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SHIMANO EXAGE 4000FCReview Part One
Vital Statistics The EXAGE 4000FC is one of those pieces of angling equipment you find every now and then that punches well above its weight. The 4000FC has a stylish metallic platinum and gold finish to entertain the "Bling" addicted anglers out there and features four (4) shielded stainless steel ball bearings and one (1) roller bearing and uses a multi-disk front drag system that is very easy to set and in my opinion is in the perfect location to enable precise adjustment when you have a fish under the rod tip. The Exage 4000FC also includes Shimano's Dyna-Balance, Power Roller, Super Stopper II, AR-C spool design and Varispeed. This combination of internal mechanics generate a powerful 5.1:1 ratio that retrieves 81cm of line per full 360 degree turn of the reels handle. A full technical document is available by clicking HERE
Spools & Line CapacitiesThe EXAGE 4000FC is supplied as standard with two cold forged aluminium spools. You have one fitted to the reel that has a platinum and gold trim and a spare that is plain grey metallic finish. Both spools offer ample line storage and are clearly marked with both metric and imperial measurements for the dinosaurs like myself. You can get up to 260m of 0.25 or 240 yds of 8lbs mono on each spool and the line lay achievable is near flawless. To make it possible to achieve optimum casting performance, both of the Spool that are supplied with the EXAGE 4000FC feature AR-C line management and Varispeed line lay which prevents fine mono and braid from bedding in under pressure, which is an essential feature that will benefit the match, specialist and predator anglers who regularly use low diameter braids and mono’s to aid their casting.
First ImpressionsIf you’re looking for a reel that can multi task in most general angling categories, whilst offering top performance and great value for money, then look no further. The EXAGE 4000FC is a very powerful work horse that has all the features you could wish for at a very affordable £69.99 and trust me when I tell you it performs well above that price. These very well balanced reels offer impeccable line lay and a gear system to rival many others of a far greater value. On first impressions I have found a reel that most anglers can afford and most would get a lot of pleasure out of using them. When the lids are of the lakes and we can get back out by a lake, the UKMA team will be putting the EXAGE 4000FT reels through our usual bank side battering to see how well they perform long term, so until then watch this space for Part II of the EXAGE 4000FC review. For further information on the range of Shimano products, please click the image below.
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For many years, I’ve been a great lover of the superb performance and precision line lay that the top of the range Shimano front drag reels including the classic STRADIC FD offered the coarse and match angler. After many years of untroubled service from these reliable work horses, I decided to have a look at the current Shimano range to see what was available to the angler on a much tighter budget. With knowledge of how a top reel should perform, I took a trip to my local tackle shop to see what the currently available 4000 sized front drag reels had to offer the angler. So after playing around with several front reels between £60 & £80, one reel soon stood out from the crowd, The EXAGE 4000FC from Shimano. So we made a call to the Shimano team who obliged by sending over a couple for us to have a serious look at and put through their paces, here’s Part 1 of the UKMA review.
