LOON OUTDOORS: LOCHSA 11/12 PEWTER Titanium
I am glad to report a new reel I received to test. The company Loon outdoors is a company that has been around for quite some time now and is best known for its line dressing, epoxy substitutes, floatants etc.: www.loonoutdoors.com
However, this year, they are coming with a series of reels: the LOCHSA series, named after a wonderful river in Idaho. Nevertheless, do not be fooled, that reel is also thought for saltwater fishing.
It is CNC machined out of T-6061 aircraft grade aluminum bar stock and is the lightest reel on the market today for its class range. Everything is made to make the reel light and esthetically appealing, while featuring a cork drag and a fast retrieve rate (large arbor spool). It comes in a nice black reel pouch and is available in gold, silver, titanium and black anodizing. http://www.loonoutdoors.com/images2/newproductphotos/reel_allcolors.jpg
Some numbers:
As I said, the reel is light and the 11/12 model received weighs only 7.33 oz: 4.38 oz for the frame and 2.95 oz for the feather light spool.
The diameter of the reel is 4”, for a spool inner diameter between 2.22”-2.49”: the groove of the spool has indeed a V shape to allow, according to the manufacturer, more backing storage.
The drag system relies on a cork drag (O.D. 1.35”), that is partially sealed from the elements.
The reel has 39 spare parts including 2 stainless steel ball bearings assuring the smooth rotation of the spool and 1 one-way bearings, which replaces the commonly used dogs to engage the drag.
Description: 
The back of the frame is heavily ventilated to save on weight. The Loon outdoors logo is well visible and appealing, but it is also not scratch resistant as I could remove part of it with my thumb nail. Thus, it will probably be worn out fast. A laser engraved logo would have been much preferred here.
The drag knob is esthetically appealing and is quite functional. However, people with large fingers will find it a little bit too recessed in the frame, especially when the knob is cranked up. Its diameter is right though.
A large screw hides the securing screw that prevents the drag knob from popping out when loose.
The reel seat has a thick wall and is secured to the frame with two large screws. It feels overbuilt and will hold well the frame on the rod.
The V shape in the groove of the spool to allow more backing storage is obvious on that picture. Mechanically speaking, this V design might lead to an inconsistent drag when you are about to run out of backing, while fighting a big fish. The torque will indeed increase too fast compared to with a flat grooved spool.
The spool is fully ventilated to save on weight. It is also very appealing esthetically. You can see the stainless steel roof of the drag casing through the holes of the spool. The drag plate holding the cork disk is pressed against that roof– and not against the spool as conventionally. Thus, the back plate of the spool can be ported, saving again some weight.
The handle feels nice and sturdy and is counterbalanced to allow a smooth rotation. The handle shown on this prototype is smaller than the oversized handle, which equips the production run reels. On the production reels, the counter weight is also glossy, not matte as depicted.
No tools are required to remove this pop-up spool. This is a nice feature to have. Also, when the spool is removed, there are not any loose parts, which could fall off the reel. Switching spools is thus a snap.
The spool locking system has very strong springs, thus preventing any accidental spool release. I feel that this system secures the spool very well on the shaft (that has a deep groove on its top to lock better the spool).
The spool spins on two stainless steel ball bearings. I did not remove them from the spool, but my guess is that they are not sealed ball bearings. I would have preferred sealed bearings there or just bushings for more reliability. Most reel failure is linked to faulty ball bearings. Only testing will tell me how long they will last in the salt and on big fishes.
The “anti reverse” mechanism to engage the drag relies on a one-way ball bearing that is sealed into a stainless steel casing, which locks into the hole found in the center of the spool. I am not a big fan of one-way bearings, and I prefer dogs or the system found on Bauer reels.
However, the Nautilus, Wellstone and the TFO 375 I own have that system, and, so far, it holds pretty well in the salt and with fast moving species.
The one-way ball bearing is secured onto the shaft with an “O” ring that fits into a groove. Most reels have that system, which prevents the ball bearings to stick with the spool when the latter is removed.
