Quantum Reels

[Heartland]

I had a lot of time today so I was just digging up some of the old posts that were somewhat popular 5-7 years ago.  One that was really interesting was about Quantum reels.  So I was wondering, over the last 6 years or so has Quantum done anything or produced any reels that are more of a challenge to the Big 3 in terms of quality, innovation and reliability.       Quantum has some interesting looking reels, but for some reason they just don't seem to be able to break through and pose a real challenge to having a superior product.    

 

Don't mean to be rude but it would be nice that if a conversation is started that we can limit the lists and current line ups  of rods and reels that people are currently fishing and keep the posts to experience using Quantum products or why you don't. Maybe even some things on what you think they could do better in terms of marketing and manufacturing that might get them over the top.      Just fuel for a fire.

[NavyVet1204]

I like where you are going. I too have wondered about the quantum baitcasters myself as I have quite a few 10+ year old spinning reels that steel function as if they are brand new. I only know of one friend who has a quantum bait caster and loves it, but it is almost a decade old and it looks the part. 
 

I noticed too that quantum doesn’t seem to have much of a standing in the marketing world as oppose to others and I wonder if that is for a reason?

[Heartland]

2 minutes ago, NavyVet1204 said:

I like where you are going. I too have wondered about the quantum baitcasters myself as I have quite a few 10+ year old spinning reels that steel function as if they are brand new. I only know of one friend who has a quantum bait caster and loves it, but it is almost a decade old and it looks the part. 
 

I noticed too that quantum doesn’t seem to have much of a standing in the marketing world as oppose to others and I wonder if that is for a reason?

It would be interesting to see what market it is that they are targeting and how well they do to their projections.

[GReb]

Their marketing plan for 2 decades was just KVD. I’ve owned and never had any problems with an PT series reels. They sale a lot of cheap junk at Walmart I wouldnt waste my money on. 

[Heartland]

5 minutes ago, GReb said:

Their marketing plan for 2 decades was just KVD. I’ve owned and never had any problems with an PT series reels. They sale a lot of cheap junk at Walmart I wouldnt waste my money on. 

Have to give them credit for getting the right guy and the right time.  but even the appeal of KVD just never seemed enough to get Quantum over or nearer the top of the pile.

 

So with KVD as their marketing plan, what do you think their intended market was?

 

[A-Jay]

1 hour ago, Heartland said:

I had a lot of time today so I was just digging up some of the old posts that were somewhat popular 5-7 years ago.  One that was really interesting was about Quantum reels.  So I was wondering, over the last 6 years or so has Quantum done anything or produced any reels that are more of a challenge to the Big 3 in terms of quality, innovation and reliability.       Quantum has some interesting looking reels, but for some reason they just don't seem to be able to break through and pose a real challenge to having a superior product.    

 

Don't mean to be rude but it would be nice that if a conversation is started that we can limit the lists and current line ups  of rods and reels that people are currently fishing and keep the posts to experience using Quantum products or why you don't. Maybe even some things on what you think they could do better in terms of marketing and manufacturing that might get them over the top.      Just fuel for a fire.

I fish several Quantum (and Shimano) rigs and have been doing so with some success for a while.

Mostly the 'higher end' stuff - at least for them. 

 I don't beat on it, do maintain it correctly and it performs well for me.

Every brand may have it's fans & detractors; and that's fine. 

Opinions of the gear we fish can never affect our success. 

 

 

A-Jay

 

 

[Heartland]

4 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

I fish several Quantum (and Shimano) rigs and have been doing so with some success for a while.

Mostly the 'higher end' stuff - at least for them. 

 I don't beat on it, do maintain it correctly and it performs well for me.

Every brand may have it's fans & detractors; and that's fine. 

Opinions of the gear we fish can never affect our success. 

A-Jay

 

 

Have you always fished Quantum gear?  What initially interested you enough to spend your money over other manufacturers products.

[A-Jay]

Just now, Heartland said:

Have you always fished Quantum gear?  What initially interested you enough to spend your money over other manufacturers products.

I'll try to keep this reasonably brief ~ 

Retired in 2007 - the 25 plus years before that, I was fishing salt water.

Big game reels were all Penn but my casting, spinning & inshore gear was all Shimano & Quantum.

Worked well for me. 

Fast forward - retired & settled in the middle of big brown bass central.

Needed new gear - started by looking at what I had success & confidence in.

Been there ever since.

A-Jay

 

[Heartland]

1 minute ago, A-Jay said:

I'll try to keep this reasonably brief ~ 

Retired in 2007 - the 25 plus years before that, I was fishing salt water.

Big game reels were all Penn but my casting, spinning & inshore gear was all Shimano & Quantum.

Worked well for me. 

Fast forward - retired & settled in the middle of big brown bass central.

Needed new gear - started by looking at what I had success & confidence in.

Been there ever since.

A-Jay

 

Any models that have really stood out over those years or some that were really disappointing? 

[Choporoz]

Most of my favorite reels have Smoke in the name.  I actually think that I benefit from Quantum's 'lesser profile'.  I have about a dozen and never paid close to MSRP.  

