In this Shimano Twin Power SW review, we will look at a fishing reel that has been available in the Japanese market for several years and was finally introduced to US marketing in the summer of 2015.
The Shimano Twin Power SW spinning reel fits nicely between the Shimano Saragosa and the Shimano Stella when you are looking at price points.
I would classify this reel as a high-end reel with retail prices starting at around $500 at the time of this article. However, you can get better pricing by just clicking the link below.
When reviewing this fishing reel, I found that many of the same features that you find in the Stella are incorporated into the Twin Power SW– such as the Hagane body construction, X-Tough Drag, and X-Rigid Rotor, Bail, Gear and Handle technology.
The Shimano Twin Power SW is available in 5 models ranging from 4000 to 14000 with either a 4.9:1 gear ratio or a 6.2:1 gear ratio. If you want to go with a larger reel, I suggest you look at the Shimano Stella series of reels.
The Shimano Twin Power SW is designed to target your larger inshore and nearshore species such as large reds, snook, dolphins, jacks, stripers, and tuna, where smooth cranking power with a large drag is required.
The Bottom Line
- Solid higher-end saltwater reel with similar components as the Shimano Stella
- Smooth and finely adjustable drag with 22-55 lbs of drag
- Shielded saltwater reel for superior saltwater performance
Features at a Glance
- Hagane all-metal body
- Tough Hagane cold-forged gearing
- X-Rigid Rotor, Bail, Gear, and Handle technology
- Hard aluminum construction eliminates potential flex
- X-Ship gear support bearings
- X-Tough Drag offers smooth power
- 11+1 S-ARB shielded stainless steel bearings with Super Stopper II
- Propulsion Line Management System
- Fluidrive II
- Aero Wrap II
- X-Shield/X-Protect System
- Super Stopper II
Now featuring the latest Shimano innovations and technologies brought down from their flagship series, the Twin Power SW is more capable than ever. The addition of Shimano's Infinity Drive technology provides anglers with more cranking power under load, optimizing winding torque by an additional 26%. 
Features
Hagane all-metal body – For anyone who has fished for a long time and had the pleasure of catching large fish, you know that in some reels, you are used to feeling a bit of flex due to the material that makes up the body and side plates not being rigid.
Shimano’s Hagane technology actually derives from a Japanese style of swordsmithing that produced very pure steel used in making Samurai swords. Some of these techniques have been carried over to the production of Shimano reels and it creates a very rigid steel for the body that does not flex but is still very strong.
Tough Hagane cold-forged gearing – The Hagane precision cold-forged gears provide an extremely smooth retrieve experience, especially under a heavy load. By designing the gears on a 3D CAD machine and then cold forging the gears, there is no cutting required.
Since there is no cutting required, there is less of a chance of errors in the manufacturing process and this leads to very high-quality gears that are extremely smooth.
X-Rigid Rotor, Bail, Gear, and Handle technology. – X-Ridge technology is incorporated into many areas of the reel from the thicker titanium wire used in the bail that is lightweight and corrosion resistant to the thicker and stronger main gear and a rotor design that increases the mass for more fighting power.
The X-Ridge handle is unique and surrounds a stainless steel core with an aluminum outer shell. This cold-forged design is up to 35% strong than other designs and provides a very rigid handle that when paired with the oversized fighting knob gives you a feeling of being in control of large fish.
X-Ship gear support bearings – X-Ship combines features that create much greater efficiency. By positioning the pinion gear close to the center line of the large-diameter drive gear, more power is transferred from the handle to the rotor.
The pinion gear is also supported by two Shimano A-RB roller bearings. This creates more stability and minimizes pinion gear twist and rotor deflection in extreme situations. While this difference does not make itself apparent when you are in the retail store under no load, it becomes apparent quickly once adequate pressure has been applied (a big fish).
