Light-year. The distance traveled by light in a single year; the time it takes for design to evolve to a next step.
What can be said about larger but lighter, lighter but stronger? Of course it can be done. Weve done it over and over again, but does there come a time when the bar cant be raised?
No, there are always improvements to be made, new ways of thinking, new materials, and processes to exploit. As weve said the performance benchmark for a fly reel is retrieve rate per ounce. If you havent thought about it before, think about it now: theres no downside to high retrieve rate other than extra weight.
As an example, consider the 2021 Gen 6 Litespeed: CNC machined with material distributed artfully along critical load paths, stable and strong, so light you might forget its there, but beautiful enough to make you remember it is.
The art of the fly reel derives from the science of the fly reel, but at the end of the day both art and