Pflueger President vs. Pflueger President XT

[EGbassing]

About to buy my first spinning reel for finesse fishing. (ned rigs, drop shot, etc.) I'm kind of leaning towards the new Pflueger President XT. What are the advantages of the XT over the regular version? It'll be paired with a Shimano Clarus spinning rod.

[fishnkamp]

My wife and I fish a bunch of Presidents and one Supreme. The main difference between the President and Pre Xt is the lighter weight of the XT. I have never fished an Xt but my wife loves her Supreme. If I was to do it again I would see if I could get a deal on a Supreme. Either way you will have a reliable reel you can use for decades.  Most of our reels are either model 30 or 35 size ones.

[LCG]

I have two of the xt models. Highly recommended. Differences include braid ready spool, higher gear ratio, lighter, and I prefer the color of the xt. Had them for two years and zero issues. 

[fvogel67]

Just now, LCG said:

I have two of the xt models. Highly recommended. Differences include braid ready spool, higher gear ratio, lighter, and I prefer the color of the xt. Had them for two years and zero issues. 

Regular President has a braid ready spool.

[LCG]

Just now, fvogel67 said:

Regular President has a braid ready spool.

My apologies, for some reason I thought the regular president did not have that feature. Thanks for correcting me, don't want to pass on incorrect information. 

[burrows]

I would stay clear from the president go with any of the diawa LT spinning reels the legalis is a great deal. Pfluger doesn’t make em like they used to I’m not a fan anymore. This is my opinion I know there’s a lot of ppl here that still love the president but as for me I would never buy another one.

[Hyrule Bass]

got 2 presidents last year and love them, never fished the XT model though. I even love my Trion(just got the newer model to replace my 8 year old model that still works) and my Supreme. Pflueger just makes great spinning reels...even the Trions are braid ready...

[Boomstick]

I have no experience with the President XT, but the President is probably the best reel at the price point and they are known to hold up rather well.

 

If you have a little extra money to spend, I'd suggest the Daiwa BG, which I would describe in a similar manner. The main advantage is the President has a smaller diameter reel, thus has more issues with line twist and losing line loops and the BG is also a little smoother as well. Make sure to leave a full 1/8" of space on the reel on the President to avoid losing loops should you go that way, and the reel will last you a long time.

 

And if you have a bit more to spend, try the Pflueger Patriarch, which is a super light reel, similar to a Stradic Ci4+ except the bail gives my thumb more room.

 

Pflueger makes some great reels. Their casting reels are underrated as well, the Supreme XT is a lesser known gem.

[EGbassing]

56 minutes ago, Boomstick said:

I have no experience with the President XT, but the President is probably the best reel at the price point and they are known to hold up rather well.

 

If you have a little extra money to spend, I'd suggest the Daiwa BG, which I would describe in a similar manner. The main advantage is the President has a smaller diameter reel, thus has more issues with line twist and losing line loops and the BG is also a little smoother as well. Make sure to leave a full 1/8" of space on the reel on the President to avoid losing loops should you go that way, and the reel will last you a long time.

 

And if you have a bit more to spend, try the Pflueger Patriarch, which is a super light reel, similar to a Stradic Ci4+ except the bail gives my thumb more room.

 

Pflueger makes some great reels. Their casting reels are underrated as well, the Supreme XT is a lesser known gem.

Thanks. I just bought the president XT. It looks pretty nice.

[Boomstick]

2 hours ago, EGbassing said:

Thanks. I just bought the president XT. It looks pretty nice.

I'm not familiar with the XT model specifically but based on the President, I would wager you're getting a very solid reel at a good value.

[EGbassing]

22 minutes ago, Boomstick said:

I'm not familiar with the XT model specifically but based on the President, I would wager you're getting a very solid reel at a good value.

Yeah, I almost went with the regular president but it just didn't looks as nice as the XT. I hope it's a good one. 

[natewitte81]

May be a stupid question but I just bought one of these President XT (25) for my son for Christmas and I'm curious if it's defective? I've used cheap combo stuff most of my life but he has convinced me that maybe I should step up a little. However I popped this real out of the box just to give it a spin before wrapping and noticed that although it has a smooth retrieve it stops spinning pretty quickly after letting go. what I mean is if I spin the reel as fast I can and let go of the handle it probably only goes around 2 maybe 3 times (the handle not the spool) before coming to a complete stop. My cheap reels go a lot further. Is that normal?