[GReb]

2 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

Most of my favorite reels have Smoke in the name.  I actually think that I benefit from Quantum's 'lesser profile'.  I have about a dozen and never paid close to MSRP.  

Yep you can get a S3 all day on eBay for $100-110. The KVD s3 is even less.  The Icon PT at $45 on eBay is best deal going in fishing. 

[Heartland]

5 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

Most of my favorite reels have Smoke in the name.  I actually think that I benefit from Quantum's 'lesser profile'.  I have about a dozen and never paid close to MSRP.  

Always nice to score a great deal.   So do you fish other reels or are you strictly Quantum?

2 minutes ago, GReb said:

Yep you can get a S3 all day on eBay for $100-110. The KVD s3 is even less.  The Icon PT at $45 on eBay is best deal going in fishing. 

Not familar with the Icon PT,  what do you like about the reel?

[A-Jay]

1 minute ago, Heartland said:

Any models that have really stood out over those years or some that were really disappointing? 

OK ~ Yes.

 I like & prefer quality gear - in everything.

Not knowing where in the product line that started,

My initial purchases hit below that mark. 

So the 'Code' line of reels wasn't for me.

The "Accurist" was decent but still not where I wanted to settle.

Once I got into the the "Tour PT" line - I was happy.

The Quatum reels in the Pic in my OP are several years old 

and still going strong.

If I 'had' to replace them now, I'd be looking at the Smoke HD 200, Smoke S3 and the Tour S3 line to start. 

A-Jay

 

 

  

[Heartland]

2 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

OK ~ Yes.

 I like & prefer quality gear - in everything.

Not knowing where in the product line that started,

My initial purchases hit below that mark. 

So the 'Code' line of reels wasn't for me.

The "Accurist" was decent but still not where I wanted to settle.

Once I got into the the "Tour PT" line - I was happy.

The Quatum reels in the Pic in my OP are several years old 

and still going strong.

If I 'had' to replace them now, I'd be looking at the Smoke HD 200, Smoke S3 and the Tour S3 line to start. 

A-Jay

 

 

  

One last question, have you ever tried a Tatula with the T-wing system, and if so what did you think?

[A-Jay]

1 minute ago, Heartland said:

One last question, have you ever tried a Tatula with the T-wing system, and if so what did you think?

I have not.

A-Jay

[GReb]

15 minutes ago, Heartland said:

Not familar with the Icon PT,  what do you like about the reel?

It’s just a solid reel for the money. Aluminum frame, quality drag, good brakes, smooth, powerful, and comfortable. Only downside is it weighs almost 8 ounces out of the box. But it fishes great

[Heartland]

1 minute ago, GReb said:

It’s just a solid reel for the money. Aluminum frame, quality drag, good brakes, smooth, powerful, and comfortable. Only downside is it weighs almost 8 ounces out of the box. But it fishes great

That puts it weight right around the same weight as the Daiwa Zillion 50th Anniversary Model.    Does it have brass gearing, how long is the handle?

[PhishLI]

I have 4 Quantums and my brother has 3. All have a fully supported gear trains. Double bearings on the pinion and driveshaft. The 3 Monster 300s have been great on swimbait rigs up to 5ozs. Brass main gear. The knobs could be shimmed for lateral play, but I'm not bothering. Other than that they are solid all aluminum frame and sideplates reels. They use the Banax dial type centrifugal brake, but it's been great. My only regret is that I didn't buy more when they were on sale.

 

Our Icon PTs have been very solid on swimbait rigs up top 2 ozs. I wasn't sure at first, but since it's broken in it's been perfect. Super easy to dial in ACS 3.0 brakes. Brass main gear too. While they're still listed on certain sites, they've been replaced by the Vapor PT. Same frame and brakes, but the Vapor has a 10 gram spool. The Vapor's main gear is aluminum which can be replaced with an Icon gear if it's an issue. I'll have a Vapor shortly.

 

My fav is the Tour S3. There's nothing I don't like about it. It's tight everywhere. Very easy to dial in and a great long caster. My Curado K has been shelved since I got the Tour. The K is a fine reel, I just prefer fishing with the Tour, especially when I'm switching baits often. For me, it has a more predictable braking profile. It doesn't fall off a cliff one click down on the dial like SVS Infinity seems to do.

 

I also have a KVD Smoke S3, which is a stripped down version of the Tour S3. There are a few differences compared to the Tour, including the spool. I don't have enough time on it yet to spout an opinion.

29 minutes ago, GReb said:

The Icon PT at $45 on eBay is best deal going in fishing. 

100% agree. $159 list being blown out at 50$ with shipping. Stupid good deal.

[Heartland]

5 minutes ago, PhishLI said:

I have 4 Quantums and my brother has 3. All have a fully supported gear trains. Double bearings on the pinion and driveshaft. The 3 Monster 300s have been great on swimbait rigs up to 5ozs. Brass main gear. The knobs could be shimmed for lateral play, but I'm not bothering. Other than that they are solid all aluminum frame and sideplates reels. They use the Banax dial type centrifugal brake, but it's been great. My only regret is that I didn't buy more when they were on sale.

