Okuma's Helios Spinner! How Good Is It Really?

My BEST Go To Spin Casting Reel:)

From the first time i showed fishing with the Helios HSX-40S spinning reel i knew this wasn't the "normal" everyday spinner. It was light. Very light. It felt good in my hand. The looks were sharp. I was thinking "wow, this is an Okuma reel"! In 2016 this orange/silver reel became available, an updated version to the original green/silver edition.

On my first day out whipping "spin casting" this reel i hit 2 Leatherback Scads "Lai" with it late in the afternoon. So i decided to play the fish to see how the reel performs. Was i surprised! The drag was smooth under pressure. Can't put it into words, it's more of a feeling that this was an excellent product that should be between $200-$400. Surprised to see the MSRP was only $144.99.

Weeks ago i had breakfast with local fishing celebrity Jeff Konn. For the first time i brought a Okuma product with me. Jeff viewed the reel & we went through the stats. Latter that week Jeff called. He was impressed with it. For this hard to please critic i was tongue tied! He did his research & was equally impressed. Another week passes and Jeff had the Helios HSX-30. He spooled light monofilament line on it & again was impressed by how smoothly it casted!

Word not only reached most Facebook anglers but some YouTube creators as well. Kauai's famous Joe Olivas also got a unit to try. He also was impressed by its attributes. I was answering multiple questions on the Helios SX daily online & on my FB & YouTube sites. Then i noticed the Okuma website showed several models of this reel was sold out. Then the eBay & Amazon links i gave to viewers who wanted to try this unit also showed "no stock".

Let me tell everyone that i'm like Mr Konn. Most every company makes "useable" fishing gear. Rarely do you get to use a product that shines above the rest. The Helios SX is one of those. If you do decide to try one look at the color. On eBay some sellers are trying to sell the older green models off as the current orange units. Also on the unit i have, the HSX-40S, this is the high speed model at 5.8:1 gear ratio. There also a HSX-40 that is a low speed for slower retrieves at 4.8:1 for bigger fish.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7muVeXFc0s