anthonlo Posted January 3, 2015 Posted January 3, 2015 Which of these two reels are the better all around reel. I can get either at reasonable prices so price isn't an issue. Also has anyone had issues with the IVCB IV brake system or is it as great as Abu tries to put off 1 Quote
fisherrw Posted January 3, 2015 Posted January 3, 2015 The premier is the more expensive so I would go with that one. Quote
Super User aavery2 Posted January 3, 2015 Super User Posted January 3, 2015 I own several Abu reels, most of them are Gen2 reels with dual braking, I also own an MGX with the IVCB braking.  I have become very comfortable with and prefer the dual braking. With that said the IVCB braking works well, I have had no problem getting the reel dialed in and casting well, it is a very adjustable system with something like 28 settings.   Either of the reels will serve you well, choose the one that feels the best to you and don't look back. 1 Quote
Texas bassman Posted January 3, 2015 Posted January 3, 2015 Save money. Get the stx best reel for $200. I work at bass pro in the fishing department. My top 3 selling reels are the stx, curado I, and the tatula. 1 Quote
anthonlo Posted January 3, 2015 Author Posted January 3, 2015 Save money. Get the stx best reel for $200. I work at bass pro in the fishing department. My top 3 selling reels are the stx, curado I, and the tatula. How well does the stx stand up to the premier for throwing lighter baits like weightless worms. The Ivcb brakes state they excel in that field Quote
Texas bassman Posted January 3, 2015 Posted January 3, 2015 I haven't used a premier so I can't say but I've used a curado I. And there svs braking system is very similar to the ivcb braking. I wouldnt throw anything lighter then 1/4oz on a baitcaster anyway. If I'm throwing weightless plastics I'll just use my spinning gear Quote
Super User aavery2 Posted January 3, 2015 Super User Posted January 3, 2015 How well does the stx stand up to the premier for throwing lighter baits like weightless worms. The Ivcb brakes state they excel in that field IVCB offers a level of adjustment that most centrifugal brake systems don't . This adjustability may increase the reels ability to cast lighter weights. With this said, most modern reels in this price range are going to be very capable of casting weights down to the 1/4oz range. Once you decide to go below the 1/4oz range your entire system, rod, reel and line have to be very balanced to achieve good results. Most reels that are very capable of casting in the 1/8oz and under range are built with that specific task in mind and sometimes are designated as BFS or Finesse models, their price tag is usually a little steeper than your everyday performers. Quote
bootytrain Posted January 3, 2015 Posted January 3, 2015 The spool weight is going to be the determining factor on which one casts lighter lures better. If I recall the STX has a 16 gram spool, not sure what the Premier has. Quote
Texas bassman Posted January 4, 2015 Posted January 4, 2015 If u wanna throw weightless plastics and have a sick reel get a stradic fj. Quote
jyu87 Posted January 4, 2015 Posted January 4, 2015 I just got the STX on a LTB. Let me know if you hear a grinding noise when your magnetic brake is on max and you start reeling.  If anyone has this reel or other reels that do it, please chime in. Quote
Solution RipzLipz Posted January 7, 2015 Solution Posted January 7, 2015 I own both reels and the Premier with the IVCB is far superior, in my opinion. You'll never have to take the side plate off for full range of adjustment on the centrifugal. Something the STX lacks and fails to point out how to properly use in the included docs. You won't regret spending the extra money on a Premier or MGX for that matter. Most of the upper locking shaft/pins (above and in front of your thumb when it's resting on the spool) are a little looser than I prefer, so I'd take a small screwdriver and give it a bit of a tightening. NOT a torque down, just so you can't loosen it by hand. 1 Quote
anthonlo Posted January 7, 2015 Author Posted January 7, 2015 After reading this post and reading the tackle tour review on the premier and stx the premier seems to be the better reel Quote
RipzLipz Posted January 8, 2015 Posted January 8, 2015 They're both excellent reels, however having to remove the side plate to fine tune the brake isn't what I'd consider handy with the STX. I've bought several reels off of eBay over the past few years and have gotten them much cheaper than retail. Just make sure you read the entire listing (refurbs, right/left handed, etc.), ask questions if time allows and pay attention to the past 6-12 months of feedback. If you would like, I can point out some trustworthy sellers I've used - just send me a PM if you're comfortable with eBay. Quote
