Review Of Pinnacle Primmus Xi Hs Hand-Tuned

[aavery2]

I can't speak for John, but I will say "no I wouldn't have."  Having used their gear, I can now say that Pinnacle offers some of the best there is.  I can only hope that their marketing campaign can keep up with the quality of their reels.  So far, it hasn't.

Welcome to the hole

[Bluebasser86]

Be honest with me, would you have ever put out the 200 -250 to try one on your own based on what you know of Pinnacle's past?

I've only personally ever owned 1 Pinnacle reel, and it was a lower end baitcaster. I actually really liked the reel but can't remember the name of it for the life of me. I'm as leery as the next guy about trying one just from word of mouth that I'd heard from guys who may or may not have actually fished with one. You know as well as I do, however, that a fair amount of "reviews", are nothing more than someone spewing out what they heard someone else say or read online. I think I have been making a mistake in discounting their equipment as subpar just because of what I've heard others saying.

I've had the good fortune of getting to fish with and handle a lot of different reels from the $30 Shakespeare baitcasters, to the Calais DC and Steez. I value my reputation and integrity too much to try to tell anyone that the Optimus LTE I have is going to outperform those top of the line reels. At the same time, I can say it has been a joy to fish with for the time I've had it. It palms very easily, cast great, was easy to setup, and the retrieve is very smooth. It's similar in weight to comparable reels and is very easy on the eyes, not that that effects performance but it never hurts a reel to look good. There is no "geary" feeling, no grinding, no back play, it really has been a treat to fish with.

At this point the only thing in my mind that is left to be seen is the reels durability. I put a lot of miles on my reels in a season, if it can stand up to what I'm going to put it through then I will have no problem paying out of pocket for one. I honestly wish I had the money to pop for one right now since I've found them as low as $85 online. If someone was looking to step outside of the box and try a new reel I'd have no problem pointing them in the direction of a Pinnacle Optimus. 

[roadwarrior]

WdyCrankbait, great review!

 

I'm looking forward to a follow-up after you have fished the reel for awhile.

 

 

 

 

[aavery2]

I've only personally ever owned 1 Pinnacle reel, and it was a lower end baitcaster. I actually really liked the reel but can't remember the name of it for the life of me. I'm as leery as the next guy about trying one just from word of mouth that I'd heard from guys who may or may not have actually fished with one. You know as well as I do, however, that a fair amount of "reviews", are nothing more than someone spewing out what they heard someone else say or read online. I think I have been making a mistake in discounting their equipment as subpar just because of what I've heard others saying.

I've had the good fortune of getting to fish with and handle a lot of different reels from the $30 Shakespeare baitcasters, to the Calais DC and Steez. I value my reputation and integrity too much to try to tell anyone that the Optimus LTE I have is going to outperform those top of the line reels. At the same time, I can say it has been a joy to fish with for the time I've had it. It palms very easily, cast great, was easy to setup, and the retrieve is very smooth. It's similar in weight to comparable reels and is very easy on the eyes, not that that effects performance but it never hurts a reel to look good. There is no "geary" feeling, no grinding, no back play, it really has been a treat to fish with.

At this point the only thing in my mind that is left to be seen is the reels durability. I put a lot of miles on my reels in a season, if it can stand up to what I'm going to put it through then I will have no problem paying out of pocket for one. I honestly wish I had the money to pop for one right now since I've found them as low as $85 online. If someone was looking to step outside of the box and try a new reel I'd have no problem pointing them in the direction of a Pinnacle Optimus. 

Blue, thanks for information, I respect your opinion.       I did see in another post that you had ordered a Curado I, what made you decide on it over purchasing a PInnacle?

[Bluebasser86]

Blue, thanks for information, I respect your opinion.       I did see in another post that you had ordered a Curado I, what made you decide on it over purchasing a PInnacle?

I ordered it a couple months before I got my Pinnacle from the shop owner that carries my baits. He's just starting to carry Shimano rods and reels and needed a few more things to get some kind of bulk discount so he offered to sell me any Shimano reel for $20 over his cost. I couldn't pass up a NIB Curado IHG for under $150. I'm still waiting on that reel too unfortunately.

[aavery2]

Cool, kind of too good of a deal to pass up.