[EGbassing]

3 hours ago, natewitte81 said:

May be a stupid question but I just bought one of these President XT (25) for my son for Christmas and I'm curious if it's defective? I've used cheap combo stuff most of my life but he has convinced me that maybe I should step up a little. However I popped this real out of the box just to give it a spin before wrapping and noticed that although it has a smooth retrieve it stops spinning pretty quickly after letting go. what I mean is if I spin the reel as fast I can and let go of the handle it probably only goes around 2 maybe 3 times (the handle not the spool) before coming to a complete stop. My cheap reels go a lot further. Is that normal?

I'll go test mine in a few minutes and get back with you.

[EGbassing]

3 hours ago, natewitte81 said:

May be a stupid question but I just bought one of these President XT (25) for my son for Christmas and I'm curious if it's defective? I've used cheap combo stuff most of my life but he has convinced me that maybe I should step up a little. However I popped this real out of the box just to give it a spin before wrapping and noticed that although it has a smooth retrieve it stops spinning pretty quickly after letting go. what I mean is if I spin the reel as fast I can and let go of the handle it probably only goes around 2 maybe 3 times (the handle not the spool) before coming to a complete stop. My cheap reels go a lot further. Is that normal?

Alright, I just checked mine and the handle spins a lot more than that. Are you sure you assembled the reel handle and everything the right way? If you think you did then I would try to exchange it; it sounds like it's defective.

[NorthernBasser]

4 hours ago, natewitte81 said:

May be a stupid question but I just bought one of these President XT (25) for my son for Christmas and I'm curious if it's defective? I've used cheap combo stuff most of my life but he has convinced me that maybe I should step up a little. However I popped this real out of the box just to give it a spin before wrapping and noticed that although it has a smooth retrieve it stops spinning pretty quickly after letting go. what I mean is if I spin the reel as fast I can and let go of the handle it probably only goes around 2 maybe 3 times (the handle not the spool) before coming to a complete stop. My cheap reels go a lot further. Is that normal?

This is funny. I just got a President in the mail today and noticed the exact same thing. Every spinning reel I've owned before this would spin a lot more when taking hand off the handle.  Was wondering if this is a Pflueger (my first Pflueger) thing or what?

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

4 hours ago, natewitte81 said:

May be a stupid question but I just bought one of these President XT (25) for my son for Christmas and I'm curious if it's defective? I've used cheap combo stuff most of my life but he has convinced me that maybe I should step up a little. However I popped this real out of the box just to give it a spin before wrapping and noticed that although it has a smooth retrieve it stops spinning pretty quickly after letting go. what I mean is if I spin the reel as fast I can and let go of the handle it probably only goes around 2 maybe 3 times (the handle not the spool) before coming to a complete stop. My cheap reels go a lot further. Is that normal?

That's not indicative of anything, positive or negative. If it feels good cranking normally like you would fishing, you'll be fine. 

[NorthernBasser]

2 minutes ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

That's not indicative of anything, positive or negative. If it feels good cranking normally like you would fishing, you'll be fine. 

Mine feels super smooth, but there does seem to be some resistance if that makes sense. I'm gonna run to Cabela's this weekend to compare it to other Presidents. 

[Junger]

I have one President 2000 that doesn't spin much after letting go, and another 3000 that spins as much as my Daiwa BG's. They're all super smooth though. I think it's just a matter of how much factory grease is packed in there. No issues with these reels after 2 years with some fishing done in brackish water and post rinsing.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

1 hour ago, NorthernBasser said:

Mine feels super smooth, but there does seem to be some resistance if that makes sense. I'm gonna run to Cabela's this weekend to compare it to other Presidents. 

Close tolerances and new lube. Nothing to worry about but if comparing will give you peace of mind no harm in it. 

[natewitte81]

Thanks guys. Actually brought it to work yesterday and had a buddy who owns a lot more equipment than me check it out and he said there was nothing wrong with it either. He actually said my kid would probably hate it and he should just take it off my hands

[PressuredLakeFisherman]

