Lamson Litespeed M Review - Reel Good, Reel Fast
"Punch it, Chewie!"
Now here's a reel I have been meaning to review for awhile. If you are a regular you know I love running as light as possible with my gear but still maintaining durability and quality. I also love Star Wars references. The Lamson Litespeed M is the only saltwater reel that checks all those boxes. Did I mention I love the color scheme as well? Lamson rarely misses with their designs and this is a stunning reel to behold. *I should also mention here that the Litespeed F reels are also excellent and you can use the larger ones in saltwater just fine as well, especially if you prefer those color options and you are only running a 6/7/8wt rod. This is a similar lineup split to Abel's SDS and SDF which are basically the same reel just scaled up or down. I personally use the Litespeed F (for "Freshwater") interchangeably with the M (for "Marine"), both in saltwater just fine.
Now, on to evaluating the performance. Everyone may be very upset by this but I don't need to use a reel much, I just strip in the fish. It's faster. I'm usually pretty close up to them and I'm around mangroves all the time so I have to be quick before they get stuck on something. But if you do have time to get on the reel, this one goes about as fast as you can retrieve anything. The big arbor really helps when you need to pick up the slack and get tight to the fish right away. Getting all that loose fly line off the deck can be critical.
I think the best way I can convey my belief in this reel is that I have started adding it as a combo option with the various rods we carry, alongside what is arguably the best saltwater reel on the planet, the Hatch Iconic series, and of course my usual Shilton reels. Also in the running for top saltwater reels are the Ross Evolution R Saltwater (EVO R for short) and of course the twice-as-expensive Abel SDS reels (excellent but pricey). I generally avoid the other brands out there for reasons I can't state in a review but you can take my word for it, the ones I have listed are the ones you want to be picking from if the budget allows. I can do an overview of all the best saltwater reels for 2025 at some point but this covers most of them.
So, why the Lamson over other saltwater reels? Lighter, better price than most serious competitors, certified waterproof (only reels to do this are Lamson), much larger arbor (more inches-per-turn) if you like metrics, or just look at it and enjoy how cool it is like I do. Looks may be subjective but this is a winner in that department for sure.
In summary: It's Light, Fast, Looks Great, Works Great. What's not to like?
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