[J Francho]

aavery, I haven't paid MSRP for a reel since the early 90s, save for a Stradic CI4 that I just "had to have right now." I generally buy used or deeply discounted. So the answer is no, which is the same answer for pretty much every other reel I own. As far as would I search out a high end Pinnacle with my terms? I would now. But I think that's the point of Pinnacle putting these reels in our hands.

As far as durability, I have a spinning reel ($100 Performa) that is three years old and an Optimus that is two years old now. Haven't really done anything other than oil the bearings and they're both holding up well. The spinner is a little heavy, but it's been a beast.

[WdyCrankbait]

This reel did get mentioned in the latest edition of Bassmaster Magazine, page 48, little paragraph at the bottom center. So, it will get exposure from this for sure.

 

 

1/11/2015

I checked and the article starts on 48, the reel is mentioned on page 52

[new2BC4bass]

In short, the Primmus palms like an Alphas type reel, casts like a 50e, and feels like a TD-X reeling in.

They've sort of won me over. Wish they had some lefties.

 

Nice analogy since I also have all 3 of those reels which gives me a good idea of the Primmus' handling qualities.  Yes, it definitely is too bad they don't have any lefties.  Although I have decided to pretty much stick with LH reels when they are near my financial limit, I am not adverse to using a right hand reel that isn't.  I actually like being able to switch on occasion.  I definitely see a cheaper Pinnacle in my future. 

[roadwarrior]

This reel did get mentioned in the latest edition of Bassmaster Magazine, page 48, little paragraph at the bottom center. So, it will get exposure from this for sure.

 

That's great!

[Glenn]

FYI... There is a Primmus left-handed reel available for 2015.

[Jeff H]

I respect your opinion enough that if I ever have the chance I will try one, but I can't see myself spending money on one before hand.

You will get to try the Producer after I do.  I'll gladly send mine to you to fish with after I use it for a bit.  Sound good?

[new2BC4bass]

You will get to try the Producer after I do.  I'll gladly send mine to you to fish with after I use it for a bit.  Sound good?

 

 

Nice offer Jeff.  You da man! 

[aavery2]

You will get to try the Producer after I do.  I'll gladly send mine to you to fish with after I use it for a bit.  Sound good?

It is a very generous offer and certainly appreciated.  I sent you a PM to discuss this a little further.

[new2BC4bass]

On 1/24/2015 at 8:54 PM, Glenn said:

FYI... There is a Primmus left-handed reel available for 2015.

Hey, Glenn, where can I find this reel?  Only LH Primmus I can find is the Shoreline model which is definitely not the same Primmus as this thread is talking about.

I wound up buying a Primmus Xi HS and took it to Florida last February.  Love this reel.  Of the 5 baitcast reels I took with me, this is the only reel that didn't need any fine tuning once I got there.  As a matter of fact, I haven't touched the brakes since initially setting them with 3 on.  I didn't even touch the spool tension knob.  Tension is set pretty loose.  All others including a set-and-forget Curado 201E7 required some adjusting of either the brakes and/or spool tension as I was fishing from the front of a 14' dinghy and thus had to shorten my casting stroke so I wouldn't land my brother-in-law.    This resulted in some jerky casts which...as we all know...often results in over-runs and the occasional backlash.  Never once had a problem with the Primmus.

As Wdycranbait figured, this reel casts quite a distance.  I sometimes had a 3/8 oz. Yo-zuri 3DB Popper on and this lure cast like a bullet.

[new2BC4bass]

Old thread.  Hey, WdyCrankbait I took my Primmus to Florida again this year.  Don't know wind speed, but it was fairly stiff.  I was casting straight into it with a 3/8 oz. spinnerbait with Colorado blade.  Only once did I have to lift the rod to remove a couple loose coils.  Was standing at the boat ramp so I couldn't change casting direction more than a few degrees.  Reel continues to impress me.  A $225 reel is something normally not in my budget, but I got the last two for $104.  (First wasn't much more than that.)  It was a no brainer at that price.

 

Still waiting for a left hand model and faster gearing although to be honest a new reel isn't something I see in my future.  Already have too many.  Too bad Pinnacle isn't more popular.  Would't trade or sell mine.