers, rejoice! I like this reel too, and I can make fun of all of us gear nerds together. These are great reels, you should take one for a spin if you have a chance!
Check out the new Hyperspeed reels here in our shop!
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1 comment
I don’t know if you’re familiar with my name, I’ve been doing this for about 50-years, have consulted with different companies, tons of writing, so I know the industry quite well. You write great reviews, no BS. I’m recommending folks, especially those new to the saltwater game to get their stuff from you guys. the industry needs more people like you. I wish you continued success.