 

Our Icon PTs have been very solid on swimbait rigs up top 2 ozs. I wasn't sure at first, but when it broke it it's been perfect. Super easy to dial in ACS 3.0 brakes. Brass main gear too. While they're still listed on certain sites, they've been replaced by the Vapor PT. Same frame and brakes, but the Vapor has a 10 gram spool. The Vapor's main gear is aluminum which can be replaced with an Icon gear if it's an issue. I'll have a Vapor shortly.

 

My fav is the Tour S3. There's nothing I don't like about it. It's tight everywhere. Very easy to dial in and a great long caster. My Curado K has been shelved since I got the Tour. The K is a fine reel, I just prefer fishing with the Tour, especially when I'm switching baits often. For me, it has a more predictable braking profile. It doesn't fall off a cliff one click down on the dial like SVS Infinity seems to do.

 

I also have a KVD Smoke S3, which is a stripped down version of the Tour S3. There are a few differences compared to the Tour, including the spool. I don't have enough time on it yet to spout an opinion.

Man, that is a great post, thanks for all of the information. I bet this will be extremely helpful to someone doing research on Quantum reels and in general.  I am going to check out the Tour S3 right now.

[Shimano_1]

I think its a combination of a few things. Ive wondered for years how/why they stayed afloat considering you rarely see average Joe's fishing them. They had several of the biggest names in the industry but still couldn't seem to grab hold. Ive owned a few and was pleased with the former smoke as well as the s3. Always puzzles me how someone can suggest to swap gears in a 400 dollar shimano to make it quiet and perform like it should.  Yet throw shade at other brands for being doyo or junk quantums or whatever.  I think they all make or have made decent reels and they've all dropped the ball a few times. Id have no problem having nothing but quantum reels. Just don't know what they can do at this point to grab some of the market. 

[Heartland]

20 minutes ago, Shimano_1 said:

I think its a combination of a few things. Ive wondered for years how/why they stayed afloat considering you rarely see average Joe's fishing them. They had several of the biggest names in the industry but still couldn't seem to grab hold. Ive owned a few and was pleased with the former smoke as well as the s3. Always puzzles me how someone can suggest to swap gears in a 400 dollar shimano to make it quiet and perform like it should.  Yet throw shade at other brands for being doyo or junk quantums or whatever.  I think they all make or have made decent reels and they've all dropped the ball a few times. Id have no problem having nothing but quantum reels. Just don't know what they can do at this point to grab some of the market. 

This is what makes me wonder about their target market and strategy.   

[Fishin Dad]

I purchased a Quantum KVD glass crankbait rod 5-6 years ago before I knew much about them.  I had seen them on a great sale at Cabelas for like $39.99 and bought a casting and spinning rod.  Fast forward and i (incorrectly according to theory) use the glass crankbait casting rod for bladed jigs and exceed the weight rating by quite a bit.   It is a big, heavy, under-powered rod, but I LOVE it for bladed jigs.  Rarely lose a fish i hooked because it is so forgiving.   I do also have a Dobyns glass for heavier bladed jigs, but have fished 1/2 once plus trailer with no problems yet.  I use the spinning rod on smallmouth waters.  It is a 7'4" crankbait spinning rod.  I use it for casting small swimbaits a long distance in that clear water.  I had no idea what I would use it for, but it works awesome for that.  

A few years later i was reading one of the many internet articles and forums and came across some Quantum company information about how they started over with a lot of research and development to make the Smoke S3 line of reels.  I decided to order up an S3 in the 8 gear ratio to use for flippin and pitchin.  I have also used it for casting as the spool is designed to be great for that.   I like the reel, but really don't have enough experience to really judge it well or define the perfect use for it.  I used it flippin this weekend and it worked well.  I know it will bomb a Whopper Plopper a good long ways.  Overall I think it is a really good reel and would compete finen with the other name brand reels.  I am predominately a Daiwa and Lews guy.  Only because I started with a Lew's and moved to Daiwa with all the positive reviews on this site.  I would like to see Quantum get in the mix.  Competition only spurs improvement and competition.  We all benefit from that!

[A-Jay]

While I am good with the Quantum gear I fish,

I believe that the company was riding the wildly popular KVD wave - 

All the way to the beach apparently.

The absences of that type of exposure can't be a good thing.

Unless they land a Wheeler or a J Lee type face,

it could be a tough stretch for their 'bass fishing' side of the house.

Just Say'in

A-Jay

 

 

[Heartland]

1 minute ago, A-Jay said:

While I am good with the Quantum gear I fish,

I believe that the company was riding the wildly popular KVD wave - 

All the way to the beach apparently.

The absences of that type of exposure can't be a good thing.

Unless they land a Wheeler or a J Lee type face,

it could be a tough stretch for their 'bass fishing' side of the house.

Just Say'in

A-Jay

 

 

I agree someone young and relevant right now would almost be better than continuing their relationship with KVD....

[Djohn]

I have several smoke & energy spinning reels and won't trade them for anything else. Never a problem and have served my well over the last 7-8 years of heavy use.