FIN-NOR Saltwater Mag Shield Spinning Reel LETHAL
The Fin-Nor Lethal is a seamless blend of strength, style, and reliability. It’s a workhorse reel built for the most challenging conditions and the toughest fish on the planet. Armed with MegaShield multi-layer corrosion protection the Lethal excels in saltwater environments, but is equally at home in freshwater habitats. The Fin-Nor Lethal is a stylish and refined reel that is perfect for both lure and bait fishing and delivers amazing bang for buck.
Sealed Drag and Clutch
Strong aluminum body and side plate
Aluminum Rotor
MegaLock™ infinite anti-reverse clutch
Stainless Steel and Brass Gearing
Changeable Right or Left Hand Retrieve
Forged and machined Braid-Ready spool
7 Bearings (6 + Clutch) Double Sealed
MagShield Corrosion Protection
Sealed Drag and Clutch – On the Fin-Nor Lethal spinning reels, you’ll find a simple but effective seal under the drag knob. Additionally, there is a clutch seal beneath the spool.
The clutch seal comes with a washer that’s designed to reduce any friction between the seal itself and the main shaft, which of course has a big impact on the overall smoothness of the reel, especially when it’s under pressure.
The three screws that hold the clutch seal together are noticeably longer than those found in other spinning reels, which is nothing more than an extra precaution to ensure maximum smoothness. The clutch seal itself is thin enough not to be too tight or get in the way but effectively keeps any water out.
Strong aluminum body and side plate – while aluminum isn’t as light as carbon fiber, it does have one significant advantage: strength. As we’ve mentioned, Fin-Nor is slowly gravitating toward making lighter spinning reel models for inshore fishing and even though the Fin-Nor Lethal uses aluminum they have been able to keep the weight down to a respectable level.
I love the attention to detail on this reel such as the use of small washers on the gearbox screws to reduce the possibility of water intrusion.
Aluminum Rotor – the models Fin-Nor Lethal models, LT60, LT80, and LT100 all have an aluminum rotor which does add to the overall weight of the reel but also adds to the strength for your larger species. The smaller LT25, LT30, and LT40 have a plastic composite rotor.
One additional design note to take into account is the use of a closed rotor nut that provides an additional layer of protection keeping water from seeping down around the shaft into the main reel housing.
MegaLock™ infinite anti-reverse clutch – the MegaLock anti-reverse clutch on the Fin-Nor Lethal spinning reels gets top marks for its performance and will get the job done 99% of the time. When fishing the larger fish you want to make sure that there is a second point of failure protection.
Fin-Nor has addressed this issue on the Fin-Nor Lethal LT100 by adding in a secondary stainless steel pawl and ratchet anti-reverse should the clutch slip for any reason, ultimately eliminating the possibility of any backward slipping. This adds a certain level of peace of mind when you have that big tarpon or tuna on the line and you want to make sure that your personal best does not get away.
Gears – The main shaft of the Lethal goes all the way through the gearbox which is essential in reducing the torque when the main gear that is made of brass on the LT100 and of a cast zinc alloy on the smaller models is engaged. The pinion gear is made of stainless steel on the LT100 and showed no signs of wear after having fished this reel of over 50 hours.
On the smaller Lethal models, the pinion gear is made of brass.
MegaDrag – the top stack MegaDrag system of the Fin-Nor Lethal is a combination of carbon fiber brake washers sandwiched in-between over-sized stainless steel drag washers. This drag system is designed to provide you with high levels of drag that range from 19 lbs. and 45 lbs. depending on the size of the reel.
In addition to providing you with a high level of drag, the drag has proven to be smooth.
We did notice that on long runs the drag does have a tendency to get pretty warm, some might even say hot which causes the grease to liquify and in several cases, we need to adjust the drag slightly while fighting the fish.With that said the drag is better than many reels that have a price tag of 3-4 times as much.
Changeable Right or Left Hand Retrieve – as with most reels these days the handle can be swapped right or left depending on your preference. This is a screw in handle system for strength and there is a seal where the handle meets the body to protect the gearbox from water intrusion.
The LT100 has a few additional features such as the use of a hex head screw to fasten the handle joint vs a cross pin that is used on the smaller models. Typically, we only see a hex head used on much more expensive reels.
Forged and machined Braid-Ready spool – the machined and forged braid-ready spool is lightweight and is set up to take braid directly. While this is a very convenient feature that I have used on many smaller reels, I am still leaning more towards mono backing after reading a review from Alan Hawk a few years back where he mentioned the added benefit of the mono protecting the spool from water and adding to the life of the spool.
7 Bearings (6 + Clutch) – with seven bearings, or six plus the anti-reverse clutch, the gearbox on the Fin-Nor Lethal spinning reels is built for tough play. All of the bearings are double-shielded stainless steel to make sure they will last for years.
The main shaft travels through the length of the spool and ends inside the internal support, located at the end of the gearbox. There are two bearings which support the spool and this reduces the torque and contributed to the very smooth drag of the Lethal. The reel handle and main gear are supported by additional shielded bearings.
MegaShield Corrosion Protection – All of the Lethal models have the MegaShield corrosion protection system to make sure that they are protected to the highest level possible against, water intrusion and the buildup of salt and other harmful substances that are known to break a reel down over time.
LT25
Gear Ratio:5.2:1
Ball Bearings:6+1
Retrieve:28″|70cm
Mono capacity lb/yds:8/150
Braid capacity lb/yds:30/110
Max drag:19lb|8.6kg
Product weight:10.30oz
LT40
Gear Ratio:5.2:1
Ball Bearings:6+1
Retrieve:31in
Mono capacity lb/yds:10/230
Braid capacity lb/yds:30/270
Max drag:23lb
Product weight:12.9oz
LT60
Gear Ratio:4.9:1
Ball Bearings:6+1
Retrieve:34in
Mono capacity lb/yds:14/240
Braid capacity lb/yds:50/240
Max drag:30lb
Product weight:20.2oz
LT80
Gear Ratio:4.9:1
Ball Bearings:6+1
Retrieve:40in
Mono capacity lb/yds:20/330
Braid capacity lb/yds:55/275
Max drag:40lb
Product weight:24.4oz
LT100
Gear Ratio:4.9:1
Ball Bearings:6+1
Retrieve:45″|114cm
Mono capacity lb/yds:20/430
Braid capacity lb/yds:100/310
Max drag:45lb|20.4kg
Product weight:30.80oz
