I recently replaced one of my reels with a higher quality one. The Shimano Sienna 2500RD. This reel is paired with an Expert Graphite Carbon Cube 7' rod for Snakehead casting. The reel is of excellent built & quality but lacks durability as many parts were made of hard plastics. The reel was spooled with Kirin 15lb braided line. The results?

EXCELLENT! casting. Bought for RM 145.00 at a tackle shop in Puchong. I never regretted buying this reel. First thing you'll notice is the casting distance. I tried a casting session at Subang lakes. Brought both my  Shimano reels, the other being the FX 2500FB for testing.

Both reels are spooled with Kirin 15lb braided line & connected to 20lb mono leader. Casting with an 18g Abu Island II spoon. Each reel I spent about 30mins of continuous casting to random structures. After more than an hour of casting, I conclude the following:

* Distance - The Sienna wins hands down. It easily outcast the FX by more than 5m or 10ft most of the time with minimal energy. This is due to the Propulsion Spool Design feature.

* Accuracy - Since less energy is required to cast bait, I could achieve better accuracy as I could put more effort on proper swing instead of raw power.

* Durability - Somehow, I don't feel the Sienna is meant for any hardcore fishing. It kind of feel more 'brittle' then the FX. While the FX is mostly constructed from hard plastics, it feels thicker & more durable. Compared to the Sienna, the finishing feels like it's made of thinner plastics. The Sienna is best used for Casting & not for bottom/float fishing.

* Line Management - The Sienna wins hands down again. Since both reels are using the same braided line (Kirin 15lb braid, 0.16mm) the Sienna had much flatter more even spooling compared to the FX which still has some minor jagged lining on spool. I only experienced once a birds nest in the 30mins of hard casting, this was probably due to me over-spooling line but after trimming some line away giving the spool lip about 3mm behind the lip, I no longer experienced any birds nest. Comparatively, I had 2 birds nest with the FX even though the line was given a run-in & trimmed down to 3mm below the lips.

* Drag - The drag feels much smoother on the Sienna. Even though the FX had more drag power, the Sienna's drag was smooth & very much in control. The FX had strong drag but it's a little coarse & jerky when fighting fish.

The Sienna also comes with a Front Drag model but personally, I always prefer Rear-Drag reels for game fishing & casting.