Saw some posts on the new Medalist reels shown at a certain trade show. Details are sketchy. There’s a blurb here… http://thefiberglassmanifesto.blogspot.com/2015/07/3-first-looks-fenglass-medalist-ultra.html.
Any info???
No…but it looks really nice. 
thanks for posting, looks like he new version may do justice to the “vintage” made in USA versions
http://www.pfluegerfishing.com/pflueger-reels-fly-reels/1371887.html
They sure aren’t priced like the original Medalists! Wow.
Chuck
No kidding. Was interested until I saw the sticker price. There are a lot of better alternatives at that price level.
Available 11/1/15 according to Pfluegers website.
For those prices I’ll try to get my wife to let me spend the extra cash at the flea market - guy there has 4 brand new never used 2, 1494’s, 1, 1495 and 1, 1496 and extra spools
I am imagining an all metal machined version of my old made in usa 1494 would be pretty sweet. Just curious, what are your favorites in a light weight, machined reel at this price point?
“Light weight”? I hope you are being sarcastic. In the 3/4 these new reels will weigh TWICE as much as a Battenkill…and ironically cost more as well. In fact, just comparing with the Orvis line, they weigh more than the Mid-Arbor…but without a real drag. Heavier than the historical Medalists as well, if the data I found on the net can be believed.
The old Medalists are a part of history and are thereby considered classic, and they were quite inexpensive in today’s market. These new ones sound quite uninteresting IMHO. I am sure some will buy these new ones due to brand loyalty, but there are better reels out there…
I have the older BBS on my 3wt, it is a wonderful reel. That model has been d/c’d. The new Battinkill shows no drag adjustment in the photos, and according to one of the reviews on the orvis site, has no drag adjustment, but is palmable. The new medalist has an external drag, it does look like the mechanism is different from the old medalist, which has some type of fiber “brake”, that works well IMHO. I dont know if the new model has a good drag or not.
The Mid-arbor, the Access I assume, weights 0.15 ounce less and costs $35 more than the comparable medalist.
I’m sure both these orvis reels are fine reels, and they have the legendary orvis warranty.
It appears to me the new medalist has a “niche”, and is competitively priced with other machined reels with similar features.
As I said, it will appeal to those who feel “brand loyalty” like yourself.
While I did not realize they had removed the drag from the latest Battenkill, the weight issue is still there. As to the drag, we will just have to see but the real charm of the Medalist, other than the history, was the price point. Remove that, and you remove the major attraction to new buyers.
The market will have the final say, of course.