how bout 20 bucks a popOriginally Posted by burt.fishin
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Abu
Shimano
Senior Member
how bout 20 bucks a pop
Senior Member
sounds good can you post a thread on here about them?
Senior Member
I've come to the conclusion after having used both that for spinning reels its all Shimano but for baitcasters it's definitely the Abu Garcia Revo. I've sold all my Shimano baitcasters and have gone to all Revo's they are hands down the best made and best feeling reels on the market. Shimano of course still dominates the spinning reels.
Senior Member
Do your research and read a ton of product reviews....I did before I started purchasing my new lineup of reels and went with Shimano Curado E5's and E7's and a 50E....Seems like a LOT of people were having problems with their Revos, and that's what made my mind up for me....If given the chance to go back and make the same choice, I would in a heartbeat...I have been nothing but pleased with my Shimanos....Another big gripe a lot of people had about the Revos was their lack of drag pressure....I've never used one but most everybody talked about the drag slipping wayyyy too much....In the end it's your decision and you would be best served to hold both and see what feels the best to you
Member
I personally dont want to support the CHINA economy. So, I would buy an Ardent since all other reels are manufactured in China or Korea.
Senior Member
I'm pretty sure Abu Garcia's are still made in Svangsta, Sweden.
Member
Only 3 of the round models are made in Sweden. All others are made in CHINA.
Senior Member
Why does everything have to always be black or white? Ford or Chevy. Triton or Ranger. Maryann or Ginger. If 8 out of ten people tell you that brand A is better than brand B, but you've always liked brand B better, are you going to rush out and replace all your brand Bs with brand As? Buy what feels right to you - you're the one that will be using it. I have owned over 20 ABUs and 20 Shimanos along with a few other brands. If I went out today to buy a new reel, chances would be slim that it would be something other than ABU or Shimano, and I would be very confident with either one.
Administrator
I'll add to my previous post.
I have read where some Abu's are still made in Sweeden and some in Korea. Might say on the box or real. I use primarily round level winds and have had both Shimano and Abu. I have had serious problems with the abu C3's from the 90's. Anti reverse went out on four out of six of them. Some of the handles are now wobbly. Still use all but one of them except one that could not be fixed.
The Shimano Cardiff is a real sweat real for about $120. Smoth as silk and solid as a rock. The 300 is great for Cats and stripers. The 200 is much lighter and great for castin 4" lures. The main body is cast and the side plates are pretty solid metal.
No problems from the drag with Abu though. I'll pass on a tip from APB.
Smoothdrag.com
Great drag parts for many reels, carbon fiber or something and they will talk to you on the phone. They are glad to answer any questions you may have.
Junior Member
I have three rounds Abu's once since 1984 a Ambassedor 550 ca ( no bearings) two since 1994 the promax 3600 six bearings and blackmax tree bearings and they still are kicking and soing well it was untill just recently I decided to upgrade to the Revo Stx high speed never had any problems with any of them yet ( Knock on wood)
Administrator
I think I bought most of mine in bad years. I think Abu was better before and after I bought mine. The new ones seem pretty tight but way too expensive IMO.
Senior Member
Good point. Wish more people would think like you. We should try to buy American made products if they are priced good and made well.
Every post in here is an opinion about what each one likes. But only a few guys in this thread actually talked specifics.
I have all the reels that I need for now and still have over 40 rods so I'm not in the market for a fishing reel. Beside the current generation of reels are way overpriced IMHO.
If I were in the market for a new reel I would be hard pressed to choose one.
How do you judge a reel? I mean there are many things that make one reel different from another.
1) Weight
2) # of ball bearings
3) Drag type
4) Anti backlash devices Magnatice or Centrifigal Brakes etc
5) Type of metal it's made from.
6) Smoothness of the reel
7) Manufacture's reputation and advertizing
8) Size of the reel and how it fits your hand
9) Ease of maintenance
10) Ability to repair if necessary
11) and Price of the Reel.
I'm sure there are other factors but that's enough for now to help with making a decision on buying a new reel.
Another factor is what type of fishing will the reel be used for.
1) Worm
2) Jigs
3) Crank Baits. Then add retrieve ratio to the list above
4) trolling Then add a line counter to the list above
5) Muskie or LM Bass
6) Saltwater or Freshwater
I'm guessing that most all of you guys are fishing for Largemouth Black Bass or some sort of bass.
I'm going to pull out my BPS catalog and check out some of the reels you all mentioned above
In the past my father bought all the rods and reels and he spent a lot of time reading about them. I still have most of his equipment but it's a little dated now. But Abu Garcia and Ambassator reels along with Pfluger Reels are some of the types he owned. I also have a few Shimano reels from the 1980's that I still use.
The biggest thing about a reel is keeping it clean and oiled up in the right places and greased up in the right places.
Do you guys maintain your own reels during the winter? I wish I had the patience to take the reels apart and the ability to put them back together again. All my reels that I use and keep in my boat need cleaning. They are full of dust now. I store them in a rack in the boat. So when I drive the boat trailer down a gravel road I get a lot of dust on the reels. All it takes is one time driving down a gravel road to get the reels all dirty. That dust can create havoc on the internal parts and stick in the gears and wear down the metal over time.
Dad use to use TriChloroethylene Solvent to clean the old oil and grease off his reel's gears and then after they were cleaned he would re oil and re grease them and put them back together. But that was before they got more complicated with the magnetic antibacklashing devices and centrifugal braking systems.
In the last few years I bought a couple of cheap new reels and they work ok for what little casting I do. I mainly use them for trolling for crappie now.
I don't have the energy anymore to cast a crank bait all day long.
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