Fishing Tackle Review: Mitchell Blade ALU 4500 Spinning Fishing Reel

Nearly everyone has a hobby or pastime that they enjoy. For me, it’s fishing. Like most people, I enjoy acquiring new gear for my hobby. My fishing tackle box is full of gizmos and gadgets as well as a few key items, like fishing reels. For spinning, one reel I reach for quite often is the Mitchell Blade ALU 4500 reel. Here’s some information about this affordable and full-featured reel.

About the Mitchell Blade ALU 4500 Spinning Fishing Reel

Originally made in France in the 1940s, Mitchell was bought by Pure Fishing, the company that includes other notable brands like Abu Garcia, Fenwick and Berkley. Mitchell offers a comprehensive range of freshwater reels that are reasonably priced, yet have a good range of features. Case in point? The Blade ALU 4500. For about £53.00, you’ll get a sturdy, well-designed reel that more than covers most spinning applications. The entire ALU line is fully saltwater resistant. The Blade ALU 4500 has a quality feel the moment you pick it up, so you can be assured of flawless performance in even the most challenging situations and locales. The smoothness of this reel is truly remarkable!

About HPCR Bearings

The Blade ALU 4500 has 5 plus 1 HPCR ball bearings. HPCR stands for “high performance corrosion resistant.” HPCR bearings are prized for their reliability and durability. Made in Germany, HPCR bearings are manufactured from a rust resistant material, and not, like bearing on other reels in its class, simply coated with a corrosion resistant material that can wear off. The result? Well, I’ve found that reels with HPCR bearings can handle a great deal more stress. Also, these reels have better dry-running behaviour at higher RPM rates, a feature I truly appreciate. If the reel gets contaminated, which it shouldn’t, if cared for properly, the HPCR bearings will continue to out-perform standard bearings.

More Features of the Blade ALU 4500 Reel

This reel features a rugged, corrosion resistant aluminium body. The rotor is aluminium as well. Another superior design feature is the double anodised machined aluminium spool. The reel comes with a spare aluminium spool. Operable either left- or right-handed, the reel has an anti-twist titanium line roller. Titanium is a strong and corrosion-resistant lustrous white metal that is valued for its strength-to-weight ratio. Titanium is used widely for aircraft parts, so it’s sure to add plenty of value, function and performance to a fishing reel. The Blade SLU 450 has a sleek machined aluminium handle and an instant anti-reverse feature. I’ve found the front drag to be both powerful and smooth. The reel will hold 300 metres of 0.25 line and has a retrieve ratio of 6.2:1. It weighs 373 grams.

I’ve had particularly good luck pairing the Blade ALU 4500 with a couple of Rapala lures: the Jointed GolFluorescent and the CountDown® Firetiger. More anglers have caught world record fish using Rapala lures, so they make a great combination with this quality reel. Highly recommended!