The revo. 2024

Root beer reply :

I thought about selling my pflueger echlon and get a revo S reel. I'm put the revo on my airrus co-matrix.

Just wondering if anyone can vouch for the revo s as being a reliable, smooth, reel for jig fishing. I'm use it to flip/pitch jigs around laydowns, docks, etc.

So is it worth selling my pflueger and buy the revo S? Please dont tell me to get the Revo SX or STX I can only come up with 100.00.

flechero reply :

I can vouch for the Revo S but I can't say anything in comparison as I don't have and never had a pflueger.

If you search revo in this section, there have been 5 or 6 reviews and all have been overwhelmingly positive. I don't think I have ever had a finer reel at $99... in fact you'd have to double that and then some to get a reel I like better than my Revo S. Let me say this- I like it better than my TD-Z BBS which is over 3 times the cost of the Revo S. It is that good.

It's a smooth, well built, fine handling reel. And it's built like a tank in terms of strength but surprisingly light for what it is. It's actually a great reel for flipin' & pitchin' as it has an incredible drag, which is rated to 25lbs!! I can only say it's smooth up to the point I've used it with 20# XT... throwing swimbaits.

Root beer reply :

Thanks, I'll do a search for threads on the revos. ;D

toothdoc reply :

I looked at the Revo's today at a local tackle store. I looked at all three models, the S, SX and the STX. I realize that the SX and the STX have externally adjustable magnetic brakes, but the S has an internal centrifugal braking system. When I asked the sales rep how to take off the side plate he couldn't figure it out. So my question is for the guys that already have one, how easy is it to adjust the brakes?

castaway reply :

Its easy as heck, just unscrew the chrome thumbscrew on top of the reel and then flip the side plate open to gain acess to the centrifugal weights inside.

I have a Revo S model.In my opinion, it would be difficult to find a better reel in that price range. Ivan

toothdoc reply :

Thanks for the input Ivan. I couldn't believe that they didn't know how to do it at the tackle store. Mind you, this wasn't a sporting goods store, but a fishing store!

5bass reply :

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I can vouch for the Revo S.
I don't think I have ever had a finer reel at $99... in fact you'd have to double that and then some to get a reel I like better than my Revo S.

It's a smooth, well built, fine handling reel. And it's built like a tank in terms of strength but surprisingly light for what it is. It's actually a great reel for flipin' & pitchin' as it has an incredible drag, which is rated to 25lbs!!

I agree with flech. I recently sold a bunch of my Pfluegers and now own 3 of the Revo S models and 3 of the STX models. I am really impressed with both of them. The S models are well worth $99 bucks.

Replica. reply :

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I agree with flech. I recently sold a bunch of my Pfluegers and now own 3 of the Revo S models and 3 of the STX models. I am really impressed with both of them. The S models are well worth $99 bucks.

Fivebasslimit, which braking system do you like better?. Is it worth 50 or 100 dollars more to get the magnetic brakes?.

ww2farmer reply :

The Revo S is going to be my next casting reel purchase, I played with one a bunch last weekend, would have walked out with one if they had any lefty's.

roadwarrior reply :

Hmm...

In 1976 I bought my last Ford, a Grenada, arguably one of the worst cars ever built. Now Ford Motor Company claims "Quality is Job #1", but back then "quality" didn't have a job. In 2001 I went through two Abu Garcias in six months. Next time I buy a Ford I think I'll pick up my next Garcia.

BTW, the Grenada was touted as "revolutionary" at the time.

Good luck, I hope the new reels work out for you. Time will tell.

Bud reply :

Don't hold back RW tell us how you really feel ;D ;D ;D PS I agree

flechero reply :

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Hmm...
In 1976 I bought my last Ford, a Grenada, arguably one of the worst cars ever built. Now Ford Motor Company claims "Quality is Job #1", but back then "quality" didn't have a job. In 2001 I went through two Abu Garcias in six months. Next time I buy a Ford I think I'll pick up my next Garcia.

