Now in its sixth year, the XS epitomises the old saying, “if it ain’t bust, don’t mend it”. The original collaboration between Snowbee & British Fly Reels resulted in a reel with one of, if not the smoothest & most powerful drag systems in the world. The Snowbee XS has proved its pedigree, travelling the planet and taming the most powerful, hardest fighting fish the world’s oceans & rivers can throw at it.
The original design brief was for a state of the art, Large Arbor Fly Reel, which addressed the limitations of existing similar reels, in terms of reliability, line capacity and drag performance. The XS surpassed all expectations and resulted in a classic fly reel, which has yet to be bettered. For simplicity and reliability in all environments and situations, the XS remains outstanding and still in a class of its own today.
If you are looking for a modern, ultra-lightweight ‘pretty’ line holder, then you may have to look elsewhere. If however, you want a reel that can be taken to the extremes of the earth, take endless punishment from hard fighting, hard running saltwater species and giant salmon, yet still have the control and smooth start-up inertia to hook a small Trout on a river, then look no further…the XS won’t let you down and has frequently been the most valuable partner in many memorable and outstanding fishing trips and encounters.
Specification
CNC machined from 6262-T6 grade Aerospace Aluminium bar stock, (to tolerances down to 0.01mm)
Large arbor diameter for faster retrieve and minimal line memory
Powerful, silky smooth drag system with huge 22.6cm2 drag surface area
Fully ventilated frame & spool, for fast heat dissipation and weight reduction
Knurled grip drag control on back of reel for instant response
Reliable stainless steel internal working parts
Hard Titanium or anodised Black finish for total Saltwater & chip resistance
Easy left to right hand conversion
5 Year Guarantee
Every XS Reel
The XS Drag System
The use of free moving Broflon drag washers, rather than the usual laminated Drag discs, creates 4 bearing surfaces, doubling the drag surface area to a class leading 22.6cm2. The result is almost zero start-up inertia and a silky smooth drag, for light leader and delicate tippet dry fly fishing. The drag is finely adjustable from zero to ‘Tarpon stopping’, by means of the detented drag control, on the rear face.
Broflon, is a state of the art Bronze and Teflon composite material. The Teflon provides an ultra-low coefficient of friction with superb wear characteristics, whilst the impregnated Bronze gives superb heat dissipation and resistance to the kind of temperatures that would destroy more conventional cork, or PTFE Drag systems.
Salt-Mist Test Procedure
XS reels are designed to withstand the harsh, saltwater environment as well as freshwater.
To ensure they meet these exacting standards our factory has developed a unique Salt-Mist test station. This innovative machine heats a 5% saline solution to create a fine salt-mist, which will penetrate every nook & cranny. The reels & components are tested this way over a 96 hour period, which reproduces the warm, moist, salty environment found in the tropics and so destructive to reels of inferior quality. All XS models have passed this rigorous test.
XS Reels are designed to be used in any environment and have proved they can be taken ‘frontier fishing’ in the harshest saltwater environments with every confidence. Capable of a total strip down in the field if necessary, using a Leatherman type tool, the simplicity of design of the XS sets it apart from its peers.
The XS Range:
XS340
This sweet little river reel will appeal especially to the small river and dry fly specialist. Even though it is the new baby in the range, it still incorporates the same drag system as its bigger brothers, and still packs enough punch to tame the odd 3lb Brownie or Grayling that might come along.
XS560
The ideal larger river, or small Stillwater reel. Light enough to perfectly balance a 5-wt rod, but with enough backing capacity to handle large over-wintered ‘stockies’.
XS780
The ultimate Stillwater reel. The near zero start-up inertia easily copes with ‘smash takes’ while the ample backing capacity will easily cope with the unexpected
‘double figure’ Rainbow. Also makes an ideal Sea Trout, single-handed Salmon or Bonefish reel.
XS910
The perfect choice for the Saltwater fly enthusiast. The #910 has all the attributes of the other models in the range but with added backing capacity.
XS1112
The class leading #1112 Salmon
& Saltwater model is already proving to be a world-class reel. The smaller arbor diameter provides ample spool volume for modern long belly Salmon Lines, plus backing. For ‘Big Game’ Saltwater Fly fishing, you can load up the #1112 with over 1,000m of 30lb Power-Pro backing, plus fly line! Equipped with the XS1112, you really can take on the largest fresh, or Saltwater Game species in the knowledge that you have both the backing capacity and the drag system to beat them.
