Four reels. One question: which baitcasting reel actually has the best backlash-fighting, distance-adding technology? Tyler put the Shimano Curado DC 150, the Daiwa Tatula SV TW, the Lew’s Custom Pro, and the Ark Gravity G7 through the same casting, skipping, and heavy-wind tests — same rod, same line, same lure — to find out. This guide breaks down how each braking system works, how they performed on the water, and which one is right for you.
Full transparency: Tyler is partnered with Lew’s, one of the brands tested here, and Tackle Warehouse provided all four reels for this review. The testing was kept as fair as possible, and the results below were not flattering to any one brand. I may also earn a commission from the links in this article, at no extra cost to you.
The Four Reels at a Glance
| Reel | Braking Technology | Standout Trait | Best At |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shimano Curado DC 150 | Digital control — electronic microchip + electromagnetic coils | Only electronic brake; reads spool speed 1,000 times a second | Consistency once dialed |
| Daiwa Tatula SV TW | SV Boost — 3-stage dynamic induct rotor + dual-sided magnetic trough | Smoothest feel; fastest to set up | Skipping & light lures |
| Lew’s Custom Pro | Paramag ITB — wide, light induct rotor + radial magnets | Lightest reel; flies the rotor out easiest | Casting distance & light lures |
| Ark Gravity G7 | Fixed 3-position rotor + movable magnetic trough | Up to 60 brake settings | Heavy-lure distance |
How Baitcaster Braking Actually Works
Before comparing the four, it helps to understand the two braking systems nearly every baitcaster has used for the last 15 to 20 years: centrifugal and magnetic. Every reel in this test is some clever combination of the two.
Centrifugal Braking
Think of the carnival ride where a spinning drum pins everyone against the wall — that is centrifugal force. On a reel, the faster the spool spins, the harder that force flings small pins outward, and those activated pins drag against the housing to slow the spool. More activated pins means more braking, and it kicks in hardest exactly when the spool is spinning fastest (the start of the cast).
Magnetic Braking
Magnetic braking uses a brake pad or magnet block on the side plate. Turning the external dial moves that magnet closer to or farther from the spool. The key distinction Tyler keeps coming back to is the direction of that movement: axial (parallel to the spool, in and out) versus radial (perpendicular, more like up and down). How each brand moves its magnets — axially or radially — is a big part of what makes these four reels different.
Centrifugal = pins flung outward by spool speed. Magnetic = a magnet that brakes the spool, adjusted by a dial. Axial = the magnet moves parallel to the spool; radial = it moves perpendicular. Every reel here blends centrifugal and magnetic forces — they just do it in their own way.
What “Dynamic” Braking Means
Three of the four reels use what is called a dynamic braking system. Instead of applying the same force the whole cast, it brakes hard at the beginning — when overruns and backlashes happen — and backs off at the end, when you want the spool to run free for maximum distance. That single idea, heavy early and light late, is the engineering goal behind almost all of this technology.
Inside the Four Braking Systems
1. Shimano Curado DC 150
The only truly electronic reel in the test. Shimano’s Digital Control (DC) system uses a microchip and electromagnetic coils inside the side plate; as the spool’s magnet block spins past those coils, it generates the current that powers the brake, so it never needs charging. Shimano says the chip measures spool speed every one-thousandth of a second and corrects overruns on the fly. The external dial offers settings from one to four (plus “open,” which you should never cast on): one for bombing open water, two for braid and mono, three for fluorocarbon, and four for heavy braking in wind or when skipping.
2. Daiwa Tatula SV TW
Daiwa’s SV technology has been around for over a decade, and this version adds the three-stage SV Boost. On the spool sits a dynamic induct rotor; centrifugal force flings it out into a magnetic trough on the side plate at the start of the cast, then it retracts through a middle stage and finally pulls clear of the magnets to finish the cast. The 0-to-20 dial works by rotating two rings of alternating magnets into or out of alignment — at 20 the like poles line up for maximum field, at 0 they cancel out for none.
3. Lew’s Custom Pro (Paramag ITB)
The flashiest of the bunch, and the lightest. Like the Daiwa, it uses an induct rotor — Lew’s calls theirs a turbo disc — that flies into a magnetic trough as the spool speeds up. Two differences matter. First, the Custom Pro’s trough is magnetized on the inside only, and the magnets move radially (not axially like the Daiwa). Second, the rotor is much wider and lighter, which Tyler argues makes it easier to fling outward and engage the brakes early in the cast. The dial runs from free to 1–10 to M (max).
4. Ark Gravity G7
The Ark also forms a magnetic trough, but flips the script: its rotor is fixed rather than dynamic, set in one of three positions, while the magnetic strips themselves move outside-in to brake the spool. Combine the three rotor positions with the 0-to-20 external dial and you effectively get up to 60 brake settings — by far the most adjustability here. That movable-magnet, fixed-rotor design may be Ark’s way of working around the patents the other brands hold.
Normally you set the spool tension knob so a bait falls slowly when you thumb the spool. Both Shimano (DC) and Daiwa (SV) say to ignore that method: instead, tighten the knob just until there is zero side-to-side play in the spool, and leave it there. Do your braking adjustments with the dial, not the tension knob.
