Daiwa BG MQ 2500 (UNBOXING & REVIEW)
- By: Justin Ritchey
- on
Huge news!
We just received one of the very first shipments of the brand new Daiwa BG MQ 2500 spinning reel.
Daiwa really stepped up their game here with this new reel and I can’t wait for you to see it!
If you’re looking for a smooth high-end reel with lots of power, but is light enough for inshore fishing, you’re going to love this reel.
Check out the full review and unboxing video below!
Daiwa BG MQ 2500 [VIDEO]
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I’m so pumped about this reel!
Here are some of the pros and cons of it:
Pros:
- Lightweight and compact (8 oz.)
- Well-designed to keep water from getting in
- Smooth
- Powerful
- More true to size (previous Daiwa BG reels run a little bigger than comparable reels)
- Thicker main shaft so it’ll last longer
- The handle sticks out a little farther so you have good cranking power
- Looks great
Cons:
- Does not have Magseal (but the monocoque body and perimeter rubber gasket around the handle do a great job at keeping water out)
Conclusion
The BG MQ is the future of fishing reels!
The monocoque design helps keep water out and reduce size while providing lots of power with a big gear.
I’m so excited to try it out and I know you’re going to love it, too.
You can get it from our online tackle store here:
We’re one of the first tackle stores in America to have these in stock, but we only have 50, so get yours today!
Have any questions about this reel?
Let us know down in the comments!
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Hi everyone, so I haven’t used this real yet and I wanted to switch the arm on it and I believe it’s just removing the small screw and then switching it over but the screw was so soft and I stripped the head and now I can’t switch it over. Does anyone have any ideas on how to remove that super small screw without damaging the reel?
Hey Jayme! Matt Loutzenhiser below had the same question. Yes, the handle can be swapped from Left to Right. This is applicable to every Spinning Reel that includes a removable handle. Simply take off the side cap on the Right side of the reel and thread the handle on there. No need for a tool/screwdriver to assemble. What you are seeing is the Main Gear itself in the spinning reel. Hope that helps!
Are you able to switch the handle to the other side?
Psych. Read the instructions.
I just received mine & as it says its Braid ready, does that mean no “Backing” is required?
Hey Bob! While the spool does come with a “Braid Ready” rubber attachment in the center, I would still recommend using backing on your reel. Overtime there is always the potential that these rubber liners can delaminate from the spool, so it’s best to always attach monofilament backing to the metal part of the spool and line your braid on after backing has been laid. Hope you enjoy your new reel, Bob!
Thanks for the quick reply!! I WILL place “Backing” on the reel. Boy this reel is smooth! Now just need your version of the Bull Bay Rod to complete “The Slam” 😉
compare the daiwa bg-mq 2500 to the penn battle 111 2500 (other than the 2 oz. diff.)
Awesome question, Ira. Both have their benefits. In terms of overall smoothness, the BG MQ takes the crown. Some might even argue that the Battle III should be the victor when it comes to the discussion on gearing material (Penn Battle III having Aluminum Gears, where the BG MQ uses Zinc). At the end of it all, when you fish a reel really hard and wear in the components over time, it’s not the gears that fail or underperform, it’s usually axial bearings or support bearings near the Pinion. When it comes to overall Power, the BG MQ is still the victor here, with that oversized Zinc gear giving the angler less resistance when cranking under a load. And finally, in regards to overall sealing, it’s hard to say. Both reels are pretty new on the market, and both incorporate well-placed rubber seals throughout the body of each reel, so both should perform very well when exposed to the elements. While I think the Battle III is an excellent reel in that $100 category, the BG MQ is still in a league of its own.
For all it’s worth I sincerely hope the new version of Daiwa’s BG series is better than the old versions. It’s been a while ago but I bought 2 Penn 550SS reels & 2 Daiwa BG 5000,comperable reels. The BG Daiwa reels gave up after about 3 seasons the Penn 550ss reals are still in use after 10+years.
Sincerely Capt. Bill Bennett
Thanks for sharing, Capt. Bill. I’m sure there have been improvements to the BG Family of Reels since the new models debuted a few years back. Always room for improvement, in my opinion.
Just wondering if this new BG is as durable as the other reels with “Magseal” technology? Also it seems to be a higher price point than the Fuego that has Magseal. Looking at the best overall value between these two reels. Thanks
The Daiwa Fuego and the Daiwa BG (both the Standard model and the BG MQ) are designed differently, from top to bottom. As stated in the video, MagSeal can be advantageous in scenarios where you run the risk of “dunking” or having serious exposure to the elements, like fishing Offshore in 3′ of chop or Wading the flats past waist deep. But having MagSeal in a reel does not make it a better sealed product than other reels that does not include MagSeal.
