Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[allwaysfishin]

after several years in the industry i can say I wouldn't spend a dime of my money on ANY abu product. the reels aren't even in the same realm of shimano quality. exception being thier big game 7000 series reels, they seem o.k. My shimano calcutta 400 has been put through the ringer over 3 seasons of BB'ing, west coast trolling and fraser barfishing. Has landed 47 springs over 30lbs, 5 over 40lbs and numerous fish below 30lbs. the reel functions both casting and fighting fish like it was almost new. season 4 here we come. I also fish the low profile shimanos for float drifting local rivers, the reel was bought in 1992, and is STILL catching fish today. only ONE trip to the shimano service shop in 12 years. this reel has caught 1000's of pounds of salmon/steelhead/trout.

The older abu's, manufactured before 1990 were decent if not great reels, todays abu's are garbage, THE MOST WARRANTIED REEL I saw while employed in the tackle slingin trade. If you are only an occasional fisherman they are o.k. i guess, but if you are serious and fishing is your #1 hobby, don't chince out, do yourself a favour get a GOOD reel.

[Rodney]

You must be kidding me IM probably the biggest abuser of gear i know. You should see my 6500C4 its been droped into everything Sand , Mud  and water. Sure the surface is worked over but i havent had a problem yet and i havent cleaned it in about 4 years .

And just in case that reel service is needed in the near future...

Reel service at Stryker Rod and Reel

It's not hard to keep a reel "workable". Any reel can bring a fish in after a good beating. The gears maybe worn, it'll still work. When I look for a good reel, I look for durability, weight, strength. I describe the retrieve of a higher end Shimano reel as effortless, which does not exist in ABU c3 or c4 series. Not generalizing all ABU reels are bad products however. The c3 and c4 are just that, entry level reels. Entry level Shimano reels are just as poor. They are to be used for a short life span, before the angler decides to move onto something much better/more expensive.

[fishingbuddha]

i agree with the abu bashers. i own 6 abu's and all but the c3 are older. the old reels are great but the new one just came out of the shop with  an $80 repair charge. plastic gears and cheap parts. the worst part is it didn't see a lot of action.