Abu Garcia really disheartened me today

[Michigander]

I still buy Penn spinning reels because they are so overbuilt for what I'm doing with them that they work great but I don't bother with the others. 

[Gator_Bait]

Is Diawa made by someone else? If FedEx ever gets their act together I'll have a new Diawa Fuego CT, it's 2 days late now.

 

Don't know who makes it, but I have a BPS Pro Qualifier that I've used for several years. It has been a great reel, always smooth and reliable. On the handle side case it says "designed by Diawa" and has Diawa cast into the bottom of the reel foot. But after reading this thread I don't know if Diawa makes their own reels or not. Does anyone make their own stuff anymore?

[Mobasser]

I started with round ABU reels 40yrs ago. A red 5000, then two 4600c, then a used 5500c. They've all been great reels. One of the 4600c is 23yrs old, and still works good. I don't really know what happened to ABU? Theyre not as popular now around my area. My two 4600c both have a thumbar, but I think the newer ones dont. Now, I've retired all but one 4600c. Still using that one along with Lews LFS, and low profile Qauntum. Both are great

[Teal]

I know guys I get it.. just a shock to my system going to the doyo site anand seeing my reels like dang 

[dodgeguy]

this statement that Lews reels arent good because doyo makes them is a bunch of garbage. different brands have different requirements for their reels. its just like automotive. a chrysler uses parts that are used in a maserati and ferrari even though they are different brands. lews reel are a great value for the dollar and i have yet to be outcasted by guys using other brands. their customer service is also excellent.

[Gator_Bait]

Is Diawa made by someone else? If FedEx ever gets their act together I'll have a new Diawa Fuego CT, it's 2 days late now.

 

Don't know who makes it, but I have a BPS Pro Qualifier that I've used for several years. It has been a great reel, always smooth and reliable. On the handle side case it says "designed by Diawa" and has Diawa cast into the bottom of the reel foot. But after reading this thread I don't know if Diawa makes their own reels or not. Does anyone make their own stuff anymore?

 

Oops...it wasn't the BPS by Diawa, it was a Cabela's Prodigy that says that.

Also I looked at a H2O Mettle I'm about to respool, and it says Korea on the foot. It's been a good reel also. 

[Gazz]

I have the Lew's Custom XP reel that I actually got as a gift as a combo with the Custon XP rod. The rod crapped out and was junk so Lew's sent me a TP1 Black to replace it which was VERY generous. They also sent me a new reel to replace the other one that I had used for a season to "Get me a whole new setup." Great customer service. The reel has actually really surprised me with its performance but I can feel the durability being an issue especially when held next to my Curados and Chronarch. At $165, you can get a Curado for just a few bucks more. I'd suggest checking that out next time.  

[Bird]

That was an unfortunate event. 

 

I've always bought mid level reels and look at design and functionality. 

Having a " mid level " mindset has led me to quite a few Lews and Abu.

 

My favorite casting and handling baitcaster for the last several years has been an Abu Garcia Orra SX and really like the Lews Speed spool.

 

Pretty sure Abu Garcia is swedish engineered if that matters. 

[AmmoGuy]

47 minutes ago, Mobasser said:

 I don't really know what happened to ABU? 

Nothing really happened to them. 

It's just that every ABU reel you had was designed and manufactured in Sweden. 

[redmeansdistortion]

1 hour ago, Michigander said:

I still buy Penn spinning reels because they are so overbuilt for what I'm doing with them that they work great but I don't bother with the others. 

Same.  The thing I don't get though, the Penns definitely are overbuilt, but at the same time the other Pure Fishing spinning reels at the same price point typically don't offer what you get in a Penn.  For instance, the President vs the Fierce III.  With the Pflueger, you get a graphite frame and the old school oiled felt drag.  With the Fierce, you get all metal construction and the carbon fiber HT100 drag.

[Mobasser]

As for spinning reels, I've almost gone all Shimano. My grandson bought a Lews not long ago, and it seems good as well. My only other spin reel is an old ABU Cardinal 4. It's heavier, and old, but is a tank and very smooth. You just have to go to a store and handle different models. I think most of the companies make good reels now, it just depends on your budget and what your looking for. Sometimes, with any brand, an extra 20 or 30 bucks gets you better qaulity. I wouldn't worry about Do yo or not. Most all the stuff we use now is made overseas anyway. If you buy one from a store like Academy, save your receipt and if you don't like it, take it and swap it for a different one. Lots of good choices out there now. In my area, the big ones are Shimano, Lews, and Diawa. Okuma is kind of a sleeper here, but they make some good reels also.

[Michigander]

29 minutes ago, redmeansdistortion said:

Same.  The thing I don't get though, the Penns definitely are overbuilt, but at the same time the other Pure Fishing spinning reels at the same price point typically don't offer what you get in a Penn.  For instance, the President vs the Fierce III.  With the Pflueger, you get a graphite frame and the old school oiled felt drag.  With the Fierce, you get all metal construction and the carbon fiber HT100 drag.

I think it reflects their target market. Freshwater guys typically want light weight reels and don't grapple with sharks whereas saltwater guys need reels that are tanks. There's no incentive to build a President like that.

[LonnieP]

1 hour ago, Gator_Bait said:

Is Diawa made by someone else? If FedEx ever gets their act together I'll have a new Diawa Fuego CT, it's 2 days late now.

 

 

Daiwa makes their own reels from the Fuego on up. Some of their cheaper reels like the 80 series are made by Doyo.

[Michigander]

15 minutes ago, LonnieP said:

Daiwa makes their own reels from the Fuego on up. Some of their cheaper reels like the 80 series are made by Doyo.