On this picture, the roof of the fairly sealed drag casing is obvious. This roof does not spin when the one-way bearings is not locked up (= while reeling in). Once the one-way ball bearings locks up, the roof rotates with the spool= the drag is engaged. Thus, cork friction against the inside of the roof occurs.
The inside of the roof of the drag casing has some evenly distributed tiny holes at its periphery. In these holes fits intermittently a ball plunger that is used as an outgoing signal. The ball plunger is encapsulated into the frame (not shown, but same principle than with the drag knob: see below).
The casing is not water tight as water can get into the drag casing from the edges. As long as there is some pressure on the drag, no water should however wet the cork drag.
The cork drag is deceptively small for a reel of that class range. It is also placed near the center of rotation and thus the torque is small. I would have preferred a larger cork drag placed more away from the shaft. This means a larger diameter for the roof of the drag casing as well. According to my scale, not much more than 3 pounds of drag can be applied with the drag system featured (dead lift, no rod involved and smallest radius v.s 20 pounds of drag with the TFO 375 that is a class 9 reel). This is not enough for tarpon fishing where at least 8 pounds is necessary. Fortunately, the spool has a nice exposed rim for palming.
The pressure on the drag plate holding the cork disc never rotates. When the drag knob is cranked up, the knob drives a stainless steel plate; which applies, triangularly, and evenly the pressure on the drag plate. The drag system is thus not a draw bar system per se. The pressure from the drag knob cranking is transmitted trough three flat head rods with springs around their length. The springs are not used, conventionally, to apply a progressive pressure on the drag plate, but are used to allow the flat head rods to return to their initial position when the pressure is released. Thus, the smoothness of the drag is linked to the compression of the cork only. This proves my point that, even when the springs are used to apply a progressive pressure on the drag plate (as with other reels), the cork helps to improve the overall smoothness. In this matter, cork is better than carbon, or steel/Teflon/rulon etc.
That system has the advantage that the wind resistance is not increased while cranking the drag knob, because no pressure is applied on the spool. In 2&1/4 turns, the drag locks up and generates, as stated previously, up to 3 pounds of drag… which is a bit weak for heavy saltwater fly fishing.
The shaft is secured on the frame with a bolt and is protected from the elements by a thick “O” ring that is squeezed between the drag knob and the stainless steel plates driving the three pressure flat head rods.
I have never tested such a drag system in saltwater, and thus, I do not know if it is going to hold well. Time will tell…
Conclusions:
It is Loon first series of reels and, while there is a still room for improvements for heavy saltwater fishing, I am pretty sure it will serve well freshwater fishermen as well as saltwater fishermen fishing small speedsters who need a light reel to balance a light rod and a fast retrieve.
That 11/12 reel is esthetically appealing and its pro is its feather light weight. It has a large arbor, which is heavily machined from high grade aluminum and the fitting is fair. The various anodizing available is a nice option. It is extensively ventilated, and for an 11/12 class reel with some thin walls, especially on the spool, it is a bit underbuilt for tarpon fishing (though I will). I whish the walls of the spool were at least a 1/10” thick as with all the other tarpon reels I have (Pate, Islander LX, Old Florida 7SA and 8SA, Nautilus 10, Wellstone, Magla reels).
The drag system is not a draw bar system and thus, its reliability needs to be tested. The smoothness of the drag relies on the cork compressibility but is smooth enough and provides up to 3 pounds of braking power. Fortunately, the reel has a nice smooth exposed rim for palming. The cork drag is too small and placed too close to the axis of rotation… thus the torque is small (= small braking power).
Linked to its lightness and high speed retrieve, I intend to use that reel mostly for bonefishing in the Keys and Biscayne Bay (fish above 8 pounds). The drag is plenty for this kind of fishing (though again, I would have preferred one that could generate at least 8 pounds of drag to meet the requirements of modern fighting techniques) and will surely balance well 8 or 9 wt rods. I will also surely appreciate the high speed retrieve rate, while fighting these speedsters.