This reel hardly needs a review, it is as far as I am concerned the best all round specialist reel on the market, bar none, and I can say that safe in the knowledge that I am not on the Shimano pay-roll! 
The Shimano Baitrunner has come a long way over the last fifteen years. Today it is silky smooth, and combined with a rear clutch offers a huge range of control. The Baitrunner is almost essential for carp fishing, and is also extremely useful when fishing for other species, as it allows the indicators to be set up with great ease. I must admit, I tend not to rely upon the Baitrunner for simple tasks, such as letting out line, as this introduces line twist. Whatever the literature says, most line twist is caused by the clutch. This is the only reason for not using the clutch though as otherwise it performs perfectly.
Line lay is excellent, thanks to the twin speed line lay. This certainly helps casting distance and accuracy, and is a major advance over most other Baitrunner-type reels. A ‘proper’ line clip allows you to clip-up for casting, another feature which I find myself using almost automatically now on lakes and large rivers. This is an absolute must in my book.
Fairly understated graphics, a nice black finish and cheap spools add to the appeal of this reel. Although the GT version comes with extra spools and a double handle I have always been perfectly happy with the standard version. Incidentally, don’t buy the larger 8010 as the only difference is that the spool is deeper – something that you are unlikely to miss unless you fish at 300 metres on a regular basis!
