HAGANE is a Shimano reel design concept created to withstand continual use and extreme abuse. HAGANE is an innovation with built-in toughness and durability that works alongside Shimano's precision engineering. HAGANE is for all anglers.

With amazing strength and durability, the HAGANE Gear is at the very heart of most Shimano reels. Shimano, through the application of state-of-the-art technologies, gives anglers the long-lasting smoothness and pleasure that is felt when anglers first use a reel, over and over again. No cutting work is applied to the teeth of the drive gear during fabrication, instead the entire surface is calculated in minute detail by special 3D-design and then formed by Shimano's cold-forging technology. The result is assured resilience. HAGANE Gear is the fruit of Shimano's inexhaustible pursuit for durability — the strength and power of forged metal continues to represent the fundamental concept of Shimano reels.

Shimano's exclusive manufacturing technology further advances MicroModule Gear II with a state-of-the-art gear-tooth surface design. The surfaces of the drive gear and pinion gear have been analyzed and updated from the ground up in Shimano’s pursuit of perfection to further improve the smooth gear feeling and reducing sound.

X-Ship provides improved gear durability. By supporting the pinion gear on both ends with bearings, the pinion gear maintains precise alignment with the drive gear. This allows the gears to stay in the same position under the heaviest loads. The added benefit of X-Ship technology is that friction between the spool shaft and gear are eliminated. This further benefits anglers with enhanced casting performance and casting distance of lighter lures.

The HAGANE Body is a metal reel body with high rigidity. The body rigidity and impact resistance virtually eliminates body flexing on the reel while fighting fish. The result transforms the angler's actions directly into cranking power, increasing efficiency through strength.

SilentDrive technology benefits from a total redesign of all functional parts focused on the drive gear, worm shaft and other parts. The goal: remove unnecessary noise and vibration. In doing so, the overall tolerances are improved to a micron level, ultimately creating an overall quieter and smoother reel operation.

The new MGL Rotor produces unprecedented light rotation within the MagnumLite family of spinning reels. Engineers redesigned the previously symmetrical MagnumLite rotor to be asymmetrical and relocated the bail arm mechanism to the opposite side of the line roller to improve the overall balance of the rotor. Combined with a lightweight line roller, titanium bail and optimum arrangement of rotor thickness, the new MGL rotor achieves up to a 14% reduction in rotational inertia to increase sensitivity to unprecedented levels. But the evolution of the MGL rotor is not limited to just reduced weight. The MGL rotor rigidity is up to 30% higher than conventional models and contributes to enhanced drag performance.

For medium and small general-purpose spinning reels, which require lighter spinning, we focused on a non-contact structure that does not compromise the lightness of the spinning. In addition to conventional water-repellent treatment, a labyrinth structure that suppresses water penetration is combined to achieve high water-resistant performance despite the non-contact nature of the structure. It is used in the stopper bearing section and line roller section.

G-Free Body technology has been developed to shift the reel's center of gravity closer to the rod. By moving the center of gravity closer to the angler’s hand, the G-Free Body helps to reduce fatigue and enhance casting comfort.

The spool has a special spool ring shape. This creates a rectifying effect on the line and realizes both suppression of line trouble and long casting performance.

The Long Stroke Spool has a longer stroke compared to conventional spool designs. This ultimately produces a smoother line lay during retrieval and translates into increased casting distance for anglers.

CI4 is a Shimano original material reinforced with carbon fiber that is lighter and has a higher strength than conventional resin material. CI4+ is an advanced version of the original CI4 material and is 2.5x more rigid than its predecessor. While improving lightness and rigidity, reel bodies and rotors built with CI4+ are further reduced in size and weight.

By strengthening the spool support of the main shaft, the play and fluctuation of the spool during drag operation are suppressed. The Rigid Support Drag allows smooth and consistent drag delivery, even under high load.

Rapid Fire Drag is a very effective function in situations where anglers want to adjust drag force instantly. When the drag knob is rotated, the change in drag force is quicker to increase along the drag curve compared to traditional drags. This is especially effective for anglers utilizing light line: A high drag setting can be used for a hookset and then quickly decreased when fighting the fish.

S A-RB bearings are put through the same process as Shimano’s A-RB bearings but feature shields on both sides of the bearings. These shields reduce the possibility of salt or sand inhibiting rotation of the bearing.

One-Piece Bail allows the line to travel unimpeded to the line roller. The seamless design reduces friction and decreases the chance of tangles or the line catching on the bail arm.