Super User aavery2 Posted January 8, 2015 Super User Posted January 8, 2015 They're both excellent reels, however having to remove the side plate to fine tune the brake isn't what I'd consider handy with the STX. I've bought several reels off of eBay over the past few years and have gotten them much cheaper than retail. Just make sure you read the entire listing (refurbs, right/left handed, etc.), ask questions if time allows and pay attention to the past 6-12 months of feedback. If you would like, I can point out some trustworthy sellers I've used - just send me a PM if you're comfortable with eBay. Do you find yourself changing the centrifugal brakes often?  I set mine when I took the reel out of the box, I turned a couple of the tabs on and have never messed with it since. Heck, I better check they may not even still be there. Quote
RipzLipz Posted January 8, 2015 Posted January 8, 2015 I just got the STX on a LTB. Let me know if you hear a grinding noise when your magnetic brake is on max and you start reeling.  If anyone has this reel or other reels that do it, please chime in. I'd be sending that into Abu ASAP. I've had excellent customer service from them in the past when plastic pieces inside the reels broke or wore out and caused the thumb bar to not disengage properly. I'd sent in 2 EXT Pros (old round one piece frames) and they'd stopped making them but replaced them with brand new Records which were higher priced. Sold them both and bought 3 STXs after I decided to give low profile reels a shot. You might want to call them first to get details on what you need to send to them. Quote
RipzLipz Posted January 8, 2015 Posted January 8, 2015 Do you find yourself changing the centrifugal brakes often? I set mine when I took the reel out of the box, I turned a couple of the tabs on and have never messed with it since. Heck, I better check they may not even still be there.To be honest I never set them before I sold them, but I do recall times when I had issues with "professional overrun" (cough) backlash (cough) for various reasons or it felt like i was limited on casting distance with a lighter lure and I'm certain that taking off the side plates and making the pin adjustments would have helped with both issues more often than not.At the time, I only had 1 or 2 of the STXs and was having to throw a wide variety of different weighted lures, so I'd have had to make more adjustments due to the fewer number of reels. The Premier allows an easier and in my opinion more accurate fine tuning. Since I've changed to all MGX and Premier, I've yet to get that feeling that the reel felt too tight with the tension and braking like I had with the STX. Granted, it was due to ignorance, but I'd still rather pay the extra money for the convenience of not removing the side plates especially when on the water where it could go into the drink. I usually fish from a two man boat so I'd rather not deal with taking apart a $175+ reel while on the water so I can make an adjustment and then possibly having to do it again if necessary. Not everyone is the same, I'm just giving you my experience and personal preference. Like I've said, the STX is a fine reel, but I prefer the IVCB on both the Premier and MGX - a slight lean to the MGX for its lightness, but the spool only holds ~150 yds of 12 lb line. The Premier holds over 200 by the specs listed. I use the MGX for fishing everything except spinnerbaits and crankbaits (depending upon the crankbait size - MGX for tiny cranks, if I'd ever go down to the smaller ones). Quote
Super User aavery2 Posted January 8, 2015 Super User Posted January 8, 2015 To be honest I never set them before I sold them, but I do recall times when I had issues with "professional overrun" (cough) backlash (cough) for various reasons or it felt like i was limited on casting distance with a lighter lure and I'm certain that taking off the side plates and making the pin adjustments would have helped with both issues more often than not. At the time, I only had 1 or 2 of the STXs and was having to throw a wide variety of different weighted lures, so I'd have had to make more adjustments due to the fewer number of reels. The Premier allows an easier and in my opinion more accurate fine tuning. Since I've changed to all MGX and Premier, I've yet to get that feeling that the reel felt too tight with the tension and braking like I had with the STX. Granted, it was due to ignorance, but I'd still rather pay the extra money for the convenience of not removing the side plates especially when