X-Tough Drag – One of the things that I appreciate about the X-Tough Drag is the use of a new coil spring under the spool that delivers a very consistent and adjustable pressure on the large drag plates. You have the ability to fine-tune your drag easily and precisely, from a light drag all the way up to crank it down to the massive 62 lbs of drag available on the 8000 series reel.
11+1 S-ARB shielded stainless steel bearings with Super Stopper II – These 11 bearings are the same as the normal ARB bearings with the exception that they are shielded on both sides to reduce the likelihood of any salt, dirt or water penetrating and affecting the smoothness of the bearings.
These are shielded bearings not sealed so you want to try and avoid dunking the reel if at all possible, however, if the reel is well maintained with grease you should not have any problems.
Propulsion Line Management System – Getting an even line lay on the spool is very important, but just as important, if not more important is getting the line off the spool smoothly during the cast. Shimano has a very smooth lip design that reduces the friction of the line as it pays out of the spool.
Fluidrive II – During the manufacturing process the main gear is polished in a separate process that is supposed to make the retrieval smoother. Overall, this is a very smooth reel both with the free spinning spool without a load and under load from a heavy fish.
Aero Wrap II – Aero Wrap II is Shimano’s answer to getting even line lay on the spool which is accomplished by using an oscillating worm-drive gearing system and works equally as well for mono as for braid lines.
X-Shield/X-Protect System – The X-Shield system places a series of gaskets at critical water penetration points on the reel. While these gaskets do not make this reel 100% waterproof, it is watertight and will withstand getting splashed heavily while getting out to your favorite fishing spot via boat or wade fishing your favorite spot in the ocean.
Super Stopper II – Shimano uses a one-way roller bearing called the Super Stopper II. This shielded anti-reverse bearing will allow you to instantly set the hook when you want without any backplay in the reel.
If you are like me and you like to fish lighter gear, you know that can be a challenge when you start to move into the larger reel sizes. My Penn Battle II in an 8000 model weighs in at a whopping 30.2 oz.
While that can work well if you are surfcasting and then placing your reel in a rod holder and waiting for something to take your bait, it not a reel that I would want to use while casting artificials to Tarpon or large Snook all day long. The same sized reel in a Shimano Twin Power SW the TP8000SWBPG weighs in at just 22.4 oz or about 2/3 the weight.
I field tested the Shimano Twin Power SW 8000 last weekend with a buddy of mine going for some large snook that are starting to feed in the Cape Coral canals now that the freshwater dams are starting to overflow.
I loaded the spool with about 250 yards of PowerPro 50lb braid for these larger fish. The challenge with catching these large Snook in this type of environment is that there are a lot of bridges and docks that they can easily get under so you want to have the cranking power and drag that is afforded you with a reel like the Twin Power SW.
We were lucky enough to hook onto a few snook in the 28″ – 34″ range and the 8000 model made it very easy to crank down the drag and control the fish. I have yet to hook into a Tarpon with the Twin Power, but I am looking forward to that and I am sure that I will not be disappointed in its performance.
For those of you who want all the details I have provided the chart below.
| Model | Line Retrieve (in) | Mono Cap(lbs/yd) | Braid Cap(lbs/yd) | Max Drag (lb) | Ball Bearings | Gear Ratio | Weight (oz) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TP4000SWBXG | 37 | 8/240 10/200 12/160 | 15/230 20/205 50/120 | 24 | 11+1 | 6.2:1 | 12.5 |
| TP5000SWBXG | 41 | 10/240 12/195 14/165 | 20/245 30/225 40/175 | 29 | 11+1 | 6.2:1 | 14.8 |
| TP8000SWBPG | 37 | 12/345 16/250 20/185 | 40/340 50/265 65/215 | 62 | 10+1 | 4.9:1 | 22.4 |
| TP10000SWBPG | 40 | 12/500 16/320 20/220 | 50/360 65/290 80/215 | 55 | 10+1 | 4.9:1 | 22.9 |
| TP14000SWBXG | 53 | 12/555 16/360 20/260 | 50/400 65/315 80/240 | 55 | 10+1 | 6.2:1 | 22.9 |
Pros
- Extremely smooth
- Many features of the more expensive Stella
- Great drag
- Nearly waterproof
Cons
- Not fully sealed like the Stella
- Higher price point
Alternatives
Staying with the Shimano brand I think that you should take a look at the two reels that are on either side of the Twin Power SW. These would be the Shimano Saragosa SW which is a slightly less expensive reel and is still packed with great features and I think offers a greater value.