BTW, the Grenada was touted as "revolutionary" at the time.

Good luck, I hope the new reels work out for you. Time will tell.

Seriously? You are going to compare Abu reels to the grenada? Well, I can't say I'm surprised, Sheriff... but I didn't expect to have to duck a low shot across my bow. ...lol

I bet there are a few hundred thousand round reel owners of who would take exception to your abu comments... pretty stereotypical for someone who is very careful and specific in what he reccommends to others. Also careless in the sense that what you use is typically 4-5 times the pricepoint of what you bashed... apples to oranges at best.

I have owned a few shimano low end (grenada) products... not everything they make is great. I have also owned about 20 round abu's that have not only stood the test of time very well, they perform much like new after so many years of rough use and many also used in saltwater.

I am a posse member, but not blind to the rest of the world. Now, I absolutely love my Chronarchs but the reality is that it will be another 10-15 years before I can say that my shimano reels have held up as well as my $30-$60 Abu reels have.

How many years do you wait before trying a new product?

And purely to satisfy my curiosity, what model Abu reels did you have? (if you say list spinning reels I won't be surprised)

Next time load it with rocksalt!! ;D

roadwarrior reply :

My first Abu Garcia was blue, but I was told it was the same/ comparable or an improvement on the Classic "Red" Ambassadeur 5600CB. The "Red" was my second or replacement reel. I used these reels a little bit for casting, but for the most part these were my first striper reels. They were not strong enough for those big fish and/or "The Rocks From Hell" on the Tennessee River. The combined longevity of the two reels was less than six months. I was allowed a credit towards the purchase of a Shimano CTE200GT which I have fished since 2001. The 2001 CTE and a new CTE200GT were serviced by ReelMech last year. He reported that the new and old reel were indistinguishable. I expect to fish both of these reels for some time.

Although I would agree that comparing a $90 reel to a $300+ is not fair, but the Ambassadeur reels were promoted at the time as "top of the line" and comparable to any other reel on the market at any price.

(Well, I admit that I might have been a little naive at the time).

With regard to time of ownership. If the CTE200GT were measured in thousands of pouunds of fish or tens of thousands of tons of rock, I would estimate the "age" of my 2001 CTE to be about 250 "bass years". These particular Shimano reels are virtually indestructable, the Abu Garcia were not.

In general, unless the line of equipment has a pedigree, I think five years might be a good measure of proven performance. I am more than willing to try new products as long as the investment is low, but I have spent a few thousand dollars "learning" my way through various fishing equipment experiments. I'm not done, but I have paid my dues.

And in conclusion, I meant no offense. I would NEVER take a shot at you, Keith, for any reason...period.

My comments were/ are directed only at the company and is based solely on my personal experience with that company's products. Promotional reviews mean nothing to me. The "Classic Red" still receives five stars in the BPS catalog.

Maxximus Redneckus reply :

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Thanks for the input Ivan. I couldn't believe that they didn't know how to do it at the tackle store. Mind you, this wasn't a sporting goods store, but a fishing store!

Some ppl work to live some ppl live to work ,What i hate most is when u go to a place and they follow u around like they are sellin a car and have NO CLUE what they are talkin about when it comes to the actual product!

flechero reply :

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I would NEVER take a shot at you, Keith, for any reason...period.

I know you wouldn't. I used "my bow" as representative of Abu owners at large. ...lol I probably didn't word it as gentle as I meant it. I was laughing to myself when I replied. But upon review, it comes across much like I was actually offended.

I will follow up with a PM, but know that I did not take offense.

I am surprised that your reels didn't hold up, I used (still do actually) a couple 5500's for striper fishing and those particular reels double as my saltwater reels.... the same 3 are over 12 years old and all 3 work very close to the way they did out of the box.

Although, you said '76 and that's before my time with Abu started so for all I know they could have been crappy. I think your experience would have been wildly different had you tried them when the C3's came out.