On the Water: Casting, Skipping & Wind
Every test used the same gear: a Lew’s Signature Series 7-foot-2 heavy moderate-fast rod, identical line, and the same lure on every reel. Tyler used two casting styles — a sidearm whip for distance and a softer overhand — and dialed each reel in before counting his best casts.
This was real-world field testing, not a lab. The test line had baked in a hot truck (so every reel had line memory), the segments were filmed months apart, wind shifted, and a human arm gets tired. Treat the distances below as directional, not gospel — the bigger story is how each reel felt and how often it backlashed.
Test 1 — Casting Distance
First with a 3/8-ounce swim jig on 15-pound fluorocarbon, then with a near-weightless popper to see how each reel handled a light lure on a heavy rod. The Lew’s and the Ark led with the heavier jig; the Lew’s and the Daiwa shined with the light lure. The big surprise was the Shimano DC — it backlashed more than expected and was the hardest of the four to dial in, though it was very consistent once set.
| Reel | Heavy Lure (3/8 oz) | Light Lure (popper) | Casting Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lew’s Custom Pro | ~40–45 yd | ~40 yd | Best light-lure caster; among the longest overall |
| Ark Gravity G7 | ~42–47 yd | ~33–39 yd | Strong heavy-lure distance once dialed |
| Daiwa Tatula SV TW | ~38–44 yd | ~37–40 yd | Noticeably improved as it broke in |
| Shimano Curado DC 150 | ~36–43 yd | ~29–35 yd | Very consistent, but backlashed and was hardest to dial |
Test 2 — Skipping a Dock
Skipping a jig under a Guntersville dock separated the field more than open casting did. The Daiwa Tatula SV won — the smoothest feel, the fewest backlashes, and the quickest to set up. The Lew’s took second on better distance with minimal backlashes, the Shimano felt smooth but its brakes ran tight and short on distance, and the Ark came in last (pro tip: put the Ark on rotor setting 3 to skip).
| Rank | Reel | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daiwa Tatula SV TW | Smoothest, least backlash, fastest to dial in |
| 2 | Lew’s Custom Pro | Good distance with the fewest backlashes |
| 3 | Shimano Curado DC 150 | Smooth, but brakes felt tight and cut distance |
| 4 | Ark Gravity G7 | Less smooth, more backlash, slower to set up |
For serious dock-skipping, Tyler still reaches for a dedicated shallow-spool reel (like the Lew’s Pro SP). A shallow spool holds less line and starts and stops easier, which forgives a lot — no fancy electronic or magnetic braking required. None of the four test reels are shallow-spool models, so judge them against each other, not against a purpose-built skipper.
Test 3 — Heavy Wind
In a sustained 15-to-20 mph crosswind, casting 40-pound braid with an urchin-style lure, the reels were surprisingly close — far closer than skipping suggested. The Daiwa edged it out again, but the Lew’s was just as easy to tune (Tyler likes having two adjustments — the Paramag dial and spool tension), the Ark held its own apart from feeling less smooth, and the Shimano actually threw the least backlash on no-thumb casts using its braid setting (two). In wind, every one of them got the job done.
The Verdict: Which Baitcasting Reel Is Best?
Here is the honest result Tyler did not necessarily want: there is no blowout winner. He had hoped one reel — ideally the one he is sponsored by — would dominate every test. Instead, all four proved to be genuinely good products, each with its own edge. Combining the casting tests, the Lew’s Custom Pro had a slight overall lead, with the Daiwa Tatula SV right on its heels.
| Reel | Biggest Strength | Watch-out | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lew’s Custom Pro | Light weight; best light-lure casting; long distance | Premium price (author is sponsored — noted) | All-around anglers who throw finesse and light lures |
| Daiwa Tatula SV TW | Smoothest feel; best skipper; easy setup | Edged out only slightly on raw distance | Dock skippers and all-around use |
| Ark Gravity G7 | Up to 60 brake settings; strong heavy-lure distance | Less smooth; slower to dial in | Tinkerers and distance casters |
| Shimano Curado DC 150 | Consistency once dialed; unique digital tech | Still backlashes; hardest to dial; premium price | Set-and-forget anglers who like the DC system |
The real lesson: almost every reputable reel company makes a quality product. The technology is not secret, engineers move between brands, and the marketing oversells the differences. The digital Shimano was not magically backlash-proof; the others were not far behind on anything. Buy the reputable brand that feels best in your hand — you are not getting a bad reel from any of these four.
Final Thoughts
The single most important anti-backlash technology is not a microchip, a rotor, or a magnetic trough — it is your thumb. Every reel here will backlash if you cast it into a wall or take your thumb fully off the spool. Learn to feather the spool and understand what it is doing on every cast, and any of these four will serve you well. The braking systems just make the learning curve gentler and the long bombs longer.
Like this kind of gear deep-dive? Tyler’s Tackle Time series pits products head-to-head, and the Uncut Bass Fishing channel runs one-to-three-hour, fully unedited fishing adventures if you want to see these reels put to work in real time.
Source: Based on video content from TylersReelFishing — “The ULTIMATE Baitcasting Reel Test (Which Is BEST?)” · youtube.com/@tylersreelfishing
Q&A Flashcards: Baitcasting Reel Braking
Tap any card to reveal the answer. Great for understanding what you are actually buying.