Many competition fly fishers would dearly like to use our XS Reels, due to the silky smooth performance of the drag system & the generous backing capacity, but the cost of CNC machined spare spools makes this prohibitive. Now Snowbee has what every competition fly fisher has been waiting for.
A quality reel, available with a Cartridge spool system.
XS780 Cartridge Fly Reel
This new reel incorporates our existing CNC machined XS780 reel body but has a new, machined spool head, designed to take our new injection moulded Nylon/Graphite Cartridge Spool. Not a new concept, but the first time anyone has offered a top quality reel with a Cartridge Spool system. The XS780 Cartridge system is available either as an individual Reel with a single cartridge spool, or as the new Reel/Spool combination, which consists of an XS Cartridge Reel body, with 5 Cartridge Spools, all packed in a neat 5-Reel/Spool Bag.
XS780 Cartridge System – Retro Fit
The system has also been designed with the thousands of existing XS780 customers in mind. It has been made to ‘Retro-Fit’ existing 780 Reels. If you already have an existing XS780 Reel, simply choose the new XS780 spool head plus as many cartridge spools as you need, to convert your reel to the new XS Cartridge system. You can then hold your entire range of lines on the quick-change, lightweight cartridge system
and still use your favourite old reel, for a fraction of the cost of buying additional spare spools.
Built to the same exacting standards as the CNC machined XS reel, the new XSD offers the same, outstanding XS drag system, but now in a lightweight low-cost Die-Cast body.
There are already many budget priced die-cast reels on the market, but most of them rely on poor quality, inadequate offset drag systems. The new Snowbee XSD breaks the mould and quite simply, there is no other reel on the market of this quality, at this price, with a drag system of this performance…or if there is, we’d like to know about it!
And that’s not just our opinion….in it’s first year, 2007 the new XSD780 came out top in the October Trout Fisherman “Best in Test” review of 16 Cartridge fly reels plus Total Fly Fishing’s Choice, in their review of the latest Trout Reels under £100 in September.
The XSD780
This fabulous new reel offers XS performance at an entry-level price. The quality die-cast frame is formed from a lightweight alloy, which is then powder coated & oven baked for a tough, chip & saltwater resistant finish. The drag system is identical to that used in the well proven XS reels and features the same multi-disc Stainless steel
& Broflon drag system. Never before has there been a reel of this performance at this price.
It also comes, either as an individual reel body with a single cartridge spool, or as a kit comprising one XSD Cartridge Reel body, with 5 Cartridge spools, all packed in a neat, padded 5-Reel/Spool Cordura case.
Die cast in aluminium alloy for lightness and affordable durability
Powder coated and baked for chip and saltwater resistance
Large arbor diameter cassette spools for faster retrieve and minimal line memory
Powerful, silky smooth drag system with huge 22.6cm2 drag surface area
Fully ventilated frame & spool, for fast heat dissipation and weight reduction
Composite knurled grip drag control on back of reel for instant response
Reliable stainless steel internal working parts
Easy left to right hand conversion Colour: Satin Pewter
New XSD460 and XSD1112 Models
Following the huge success of the XSD780 we were immediately asked for a full range of reels in this new format…..so here they are. With the same drag and features as the XSD780, our two new models complete the range and we are confident it won’t be long before they are also winning awards!
XSD460
This new model sits part way between the XS340 & XS560 for size. Designed to take lines between #4 & #6 wt, it will appeal to both the river fisher and the small stillwater angler.
The new XSD460 comes with a spare cartridge spool and additional spools are readily available.
XSD1112
The new XSD1112 is an extra large salmon reel with 10% more capacity than the existing XS1112 machined model. By increasing the width of the spool, this new model will swallow the largest of Spey lines, plus adequate backing…all for an amazing price!
Available either as an individual reel body with just one cartridge, or our new Salmon Kit consisting of a reel body and 4 cartridge spools. Team up the kit with four of our award winning salmon lines and cover every salmon fishing condition you are likely to encounter.
These reels are built to last and are perfectly at home in saltwater, or on the local reservoir.