Love the Fuegos, it's a great intersection of price/quality for my skill level.

[Vilas15]

2 hours ago, Gator_Bait said:

Is Diawa made by someone else? If FedEx ever gets their act together I'll have a new Diawa Fuego CT, it's 2 days late now.

 

Don't know who makes it, but I have a BPS Pro Qualifier that I've used for several years. It has been a great reel, always smooth and reliable. On the handle side case it says "designed by Diawa" and has Diawa cast into the bottom of the reel foot. But after reading this thread I don't know if Diawa makes their own reels or not. Does anyone make their own stuff anymore?

 

Oops...it wasn't the BPS by Diawa, it was a Cabela's Prodigy that says that.

Also I looked at a H2O Mettle I'm about to respool, and it says Korea on the foot. It's been a good reel also. 

I had a cabelas prodigy. It was cabelas buying the reel from daiwa. It was basically a rebranded daiwa exceler (made by daiwa with cabelas name on it). It was solid. 

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

5 hours ago, Gator_Bait said:

Is Diawa made by someone else? If FedEx ever gets their act together I'll have a new Diawa Fuego CT, it's 2 days late now.

 

Don't know who makes it, but I have a BPS Pro Qualifier that I've used for several years. It has been a great reel, always smooth and reliable. On the handle side case it says "designed by Diawa" and has Diawa cast into the bottom of the reel foot. But after reading this thread I don't know if Diawa makes their own reels or not. Does anyone make their own stuff anymore?

How many yrs is several? Daiwa has built for cabelas and probably BPs but the PQ has been Korean for decades as far as ive seen. Daiwa and shimano maintain production facilities and some Ambassadeurs might still come from Sweden I’ve lost track. As far as I know the rest are contracted. That doesn’t make them bad by any means. But to say Lews is the best and ABU is junk just doesn’t hold water. 

[Gator_Bait]

58 minutes ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

How many yrs is several? Daiwa has built for cabelas and probably BPs but the PQ has been Korean for decades as far as ive seen. Daiwa and shimano maintain production facilities and some Ambassadeurs might still come from Sweden I’ve lost track. As far as I know the rest are contracted. That doesn’t make them bad by any means. But to say Lews is the best and ABU is junk just doesn’t hold water. 

Probably 2010 or 11, when we lived in Baton Rouge LA

[Smells like fish]

Sorry to hear this. As others have said you can get a lemon in anything and you probably have a good reel now or you could exchanged for the same reel and been satisfied. 

[NavyVet1204]

I think I will be happy with the lews tournament SLP I got. I took it out on the lake and river today for about four and a half hours and it was a blast to use. The retrieve on the lews is so buttery smooth that I have to occasionally look down at the reel to ensure that the spool is in fact turning. Day one of the lews and I’m a happy camper! Also managed to catch this guy on the second cast from the river bank too.

 

 

I’ll back track and say again that I am not bashing Abu at all. My family has been using Abu’s from as far back as the 60’s and still continue to use them. My issue was unfortunate really, but I did have a “grenaded” reel after only one month of use. 

[Shimano_1]

10 hours ago, Teal said:

My lews arent bad...actually great for what I pay for them but dang man..

If you like your lews why let anything sway your opinion?  I've had bad experience with daiwas myself and have quit fishing them but obviously tons of people prefer them. I love lews reels and their customer service is considerably better from my experiences than any other I've dealt with. I honestly could care less where they're made if they are good reels. Tons of hate about quantum as well and I've had great experiences with the few I've owned. 

[NavyVet1204]

1 hour ago, Shimano_1 said:

If you like your lews why let anything sway your opinion?  I've had bad experience with daiwas myself and have quit fishing them but obviously tons of people prefer them. I love lews reels and their customer service is considerably better from my experiences than any other I've dealt with. I honestly could care less where they're made if they are good reels. Tons of hate about quantum as well and I've had great experiences with the few I've owned. 

Good friend of mine has been using the same quantum bait caster now for over 10 years and loves it. 

[Vilas15]

1 hour ago, Shimano_1 said:

If you like your lews why let anything sway your opinion?  I've had bad experience with daiwas myself and have quit fishing them but obviously tons of people prefer them. I love lews reels and their customer service is considerably better from my experiences than any other I've dealt with. I honestly could care less where they're made if they are good reels. Tons of hate about quantum as well and I've had great experiences with the few I've owned. 

I recently replaced a Daiwa for another Lews. Not sure why, I didnt have any issues and know the Daiwa was a better reel but I like the feel of the Lews.

[Teal]

Hey guys I'm not swayed.   It kinda made me a little upset.   I had a bad moment. But I'm over it.   

[Mobasser]

12 hours ago, NavyVet1204 said:

Good friend of mine has been using the same quantum bait caster now for over 10 years and loves it. 

So many guys slam on Qauntum. It's nonsense. My Qauntum Tour Grade baitcaster is one of the best reels I've ever used. With good maintenance I expect it to last a long time.

[J Francho]

16 minutes ago, Mobasser said:

So many guys slam on Qauntum. It's nonsense.

I wouldn't say it's totally nonsense, but a lot of is coming from those that never used them.  They are a high seller of budget level gear, and I think this is where it stems from.  It's likely that many getting serious into fishing have seen the gear readily available.  When it doesn't hold up, they upgrade to better gear, and I think that's the taste left in their mouth.  They come up here, buy "X-Brand everyone is talking about" and their Quantum experience ends there.  Maybe that's not fair, but that's what I see here.  The Tour Grade stuff is good - it should be for what you pay.