I think it's safe to say that the revo's are a little better than what you had. ...lol

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The "Classic Red" still receives five stars in the BPS catalog.

That puzzles me also... but either way I think they mean for largies, not striper.

Root beer reply :

If I can come up with extra 50 bucks I'm getting the SX. My local tackle shop got both the S and SX and SX-H but however the S he only has them in left hand retreive :'(. I may drive to the other tackle shop in dandrige see if he got any.

Either model I get I'm use it for pitching jigs and such.

5bass reply :

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I agree with flech. I recently sold a bunch of my Pfluegers and now own 3 of the Revo S models and 3 of the STX models. I am really impressed with both of them. The S models are well worth $99 bucks.

Fivebasslimit, which braking system do you like better?. Is it worth 50 or 100 dollars more to get the magnetic brakes?.

I like and recommend both. If you are looking to throw light lures,I'd buy the STX. If thats not a real priority,I'd buy the S model. Once you get the brake set like you want it,you should be good to go.

RW.....I see you're still workin' on that Shimano sponsorship. It'll come,be patient.

roadwarrior reply :

Nope, I got the deal late last spring or early summer. Following the lead of a couple of BassResource members, I wrote a very detailed resume listing all of my qualifications. After demonstrating my skills in spending literally thousands of dollars on Shimano reels, I was able to convince the marketing manager that I too should be sponsored by the company and receive free merchandise.

Less than two weeks later I received my "free" hat!

Woo-Hoo! SHIMANO MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bluecraw reply :

Save a little more and go with the SX. I think the magnetic brake is better and it's externally adjustable, which is a plus out on the water. And the SX has 2 more bearings than the S (10 vs 8).

InShoreLures reply :

bluecraw wrote: Save a little more and go with the SX.

I totally agree with bluecraw on this. If you can let go of president Grant's hand this once it will sure make your outtings in 2007 and years to come a much better experience. Here is a bit of experience with the Revo that you can consider. The Revo STX and SX works very well using Berkley Vanish line and 14 lb and 17 lb test appears to be optimal. The Revo S works very well with Berkley Vanish line but drop those numbers down to 12 lb and 14 lb test for best results. Other brands tested was Pline & Stren both of which worked however the best performance overall came from using Vanish.

Maxximus Redneckus reply :

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Hmm...
In 1976 I bought my last Ford, a Grenada, arguably one of the worst cars ever built. Now Ford Motor Company claims "Quality is Job #1", but back then "quality" didn't have a job. In 2001 I went through two Abu Garcias in six months. Next time I buy a Ford I think I'll pick up my next Garcia.

BTW, the Grenada was touted as "revolutionary" at the time.

Good luck, I hope the new reels work out for you. Time will tell.

Garcia been around a long time and willl continue time has proven garcia is the number one selling reel in 80 yrs yep TIME is on garcias side!!!

Vermelho reply :

For a freshwater reel, I think it can safely be assumed now that the Revo is one hell of a reel. Lots of people have used them and reported excellent performance and the review on Tackle Tour was exceptional. If I were going to buy a freshwater-only reel, I'd take a hard look at the Revo.

Since Shakespeare has owned ABU, they seem to have been doing some great design - unlike the aborted attempts that Garcia was doing all these years. And I think Shakespeare wil stick with it - they seem to have a philosophy of wanting to do it right.

Also...interestingly enough, the Revo has been getting raves from saltwater fishermen, too. Now, normally, I wouldn't pay this too much mind, but some of these reports have been coming from some very credible people - who have fished a lot of Shimanos and Daiwas and, thus far, it appears the Revos are superior. One guy on a Texas Saltwater Kayak Board has been running a test for six months pitting a Revo vs Citica vs Daiwa Coastal vs Okuma Nemisis. I'd like to see what the ultimate results are - see how well the Revos internal parts handle saltwater exposure. Thus far, however, the Revo is far ahead of the pack.

Just some info for thought.

