Hardy Ultralite 5000 CLS Fly Reel

Great reel put it on a 5wt switch rod balance is perfect. Love the CLS system for changing spools,drag is smooth finish is top notch. Wish they made this in a spey model . Good price I think

Pros: Aesthetically pleasing reel, Cassette system is ingeniousCons: #1 This reel only has a 5 year limited warranty with a company who has recently become synonymous with poor customer service. Does not tightly fit a Hardy Zenith (the rod its supposedly made to be paired with) Made in Korea, Some of the fit and finish is not up to the standards of fly reel companies in the USA. This reels drag system just doesn't feel as smooth as any of my comparable and even some of my lower priced fly reelsOverall I really couldn't be more disappointed in this reel now that I have it in hand. I put a lot of research in on the Internet prior to purchase but it didn't save me. The single biggest factor which has lead me to decide to send the reel back is the pitiful warranty. The #2 factor leading to a return is that I bought this reel to compliment a brand new 9' 5wt Hardy Zenith fly rod and this reel does not fit my Zenith reel seat worth a damn. It rattles side to side no matter how hard I tighten the retention rings. Hardy rods are excellent but so far I am 0 - 3 with Hardy reels. For fly reels stick to Abel, Tibor, Ross Reels, Lamson, & Galvan which are all backed by lifetime warranties. I think it is suspect that the warranty term was left out of the entire listing especially considering a lifetime warranty is the industry standard with regard to fly reels. $259 for a substandard Asian POS that even the manufacturer doesn't believe in enough to warranty beyond 5 years.....NO THANK YOU!!!

Excellent Reel system. I dropped the larger one three feet on to asphalt. It bent the edge but I was able to reform and the reel works great! Cannot do that with powdered metaled reals.

Awesome product!