Okuma VSystem 15 Review

[DementedFish]

Okuma Vsystem 15 Spinning Reel Review
By Sean Lara

Introduction

When Okuma first released this reel on the shelves in 2005, I became very interested. For only $150, Okuma was offering a trout reel with 13 ball bearings, and a complete aluminum buildup. I was immediately sold, and decided to get my hands on one of these reels.

Features:

· Dual Force Drag System
· Multi-Disk Japanese oiled felt drag washers
· 13 Ball Bearings
· 1 Quick-set Anti-reverse rollerbearing
· Precision machine cut brass pinion gear
· Rigid diecast aluminum frame, rotor, sideplate and spool
· Patented Elliptical Oscillation System
· Ported Spool
· Forged aluminum Quick-Lock handle design
· Hydro Block water tight drag seal
· 5 year warranty

Specifications:

· 5.0:1 Ratio
· 1 EEB, 11 HBP’s, 1 roller bearing
· Weight 8oz
· Line retrieve: 20”
· Line Capacity: 240/2, 130/4, 80/6
· MSRP: $149.99


Ergonomics/Design/Construction

When I first held the reel in my hands, I immediately noticed that it was heavy, a little to heavy for ultra-light trout fishing. Once on the water, I matched it up with an ultra-light trout jigging rod, and to my surprise, the weight wasn’t as noticeable as before but still a bit of a nuisance. Ergonomically, one of my favorite features on the reel is the handle. The knob is made of a soft, rubber material which is very easy to grip, and doesn’t get slippery when wet. The handle is ported (meaning holes are drilled in order to get a lighter feel) and folds easily by a simple push.

The bail is also very functional. It contains a quick-set anti-reverse roller bearing which allows line to be placed on the reel tightly, and ensures better hooksets. One thing I’ve noticed while fishing is the bail stays in place securely on casts. In the past, I’ve noticed on many spinning reels that the bail will often tend to snap back into gear, resulting in a cast of about 2 feet. I have to note that this has rarely occurred with this reel.

Another problem I have noticed with other reels, and Okuma reels (*cough* Avenger) is wobbling of the spool. Okuma designed what they call a Rotor Equalizing System (RES) which allows an even balance of weigh in the rotor, ultimately providing a smooth transaction to the gears, and no wobble whatsoever.

As for the spool, designed nicely, however it doesn’t hold enough line. You’d think the line capacity would compensate for the weight of the reel, but in this case it doesn’t. It only holds 160 yards of 2#. For trout fishing this is fine, but if you were to fish this reel in lets say the surf, you could easily get spooled if you hook into something big. I’d also wish the spool was a little wider.

Next to the Aveon, the VS is the only Okuma to contain all aluminum parts. I like this feature a lot, and one of the only other spinning reels out there to have this feature is the Shimano Stella, and that’s priced at $490! However, Okuma still has a long way to make their reels as light and well balanced as Shimano’s.

Ergonomics/Design Rating (Out of 10): 6.5

Drag

So far I have been very impressed with the drag pressure. Okuma incorporates their Dual Force drag feature in the VS, in which drag plates are placed on the top and the bottom of the spool in order to provide a smooth, strong, and even flow of drag pressure. As far as smoothness goes, I have no complaints. The drag has not had that common “jerky” feel while on a fish. It has remained smooth and consistent. I only have one small complaint, however. I’ve noticed that while the drag pressure is strong, it has not been as sensitive as I would have liked it to be on small fish, not a huge deal.

I haven’t been able to find any information on how much drag the reel puts out, so I decided to test it myself. I got out my spring scale, put some 10# I found on it, and tested it out. I got it to 8# of drag when the line broke clean. Well, now at least I know I have crappy 10#. So I decided to go big, and put 25# on it. Tested the drag 3 times. The first time, the scale read 12#s before the drag gave out! Second time, 11#s, third time 12#s again! That’s a lot of drag for such a little reel!

Drag Rating: 9

Smoothness

The VS-15 is equipped with 11 High Performance Bearings, 1 Extreme Element Bearing, and 1 Roller Bearing for a total of 13 ball bearings. Out of the box, the reel was one of the smoothest I have ever felt. However, over time, the reel gradually became a little less smooth from normal use, which was really disappointing. It’s still smooth as hell, but it shouldn’t happen.

Smoothness Rating: 6

Power

For trout fishing, I have had no problems with lack of power whatsoever (of course not much power for trout is needed, but I’d like to see how some of the larger VSystem’s perform).

Power Rating: 10

Casting

Casting mini jigs and light trout lures has been somewhat of a pain. The reel is too heavy to effectively cast objects lighter than ¼ oz well, and like I mentioned before, I wish the spool was a little wider. However casting anything over ¼ oz has been very easy and I’ve been able to do it flawlessly.

