Shimano’s ground-breaking Aernos FA series of small spin reels have been with us for a couple of years now, but now the line-up has been expanded further with the release of the 5000 Compact. As the name suggests, this reel is small on size, but big on features.
The cold-forged aluminium EI (anti-corrosion) treated AR-C spool takes 240m of 5kg nylon or 220m of 20 pound Power Pro braid, while the gear ratio of 5.1:1 recovers a snappy 90cm of line with each turn of the handle. The presence of Vari-speed Oscillation and a Power Roller on the bail arm means line leaves the spool and comes back on smoothly, with a minimum of hills, bumps or valleys that might otherwise affect casting distance and accuracy.
Up to 6kg of drag pressure represents real stopping power when needed, and the zinc die-cast gearing is certainly up to it. The four shielded bearings mean this reel is as smooth as silk to wind and every bit as silent.
At a mere 375g in weight thanks to the use of XT-7 in the body and rotor, this is a smallish reel, but one with a lot of heart.