About Tackle Compare Lab (US)

Who we are

Tackle Compare Lab is run by an individual angler in Japan who also runs the Japanese edition of the site, 釣具比較ラボ, which has compared Japanese-market reels, rods and line since 2026. This US edition applies the same method to the Shimano, Daiwa and PENN spinning reels sold in the United States.

Because Shimano and Daiwa usually launch new reels in Japan first, we read the Japanese manufacturers' own catalogs and announcements and explain how Japanese-market (JDM) models relate to the US lineup.

How we compare reels

• Manufacturer specifications first. Weights, drag, gear ratios, line capacity and MSRP come from the manufacturers' US pages (or a major US retailer's spec table when the official page does not list them). Each page lists its sources and the date we checked them.
• No invented numbers. If a value is not published, we leave it blank rather than estimate it.
• No fake hands-on claims. We have not field-tested these reels and do not write as if we had. Our pages are spec-based comparisons and buying guides.
• Our own diagrams. Charts on this site are generated from the spec data. Product photos are only used when a retailer or manufacturer provides them for this purpose.

How the site makes money

We earn commissions when you buy through some links (see the affiliate disclosure). Commissions never decide which reels we cover or how they are ordered; lineups are ordered by MSRP.

Corrections and contact

Found a wrong number? Please tell us through the contact form. We check reports against the manufacturer's data and update the page.