Steve_IA reply :

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Since Shakespeare has owned ABU, they seem to have been doing some great design - unlike the aborted attempts that Garcia was doing all these years. And I think Shakespeare wil stick with it - they seem to have a philosophy of wanting to do it right.

.

Abu Garcia's parent company is Pure Fishing not Shakespeare.

reelon reply :

This seems to be an interesting reel. I had consider to get a Daiwa viento, but I think that I will take a look at the Revo when I'm at BPS.

roadwarrior reply :

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?action=post;num=1170685886;quote=3;title=PostReply

the_Conceited_ReDnEcK,

Seems even a Abu Garcia fan would disagree with your assessment. Dr. Raul has a pretty good handle on the technical attributes of a number of brands. His may be just one fellow's opinion, but it carries a lot of weight with me, even when his opinions are different than mine. The Revo may turn out to be the "deal of the year" and a great reel, but Garcia's reputation in recent years is still questionable.

5bass reply :

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http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?action=post;num=1170685886;quote=3;title=PostReply
The Revo may turn out to be the "deal of the year" and a great reel, but Garcia's reputation in recent years is still questionable.

So are you saying that Shimano has never had any bad reels? What am I thinking....this is RW....thats exactly what he's saying! ;D

roadwarrior reply :

You know, I don't spend a lot of time beating up brand names UNLESS I have had a VERY BAD experience with them. My two Abu Garcias did not work for me, at all. What I am concerned about is that at this pricing point, the Revo seems to be a very attractive reel, but for a lot of members it is still an expensive investment. For guys that have been around the block and just want to try "something new" that's fine. If it works out, great! And if it doesn't, so what?

In general, if the purchase is "important" to you, I recommend buying a reel with a solid history. I don't own a Curado, never have, but the general concensus among those that have suggests that this is a reel you would be very happy with and can count on. To me, trying to find a new or gently used "last year's model" Curado just makes more sense.

flechero reply :

In all fairness there was a recall of Shimano reels very recently... still waiting to see the Revo recall.

I don't care what people buy... I use both Shimano and Abu (including the Revo) and like both. But I won't hesitate to call a spade a spade.

Seriously though, what's not to like? The Revo has a monster drag, drive train, holds plenty of line only weighs 8.5 oz., casts and retrieves extremely smooth and has a very comfortable profile... and starts at $99. I think that until there is a major trend of failures or some wide ranging recall it would be irresponsible to say it's not a good reel to consider within it's price points.

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The Revo may turn out to be the "deal of the year" and a great reel, but Garcia's reputation in recent years is still questionable.

Roadwarrior,

I'd like to respectfully challenge that statement.

How about the recall of Shimano this past year? Does that mean all Shimanos are problematic? Of course not, just as a bad model by Abu doesn't mean that all them were bad. I had a Bantam Mag 10SG in the 80's that wasn't great, does that qualify me to post here that Shimano has a "questionable reputation"? Absolutely not.

To just take yourself and Raul as the sampling for Abu's quality history isn't a sound argument. I bet I've owned as many Abu's as both of you combined. (I am only 36 years old, but started baitcasting before age 9) Of the 20+ Abu reels I have owned, I only had trouble with one... which was quickly fixed by the local service center and described as a greased part that wasn't supposed to be greased. Maybe all of my fishing partners, friends and brothers have all been super lucky and just happened to have gotten only good Abu reels... certainly possible- but somehow I think your experience is the rarer of the two.

Come on guys, Abu and Shimano should be like peanutbutter and jelly!! They CAN live side by side in harmony! ;D

Steve_IA reply :

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Come on guys, Abu and Shimano should be like peanutbutter and jelly!! They CAN live side by side in harmony! ;D

Oh no... another one of those d*mn liberal pacifists!

acar555 reply :

There is 1 other Revo reel that you could look at. It is a Cabela's exclusive called the Revo SC. Pretty much the same as the SX but with 8 bearings instead of 10, and it is red and $20 cheaper. http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0042976121669a&type=product&cmCat=search&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&QueryText=revo&N=4887&Ntk=Products&Ntx=mode+matchall&Nty=1&Ntt=revo&noImage=0

flechero reply :

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Come on guys, Abu and Shimano should be like peanutbutter and jelly!! They CAN live side by side in harmony! ;D

Oh no... another one of those d*mn liberal pacifists!