on the water where it could go into the drink. I usually fish from a two man boat so I'd rather not deal with taking apart a $175+ reel while on the water so I can make an adjustment and then possibly having to do it again if necessary. Not everyone is the same, I'm just giving you my experience and personal preference. Like I've said, the STX is a fine reel, but I prefer the IVCB on both the Premier and MGX - a slight lean to the MGX for its lightness, but the spool only holds ~150 yds of 12 lb line. The Premier holds over 200 by the specs listed. I use the MGX for fishing everything except spinnerbaits and crankbaits (depending upon the crankbait size - MGX for tiny cranks, if I'd ever go down to the smaller ones). I can see where it would be a problem trying to make adjustment to the braking in a small boat. I guess I am fortunate enough to have enough combos that I don't fish the lightest of baits and heaviest of baits on the same setup, so it eliminates the need to change the brakes much.    What do mean ONLY hold 150 yards of 12lb line? That is a bunch of line for bass fishing. Quote
RipzLipz Posted January 8, 2015 Posted January 8, 2015 I can see where it would be a problem trying to make adjustment to the braking in a small boat. I guess I am fortunate enough to have enough combos that I don't fish the lightest of baits and heaviest of baits on the same setup, so it eliminates the need to change the brakes much.    What do mean ONLY hold 150 yards of 12lb line? That is a bunch of line for bass fishing. I did a quick check and the MGX is actually 115yds and the Premier is 145yds. I got the Premier mixed up with the Toro which is a cranking reel. A bunch of line is relative to the type of fishing you plan on doing with the reel...if I ever went striper fishing, I'd want a bit more than 150yds. If I long lined cranks, I'd want more line capacity as well. So yeah, only is appropriate, IMO. Quote
Super User aavery2 Posted January 8, 2015 Super User Posted January 8, 2015 I did a quick check and the MGX is actually 115yds and the Premier is 145yds. I got the Premier mixed up with the Toro which is a cranking reel. A bunch of line is relative to the type of fishing you plan on doing with the reel...if I ever went striper fishing, I'd want a bit more than 150yds. If I long lined cranks, I'd want more line capacity as well. So yeah, only is appropriate, IMO. I may be wrong but I think you will find yourself in the minority wanting more than 145 yards of line on the spool. Many people are paying good prices for shallow spools to reduce the amount of line the reel holds. Generally speaking I hate putting more than 60 yards of premium line on a reel, the rest is cheap backing.   Do you do a lot of long lining?     Quote
RipzLipz Posted January 9, 2015 Posted January 9, 2015 No, I fish strip pits mostly and long lining probably wouldn't be very productive with the particular pits I fish due to their size and shape. Like I said before about the capacity, it's my opinion, and I'll reiterate that I only brought up 2 situations where a higher capacity might be desired. Never once was I insinuating that more capacity was needed for every situation...nor for the majority. Just trying give the guy all that he may wish to consider before dropping a couple bills on a reel, simple as that. Quote
Super User aavery2 Posted January 9, 2015 Super User Posted January 9, 2015 No, I fish strip pits mostly and long lining probably wouldn't be very productive with the particular pits I fish due to their size and shape. Like I said before about the capacity, it's my opinion, and I'll reiterate that I only brought up 2 situations where a higher capacity might be desired. Never once was I insinuating that more capacity was needed for every situation...nor for the majority. Just trying give the guy all that he may wish to consider before dropping a couple bills on a reel, simple as that. No problems, just conversing, thanks for sharing. Quote
xanadu Posted January 9, 2015 Posted January 9, 2015 I have both and the premeir is better for light lures but the stx is better for heavier lures or more wind. Don't let the price fool you. Most of the price difference is the fact that the premier has a carbon fiber handle. I set the mechanical brake on the stx with 3 pins on and never touch it. I use the magnetic dial so basically they are the same effort to adjust using the dial. Quote
lonnie g Posted December 29, 2016 Posted December 29, 2016 On ‎1‎/‎4‎/‎2015 at 0:17 AM, Texas bassman said: If u wanna throw weightless plastics and have a sick reel get a stradic fj. what model stradic fj is it? Quote
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