Casting Rating: 6

Price

The VSystem is sold on the shelves for $149.99. Great price if you ask me. If the reel was flawless, it would be worth every cent, however that’s not the case. Compared to other reels with same features though, this is a damn good deal.

Price Rating: 7

Review/Conclusion

Lets review what I liked and disliked:

My overall rating of this reel would have to be a 7. For ultra-light trout fishing, I would give it a 5.5. In my opinion, I would not recommend this reel for light trout fishing. You may have a different opinion than me though. The main thing that really got to me was the weight of the reel, it affected a lot of things. If I were to buy another VS, I would get it in the 20-size for bass; I think it would be a good reel for finesse fishing. However, when it comes down to raw power and drag, I would trust this reel to bring in a 20-pound trout for me any day. From reading this article, it may sound like I'm dissapointed in this reel; not at all. Great reel, however Okuma needs to spends more time fine-tuning it.

[PlatinumHooks]

I thought my XTools "consumer review" was written well -(well it is, but... ), Very nice job Sean...Great Review! I do have some comments though, in defense of the reel (and I don't even own one) .....

1.) You say it's to heavy for ultra light fishing??? That observation is 100% relative to who's fishing it. I held it and it felt fine to me, it wouldn't bother me at all. Most people can't afford or should I say don't invest in an ultra light reel over $50.00 (which gets you a composite frame....light as heck) thus, that's what some people are use to.
That dislike shouldn't be acredited to the reel for that reason. Also same thing goes for the observation of Casting being affected by the weight of the reel....it's relative to the angler.

2.) Wishin' it would hold more line is great and most people wish that about all thier reel, but that is an ultra light reel( trout, panfish, Smallmouth Bass) and isn't made to fish anything higher thatn that. You say it has 12#'s of drag at full...I believe it, but if that's the case....and for what you're using it for, you should even remotely worry about getting spooled.


Again, Excellent report!

[DementedFish]

Originally Posted by Tony"PltnmHooks"Z.

I thought my XTools "consumer review" was written well -(well it is, but... ), Very nice job Sean...Great Review! I do have some comments though, in defense of the reel (and I don't even own one) .....

1.) You say it's to heavy for ultra light fishing??? That observation is 100% relative to who's fishing it. I held it and it felt fine to me, it wouldn't bother me at all. Most people can't afford or should I say don't invest in an ultra light reel over $50.00 (which gets you a composite frame....light as heck) thus, that's what some people are use to.
That dislike shouldn't be acredited to the reel for that reason. Also same thing goes for the observation of Casting being affected by the weight of the reel....it's relative to the angler.

2.) Wishin' it would hold more line is great and most people wish that about all thier reel, but that is an ultra light reel( trout, panfish, Smallmouth Bass) and isn't made to fish anything higher thatn that. You say it has 12#'s of drag at full...I believe it, but if that's the case....and for what you're using it for, you should even remotely worry about getting spooled.


Again, Excellent report!

I mentioned in my article that you won't have a problem with line capaity for trout, but for other applications you may. One of my main problems with the line capacity however is not getting spooled. Lets say your on a trip in the high sierras and you don't have any extra line with you, only the line on your reel. If you lose 50 yards lets say to a tangle or something, it would really be nice to still have a good amount of line still on there, so you can continue fishing, ya here me?

Also, let me put the Shimano reels into effect as an example. The 750 series weigh 6.9oz, the spool is wider (meaning less memory and easier casting) plus it holds more line. Can't argue against that.

Okuma claims that this reel is for ultralight trout fishing. When I think ultralight mini jigging for trout, I'm thinking of a light action rod, and ultra light power. Trust me, it feels akward sometimes on a thin jigging rod.

[PlatinumHooks]

Originally Posted by DementedFish

I mentioned in my article that you won't have a problem with line capaity for trout, but for other applications you may. One of my main problems with the line capacity however is not getting spooled. Lets say your on a trip in the high sierras and you don't have any extra line with you, only the line on your reel. If you lose 50 yards lets say to a tangle or something, it would really be nice to still have a good amount of line still on there, so you can continue fishing, ya here me?

Also, let me put the Shimano reels into effect as an example. The 750 series weigh 6.9oz, the spool is wider (meaning less memory and easier casting) plus it holds more line. Can't argue against that.

Okuma claims that this reel is for ultralight trout fishing. When I think ultralight mini jigging for trout, I'm thinking of a light action rod, and ultra light power. Trust me, it feels akward sometimes on a thin jigging rod.

Go point on the other stuff , but when a company says it's an ultralight reel, they're not refering to the physical weight of the reel, they're refering to the line rating.

[sashimi]

Cool review. I also like light reels.

[BeachBear]

That's a really good review, very unbiased and applicable in more than one application. Awesome review, sounded ultra-professional.