This Daiwa Ignis Type-R 2505 was a souvenir from my first trip to Japan in 2014. It was a JDM only reel at the time and of all the shiny new reels I stared at in the tackle shop’s big, glass display cabinet, it was the one that felt most ‘Japanese’. The original special edition Ignis models from the early 2000’s are legendary, after all.
The newest Ignis Type-R is a heavily tuned version of the Daiwa 12 Luvias, the same platform used in the 2012 Exist. It’s lost a bit of weight and gained a load of bearings, but really Daiwa’s primary objective has been to specifically tune this spinning reel for finesse fishing with fluorocarbon mainline. The Type-R spool is bespoke to this reel and designed for fishing finesse FC. The 2505 spool holds 100m of 5lb fluoro and features a ‘UTD finesse tuned’ drag stack for increased performance – especially for quick start-up. I have read that this is possibly the best finesse drag that Daiwa have ever created in a spinning reel. The thought was that this reel needed to handle oversize fish caught on light finesse tackle.
The Type R weighs in at 195g with its Zaion body parts, Air Rotor, cut-out handle and Zaion knob. Decent for a 2500 and only 10g behind the flagship Exist. Daiwa squeezed 11+1 bearings in the Ignis Type-R. Only one less than the same-size Exist. And they include CRBB, meaning I can use this reel safely for saltwater fishing.
This new Type-R lives up to the original’s pedigree and I’m very proud to own one.