The Shimano Saragosa SW Spinning Reel has the versatility, power, and smoothness required to succeed in the toughest saltwater conditions imaginable.
The other reel from Shimano I would have you take a look at is the crown jewel of the Shimano offering, which is the Shimano Stella SW.
The latest launch of the Shimano® Stella® SW Spinning Reel features a major redesign. Despite its well-earned reputation as the toughest, smoothest, most durable spinning reel in saltwater, the Stella SW now moves even further ahead of the pack.
Penn makes a great SW reel in this size the Penn Slammer III but it is a heavier reel, however, it is fully sealed.
The PENN Slammer III is back by popular demand. Built for heavy duty fishing from either boat or shore, and trusted by charter captains all over the world. The Slammer III reels feature our new IP67 Sealed System which keeps water out of the gear box and drag system. 
Lastly, I would have you take a look at the Quantum Cabo PTSE which I think offers excellent value as well as excellent quality.
The Quantum Cabo PT saltwater spinning reel is engineered to shed the corrosive effects of saltwater and stand up to the most vicious fights inshore or offshore game fish can dish out. Loaded with Quantum's legendary PT technology, including 8 PT bearings and super-hard PT gears.
In Conclusion
If you are looking to add a high-quality spinning reel to your arsenal that is designed specifically for saltwater fishing and going after those large hard fighting fish like Snook, Big Reds, Tuna or even Cobia then the Shimano Twin Power SW reel is an excellent choice.
I personally can not see spending twice as much for a Stella but that is only because I currently do not have an unlimited budget for fishing tackle.
Overall, the Shimano Twin Power SW Reel is an excellent choice in a large high-end spinning reel that will last you for the remainder of your lifetime if you take care of it.
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Félix Leyva
Tuesday 31st of July 2018
Hi. Will the spool of a JDM TP6000XG fit on a USA TP5000XG?
This will work fine or I will have some issues. Both reels have same gear ratio, 6.2:1.
Any Shimano US plans to sell 6000XG ?
Salted Angler
Tuesday 31st of July 2018
I do not have any specific information on the JDM TP6000XG available to me. Based on similar situations with reels that are close in size and have a similar gearing I would say there is a good chance that the spools would fit. Here is a link to the contact form for Shimano Fishing USA, hope this helps. http://fish.shimano.com/content/fish/northamerica/us/en/homepage/Contact-Us.html
Robert
Saturday 5th of May 2018
I have the 6000 and it just says 6000 no letters then I have the 5000hg and the 8000pg can you tell what the letters mean ?
Salted Angler
Monday 7th of May 2018
Here you go, hope this is helpful.
PG = Power Gear (Jigging and "Bottom") HG = High Gear (Shore Jigging and High Speed Jigging) XG = Extra Gear (Popping and when you need to retrieve at very high speeds)
Marin
Tuesday 3rd of April 2018
Hello, does Twin Power SW 6000HG has anti-reverse lever? Thanks in advance!
Salted Angler
Thursday 5th of April 2018
No the Shimano Twin Power SW 6000HG does not have an anti-reverse lever to allow free spooling. There is an anti-reverse bearing that makes sure you get a solid hook set.
joseph
Monday 18th of December 2017
hello i am joseph twinpower 8000 hg sw can fit 14000 spool ? thanks
Salted Angler
Tuesday 19th of December 2017
No I do not think so as the body is a different size. I do think that the 14000 spool will fit on the 10000 reel but you will have a different gearing ratio. I hope this helps.