Not a chance steve, I'm one of the most uptight conservatives on the entire forum!

Rattlinrogue reply :

I have several 5500's and 5000's that I've used for 10- 15 years with one or two minor problems that I fixed myself in about 5 minutes.Abu Garcia reels last as long or longer than many of the more "popular" brands.I know this first hand.As for the Revo,I've played with one at the local SG store,and it sure feels sweet to me.I'll be buying several of them really soon.

Raul reply :

Have I said anything bad about round Abu baitcasters ?.......has anybody ever heard me saying something bad about round Abu baitcasters ? ........ I don 't think I 've ever said anything bad about Abu round baitcasters, what do round Abu baitcaster have to do with Abu 's low profile baitcasters ? why when somebody says something bad about Abu they automatically bring up their 4500, 4600, 5500, 5600 which brings me again to ask, when have I said something bad about Abu 's ROUND baitcasters ?

What I don 't like about Abu round baitcasters doesn 't cloud my opinion on them, they are good reels, ( any reel that can take my compadre 's rough hand handling sure is one durable reel ) but the same does not apply to Abu 's low profile reels after they discontinued the XLT line, after that line Abu took a face dive from the ugly tree pretty fast, and I 'm not talking like if I don 't know it but because in fact I 've owned the Black Max, Torno and EON, my experience with them is by far satisfactory.

In my country there 's an old say: "El que se quema con atole hasta al jocoque le sopla" meaning that once burnt you never want to get burned again, since I had such a good experience with the XLT line I went ahead and purchased a couple of Black Max.....just to get burned, ah no but Abu makes good stuff, got the Torno .... same thing happened, but I 'm a pretty stubborn SOB so I got the EON, thank you Abu not no thank you, never again will I purchase an Abu reel no matter how much somebody says pretty things about it.

You want to jump on the Revo wagon ? go ahead, it 's you money not mine, mine got burned 3 times in the past, not any more.

5bass reply :

Would it help if it had some fancy Japanese name or if you could put a Japanese replacement handle on it? Maybe take away 4 or 5 bearings? Would that help? ;D ;D

Rattlinrogue reply :

I wasn't referring to anyone bashing round Abu Garcias.Never even read your post to be honest.I just know that Abu Garcia reels are durable and wanted to make a comment about it.I'll take that chance on a Revo because you're right,it is my money.

flechero reply :

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For many years Abu was THE reel, then, suddenly around 1987-88 they began manufacturing pretty lousy reels, they switched from aluminum frame to graphite frame, graphite sideplates, lots of plastic, less quality while keeping the price, let 's hope for you guys buying their new Revo line that they really worked out trying to gain again the position it had.
Me ? no longer will purchase any Abu reel, Shimano and Daiwa have better stuff now.

And yes, I do own Abu reels, that 's why I say that they fell face down from the ugly tree.

Raul,

Sorry for the confusion, but this was the post you were quoted from. There was no mention of round or low profile, so no way for us to know if you meant one or the other.

A serious question if I may- when did you last purchase an Abu reel and which models do you own? 1987-'88 is a LONG time ago...

Raul reply :

The only Garcias left in my arsenal are: Abu 521 XLT plus, Abu XLT plus, Abu 521 XLT plus Special Conmemorative Edition and a Cardinal Ultracast, bought between 1985-1986 ( except the special edition ) all the rest were either sold or given away, the only one I regret selling was a XLT Plus Scynchro but since it was sold to a very good friend of mine the guilt has faded away.

The last time I purchased an Abu was less than a year ago, the Special edition, before that I purchased an EON and a Torno ( 2 years ago ), dissapointing experience, should have purchased old Curados instead.

3319

The revo. 2024

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