Daiwa Certate 3000 review

[Madeye]

I had always dreamt of owning a Certate and with all the hype and my trusty Sol 3000 showing signs of wear I couldn’t help but consider purchasing one for myself. A nice tax return sealed the deal and I was soon chomping at the bit waiting for the mail man to arrive.
It would have a lot of hype to live up to, and with a price tag around $550 I couldn’t help but wonder if was really $250 better than the Sol?

Features:
Real Four, Mag Sealed, Machine Cut Digigear II, ,Silent Oscillation III, Super Metal Body
Engine Plate ,ABS II ,Neo Cross Wrap ,Twist Buster II ,Tough Air Bail ,Ultimate Tournament Drag
Real Stopper ,Washable ,Tough Drive Gear ,New CRBB system

SPECIFICATIONS:

Gear ratio - 4.8 (81cms)

Weight - 280 grams

Ball bearings - 9/1

Drag pressure - 7 kg

Spool capacity -
12lb/200m
16lb/150m

Braid (PE)
PE 1.2/350m
PE 2/250m



Impressions and design.
Straight out the box you could tell Daiwa were really trying to separate it from the “old certate”. The new styling with gold high lights really screams quality.
Picking the reel up I was surprised at the weight. With the new air rotor I expected it to be lighter than previous generations, however its 280grams it’s actually 5grms heavier than the Sol. The weight isn’t cumbersome though and instead the Certate feels ‘solid’.
The old smoothness test; giving the handle a few turns had the word “solid” returning to my brain. The new digi gear has you feeling somehow connected to the gears as if you can feel each individual gear slotting perfectly into place. The ‘smoothness’ was a slight let down though as it certainly wasn’t the SILKYEST reel I have ever handled. Maybe it’s not possible to have that connected feeling with that silky smoothness. Either way it was a small let down.

The more I played with the reel the more solid it felt. Taking off the handle exposed the new direct screw in system. This is another big plus and really helped you feel confident at chasing BIG fish with a small reel.



The only other negative I could find was the knob. It just doesn’t match the rest of the reel. Everything else seems so refined yet the boring T knob just seems a little lack lustre. On the Daiwa Website they claim the 3000 is designed for chasing Tuna and such, so I would have preferred to see an EVA ball knob or heavy duty T knob. After all this is a heavy duty reel be it in a small body.


On the water:
Casting: I have always preferred Daiwa’s for casting due to the ABS and Cross wrap system. This lays the line in a forward taper fashion making for less tangles and better casting. The ABS 2 is even better again and I’m yet to have a bird’s nest problem yet due to the reel.
Fishing with the certate really was a dream. It was so smooth and the drag made fighting fish of any size a dream. However the certate had to wait a while before I could truly test it. Sick of small skippy and 3kg sambos I lobed out a big dirty bait and waited for something to truly test the reels capabilities.
I hooked something big, a monster ray around 100kgs. This thing had the drag screaming. I tightened the drag to near max and it was still as smooth as on the lighter settings.
While fighting this Ray I was amazed at how SOILD (yep said it again) it felt. There was no flex what so ever and no back play either. The direct screw in handle really shines and gives you the feeling of a 1.1 ratio. When fighting big fish though you really want a nice big knob to grip onto. The size of the T knob really become apparent when you in a battle with a monster from the deep. Nothing an upgrade cant fix but at this price point i would have like to see something a little nicer.
I couldn’t believe the hurt I was able to put on this fish. It’s not till you hook something big that you really notice how much power this little reel has. It really punches above it weight.

The certate 3000 really is the perfect soft plastic snapper reel.



Durability: 10/10
I have now owned the 2010 3000 Certate for 10 months. A couple of months ago I foolishly allowed a mates nephew to use the certate while squiding. At the time I was worried about him snagging my $30 squid jigs and gave him the Certate combo to use because of the 20lb braid spooled on it. For a horror 15 minutes in I saw him put the reel under the water while trying to un-snag a lure.
At the time I was ropeable, but after calming down I was curious to see how it would fair considering the new “MAG SEAL”. After getting home and giving it a good rinse in warm water I crossed my fingers and hoped I wouldn’t have to fork out for a complete service.
To my amazement the MAG SEAL did its job. Call me a cynic but I wasn’t completely convinced a few magnets and some oil could keep saltwater from penetrating the internals. But I have to give it to Daiwa as the Certate is still running exceptionally smooth to this day. Those new ccrb bearings must have some magic dust in them or something 
There have been some reports that the mag seal might begin to show signs of wear as no magnet can last for ever but, this has not been the case. I’ll be the first to admit that I am quite rough on my gear and with the certate being on my “go to rod” it has copped a fair bit of abuse and landed some monster fish in the process.

First Impressions and Design: 9.5/10
So many features, only a slight lack of smoothness and a lack lustre handle prevented it from receiving perfect marks but this really is nit picking.

On the water: 9/10
Silky drag, extremely solid. If only it had a bigger knob for fighting large fish.

