A second drag, so a fish can take line from a rod in the rest
A freespool reel has two drags, and that is the whole family. A lever or rear dial disengages the main drag so line leaves the spool under almost no resistance; one turn of the handle re-engages it. It exists for one situation — a rod left in a rest with a bait on the bottom — and in that situation it is the difference between a rod pulled into the lake and a fish hooked. The vocabulary in the titles is worth knowing because it is three words for the same mechanism: « Freilaufrolle » on the Mitchell MX1 FS and the DAM Nova FS, « Baitrunner » on the SHIMANO ST RB 10000 at 81,91 € and ST 4000 FB at 66,25 €, « BR » on the DAIWA Black Widow BR at 60,85 € and 87,74 €, « Freilaufsystem » on the Cormoran Cormaxx BR at 30,50 €. The size reads as on any spinning reel, and this shelf sits deliberately large: 3000, 4000, 5000, 5500, 10000, because the rods it serves are carp and feeder rods carrying thick line. The DAM Impulse 4 Feeder at 31,98 € is the exception that names its own use. Two things to read past the mechanism. Whether line comes with it — the A&M bundle at 31,98 € pairs a DAM Nova FS with monofilament, the Mitchell MX1 is sold « ohne Schnur » — and the price of the mechanism itself: a Mitchell MX1 FS 4000 at 29,28 € and a SHIMANO Baitrunner ST 4000 FB at 66,25 € are the same size and the same idea, and the 37 € between them buys a second drag that still works after two seasons in the rain. We compare size, second drag type, gear ratio, bearings, spool capacity, weight and line supplied.
Size 4000 · black aluminium · 2+1 stainless bearings · freespool with an anti-reverse on/off switch · double-anodised aluminium spool with a line clip · multi-disc drag · supplied unspooled
The same reel text as the 5500, one size down, and the lowest price on the shelf.
Best for: A first freespool reel, or a second rod alongside a reel you already have
6000 FS: 0,40 mm / 210 m, 4,9:1, 78 cm per turn, 394 g, 1 bearing, 8 kg drag · pair price, with monofilament line included
The only listing on the shelf that publishes a drag force, and it does it three times.
Best for: Fishing two rods on the bank, where matched reels and included line matter more than bearing count
Size 4000 · Baitrunner clutch system · AirBail · Twist Buster · infinite anti-reverse · front drag · anodised aluminium spool on an alloy motor plate
Every part has a name and none has a number.
Best for: Someone who wants the named Daiwa systems and already knows what a 4000 weighs
Size 3000 · 5,1:1 · 380 g · 0,28 mm / 210 m · 85 cm per turn · 2 steel bearings · freespool all-rounder
Everything a freespool reel is chosen on, published in one place.
Best for: A small freespool reel for barbel, tench and bream, chosen against real figures
Size 4000 · graphite body and rotor · 2+1 carbon steel bearings · high-tech graphite spool pre-spooled with black and green mono · graphite spare spool · machine-cut pinion · oversized aluminium bail · graphite handle with an ABS knob
Two spools, a machine-cut pinion, and a German feature line that calls the free spool a swimming pool.
Best for: Feeder fishing where a second spool and ready-spooled line are worth more than a spec sheet
Size 5500 · black aluminium · 2+1 stainless bearings · freespool with an anti-reverse on/off switch · double-anodised aluminium spool with a line clip · multi-disc drag · supplied unspooled
The larger MX1 FS, priced the same as the smaller one in three of six markets.
Best for: A bigger freespool reel for carp and pike, where aluminium matters more than a published weight
Size 10000 · Baitrunner freespool · nothing further published
A name and a size. The listing says nothing else about the reel.
Best for: Someone who already knows the Baitrunner range and is buying a size they have used
The figure beside a product asked the shop for itself the moment this page opened; a figure inside the text has sat still since the sentence was written, and the first of the two is the one to trust.