My opinion on pfluger presidents as I own the standard AND the XT model. Are they the most smooth reels, no. I will be honest and say they are not smooth and the handle will not turn indefinitely like a buttery smooth Diawa. However, I bought mine knowing this, and bought them for their durability. The build quality is very tight and while they aren't the smoothest they are extraordinarily tight feeling in the gears which is very good and I have dropped both many times. In terms of the XT versus the standard president you get a carbon handle which cuts down on weight, a cork grip which is just cosmetic, and aluminum internal pinion gears. To be honest the brass vs aluminum pinion gear debate can go on for a while and to keep it simple aluminum gears weigh less and will be fine as long as you are not tighting your drag down 100 percent and horsing bass out of cover with 12 pound mono on that reel. (Because aluminum gears may give doing that).  Personally after owning two I would purchase them again, but Diawa also makes 10x smoother spinning reels like the regal LT for 60 dollars, just be sure to take care of it because they arent as durable as the presidents. (Being the graphite being cheaper in exchange for better internal gears). Finally I think the bail mechanisms on the pflugers are by far the best compared to diawa's, as they are crisper. If you keep your Diawa reel in a nice pouch and dont drop it you should be fine, but if you are nervous and looking for a workhorse go with the president. for the most part the XT is just cosmetic with a better weight. They are also having a very good deal on the pfluger president XT LE which is a special model that they do occasionally that is the XT but on sale for 50 dollars, which beats out any other spinning reel in the pricepoint. Very hard to get your hands on one though but they are even more upgraded than the standard XT and instead of a cork grip you get a rosewood grip! Just cosmetics i know but its also 30 dollars cheaper so thats nice. Anyways hope this was helpful but you definitely got alot of options, I just wouldn't recommend a shimano unless you plan on spending 300 for a Ci4 or something because alot of their budget ones like the Sahara have a poor graphite frame and only have 4-5 bearings.

On 6/4/2018 at 3:03 AM, burrows said:

I would stay clear from the president go with any of the diawa LT spinning reels the legalis is a great deal. Pfluger doesn’t make em like they used to I’m not a fan anymore. This is my opinion I know there’s a lot of ppl here that still love the president but as for me I would never buy another one.

Could not agree more, They arent as smooth as they used to and while it is night and day difference being a Diawa Regal vs a president, I think people buy the presidents not for smoothness but durability in the frame, thick wire bails that don't bend out, tight gear internals that wont pop out, and the crispest bail mechanism on the planet. Plus their $49 president XT sale cannot be passed apon.

[Gary_Snyder]

On 12/4/2018 at 4:07 PM, natewitte81 said:

May be a stupid question but I just bought one of these President XT (25) for my son for Christmas and I'm curious if it's defective? I've used cheap combo stuff most of my life but he has convinced me that maybe I should step up a little. However I popped this real out of the box just to give it a spin before wrapping and noticed that although it has a smooth retrieve it stops spinning pretty quickly after letting go. what I mean is if I spin the reel as fast I can and let go of the handle it probably only goes around 2 maybe 3 times (the handle not the spool) before coming to a complete stop. My cheap reels go a lot further. Is that normal?

That does not matter. 

 

What matters is the efficiency - how hard it is to start and stop reeling.

[NOC 1]

On 6/4/2018 at 5:03 AM, burrows said:

I would stay clear from the president go with any of the diawa LT spinning reels the legalis is a great deal. Pfluger doesn’t make em like they used to I’m not a fan anymore. This is my opinion I know there’s a lot of ppl here that still love the president but as for me I would never buy another one.

I have 6 or 7 Presidents and they are decent enough for the price I think. But that said I also have Daiwa Legalis and it's cheaper cousin the Revros, and both of those are better reels than the Presidents I think.

On 6/4/2018 at 1:09 PM, Boomstick said:

I have no experience with the President XT, but the President is probably the best reel at the price point and they are known to hold up rather well.

 

If you have a little extra money to spend, I'd suggest the Daiwa BG, which I would describe in a similar manner. The main advantage is the President has a smaller diameter reel, thus has more issues with line twist and losing line loops and the BG is also a little smoother as well. Make sure to leave a full 1/8" of space on the reel on the President to avoid losing loops should you go that way, and the reel will last you a long time.

 

And if you have a bit more to spend, try the Pflueger Patriarch, which is a super light reel, similar to a Stradic Ci4+ except the bail gives my thumb more room.

 

Pflueger makes some great reels. Their casting reels are underrated as well, the Supreme XT is a lesser known gem.

I have a Supreme XT casting reel and while it doesn't really hold up against my TD-Z's and Steez reels, I will have to say that at $160 or so it is a very nice and smooth reel, a far better reel than it's better known competitors, such as the Revo SX (yes I have one of those too). I would peg it right around the same territory as most all of the LEWS stuff.