Understand that MagSeal is a ferrous fluid that works in conjunction with a magnetized washer or bearing, where the fluid rests in a small channel known as an anti-reverse clutch sleeve above the actual AR Clutch (I know, lots & lots of layers here…). Water must first make it’s way beneath a rubber lipped seal located underneath the Rotor (which, when constructed properly, is pretty difficult to do), onto this anti-reverse clutch sleeve above the actual AR Clutch for MagSeal to serve its purpose in preventing salt/grime/crud from making contact. It’s easy to believe that MagSeal is a superior deterrent to say a Physical Barrier (like a rubber gasket, threaded housing, etc.), but that simply isn’t the case.
MagSeal is an amazing feature to offer in a reel, but a big misconception is that MagSeal will protect a reel better from the elements than a reel without it. The BG MQ incorporates 9 rubber seals at key intrusion locations throughout the body of the reel that are not incorporated on other series of reels. Not to mention the threaded 1 pieces MQ Frame on the side of the reel is about as sealed as you can be without screw entry points (like what’s used on a traditional spinning reel today). When engineered correctly, a physical barrier (along with a lil’ grease in the right areas) can be a superior means to sealing than a chemical barrier like MagSeal.
So in summary, when taking all aspects into consideration, the BG MQ is simply a superior product to the Fuego family of reels. Don’t get me wrong, for $100 the Fuego is still a really awesome reel, and has been tested & fished hard for years (Joe & Luke both love their Fuegos, and for good reason!). I think that for $100, there’s value in the Fuego for sure. But after really diving into the meat & potatoes here on the BG MQ, and after looking beyond the Daiwa Catalog & Website to determine the real Bones of this Beauty, we’ve found the BG MQ to be an innovative design to not only transfer of power, but overall sealing in its construction.
I hope that helps bring light to you (and many other Anglers out there) on the topic of MagSeal 🙂 Thanks for asking, Brian!
How about a discussion on MagSeal and the cost involved in adding it to an existing reel. And the tool(cost)needed to inject it.
The challenge here is that MagSeal doesn’t work by itself. It takes a specific magnetic plate that works in conjunction with the MagSeal Fluid for it to work properly. Otherwise it’s just ferrous fluid rolling around in that channel of the anti reverse clutch sleeve. Purchasing aftermarket ferrous fluid is like $30-40 if you wanted to repair an already MagSealed reel like a Fuego or Ballistic yourself, but I’d highly suggest working with an Authorized Daiwa Repair Shop if it ever got to that level. In short, without that magnetized plate engineered into the design of the reel, the MagSeal will not work properly.
These look good. I thought they would also come to the US market with magseal as well. They look like they are beefier than the standard BG series as well. Definitely worth it though. Have other reels with the monocoque design and they are just awesome in terms of cranking and feeling.
Could you explain the advantages/disadvantages of 2500 vs 3000? Seems like 3000 series reels had more line capacity and all things being equal that was preferable? My current lineup consists of Shimanos but this Daiwa looks interesting!
This Daiwa Family of Reels will definitely make a Shimano Fan take a closer! There seem to be 3 main differences between the 2500 and 3000, and that’s Line Capacity, Inches Per Turn and Gear Ratio. The 3000 will likely have the same body size as the 2500, but have a deeper spool to hold more line. The 3000 is also the only model with a faster gear ratio. Those will be a big hit, too, when we get them in stock.
Justin, I just bought the Daiwa Procyon Al and now I’m wondering if I should’ve gone with this one. Thoughts? I like the idea of the monocoque design and I don’t think my Procyon has that. It’s still in the box, so I should be able to exchange it.
Never mind I’m just going to keep both!
Hi Justin, I was looking on the Daiwa website and it lists the line retrieve for the BGMQ 2500 as 21.5″ per turn. Is that right? The regular BG 2500 is listed at 33.2″ per turn so the 21 inches seems very slow.
I noticed that too.I hope it’s a missprint.I sent an email to Daiwa asking that question.I’ll let you know when I get an answer.
You guys are coming in with some Awesome questions, I love it! So techincally, the BG 2500 and the BG MQ 2500 are coming in at right around the same gear ratio (5.6:1 vs. 5.7:1). But reels with the same gear ratio can have varying IPT (Inches Per Turn), depending on both the Diameter of the Spool and the distance between Spool & Line Roller on the Bail. The diameter of the standard BG spool is much wider (or much more compressed is a different way of looking at it) than the current BG MQ models, which are a bit taller and more streamlined. There have been inaccuracies in the past from manufacturers on their printing and website, so we will check with Daiwa as well to confirm if this is true or a misprint.
I haven’t heard anything yet from Daiwa.
See the video at 1:21. The box has 31.5 inches (80 cm) per handle turn printed on the side.
Thanks, that makes alot more sense.
Good catch by the way!