Value for money: 7.5
Big features equal big price tag. You get certainly get what you pay though it’s so well priced that you HAVE to have it.
Durability 10
Run’s like new. Making it so you HAVE to send it to Daiwa is the only negative I can find. But who wouldn’t want the best to service this masterpiece.


Conclusion
The best way to describe the feel of the new Certate 3000 is that it is a big reel (4500+) in a small body. I just have to use that word again “SOLID”. Don’t let its small frame and light weight fool you. The little reel packs a punch.
Is it going to last twice a long and be twice as smooth as a Sol? Probably not, but neither is that $200 pair of Nikes 5 times better than the $40 copies from a Spendless Store. If you can afford it then I say go for it, you won’t regret it. All the new features definitely work together brilliantly and make the Certate what it is.
If not you can still be assured that there still great reels available for half the price.

[-Pivot-]

Yeah mate, I'm with you on that.

The new Certates are awesome, you're right it could be smoother but I bought it expecting good not great performance and to each day it continue to amaze me.

Incredibly good drag, so much smoother then Shimano. Feel more safe running lighter line knowing how durable the drag performs.

I got the 2500R and catches everything from Bream to Barra.

Great write up Mish.

[BloodWorm]

Great review Jadon definelty useful for people considering a Certate.

[nagz]

I'm glad that 5grams wasn't cumbersome lol

[joelozzy]

Hey Mish,

Really do appreciate the write up mate thanks for taking the time.

I'm currently tossing up between the 3000 Certate, 3012 Hi Gear Certate and a 4000 Stella.

The reel will be going on a loomis BSR852 GLX.

I'm leaning towards the 3000 Certate. My question is how would it go fast retrieving 15-30 gram metals? Would it have the speed to get metals moving at a decent pace to effectively target pelagics such as salmon and tailor?

That's my main concern. But from my understanding Hi Gear equates to less cranking power.

I'm looking for a reel to target anything from small pelagics to small tuna.

Cheers mate.

Joel

[nagz]

The high gear certate will do what you ask of it. The Stella will do it better. Wouldn't worry too much about gear ratios and fish fighting power unless your throwing massive lures at big tuna and trevally.
You could even throw that size metal on a smaller reel as long as your rod can handle it and you fight sensibly.
Remember that a 3000 sized Daiwa reel is roughly a 4000 sized shimano. Plenty of reel.

[cowancreekdave]

man I love the innuendo in this post. Top review mate

[Madeye]

I can only comment on what I have used.
That's why I did the review as there is often a lot of hear say on forums from people that havnt even used the reel in the comparison.

I have used the certate for spinning for tailor and it was easily fast enough. Im not a huge fan of high geared reels as I prefer a bit more power.

I'm sure the Stella is an awesome reel and I have used a 2500 but it is more expensive.
Depends on your budget I guess.
But I can't fault the certate

[joelozzy]

Originally Posted by MiSh

I can only comment on what I have used.
That's why I did the review as there is often a lot of hear say on forums from people that havnt even used the reel in the comparison.

I have used the certate for spinning for tailor and it was easily fast enough. Im not a huge fan of high geared reels as I prefer a bit more power.

I'm sure the Stella is an awesome reel and I have used a 2500 but it is more expensive.
Depends on your budget I guess.
But I can't fault the certate

Ok Cheers mate. If it's fast enough for metals without having to go nuts on the handle than I may just have to grab one.

Thanks again. What did you spool yours with? And whats the pink placcy?

[Madeye]

20lb Daiwa hyper tournament 8 strand.
Not cheap but insanely thin. Like 10lb thin.

I'm all for getting the best braids. Varivas I awesome as well. It's awesome being able to cast a mile but having the strength when hook a monster.
Suffix 832 is great for a cheaper braid but I would get 15 lb as it thicker and stronger than is rating.

Having said that if the tuna and tailor your going for are only small, check out one of my vids on you tube and check out the pinkys I got on 12 lb hyper tournament. The only thing with the 12 lb is that is so thin that its not so good with leaders over 20lb.

The lure is a madeye. 100 % Aussie made and owned ;p

[fisho_1990]

Great write up mate, the certates are topp little reels. I use 3 in my arsenal at the moment, a 3500HD, an older model 2506 finesse and a hyper certate 2500R , and i have owned the older 3000 certate before.. and I cannot fault any of them. I find the hyper certate the nicest and it is a beast of a reel for its size. Well above its weight.


That line (accudepth) is amazing stuff mate , I have the 30lb on my certate 3500HD and it's thinner than most 15lb stuff I have used.

Cheers

[tuan]

awesome write up. thanks!

[Rog78]

Running 2 high speed 3000's and a normal 2000 size can't fault them yet good enough reels for the fishing I'm doing.

[Nugget]

Does the 2004 get as good review as this? Thinking of spoiling myself and ditching the bluvias.

[Breamobsession]

Great write up, and and honest one makes me want to go out and buy a Certate regardless of the slight downfalls. Can't afford one though. Good stuff