Quantum smoke accurist and tour?

[fk_98]

Hello all, I mostly use Shimano baitcasters but am interested in trying out any of the quantum reels in the title. Does anyone here have any experience with these reels? If so how have the reels lasted over time? Should I try a quantum or stay with shimano reels. 

[Bassin_Harrison]

I do not have any personal experience with any of them (I did handle one, never fished with it), but I did my fair share of research on the Smoke 2 years ago when I was looking for a new set up. The best I can offer is that I have yet to hear anything bad about it, look at all the TW reviews, the TackleTour review and some of the past posts about it on here. It sounds like a great all around reel, just stay away from really light baits. I'm still considering it for a future set up just because everybody has good things to say. I think since you've been a shimano guy it could be worth a shot to branch out. 

 

Hope this helps. 

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

I’m not as quick to bash Quantum as some. The upper end models like you mention aren’t terrible. That said, I don’t see you have anything to gain by switching beyond satisfying curiosity. Not necessarily a bad thing. 

[FishTank]

I fish mainly Shimano reels as well and had that itch to try Quantum again last year due to a bet.  

 

I found some at a good price from an Ebay dealer and decided to give it a go.  So I tried an Accurist, Smoke, Vapor, and Icon.  The Accurist was a dud (tried two of them).  The Icon was good but I just didn't fit my needs so I sold it.  The Vapor was a work in progress.  The side plate did not fit properly but Quantum's customer service got it fixed (it took a lot and a long time).  It is a really smooth reel.  The Smoke is the shining bright spot of the bunch.  It's just a good all-around reel. 

 

The down side to all of them though.....  When you take them apart, it's clear that they are not as well made as others despite performing well. I can't speak to their longevity myself but others here have had great luck.  

 

On another note, when contacting their customer service I got the sense that they are struggling with production/quality control but they do care a lot about what they do and they want to make it right.  

 

Personally, if you have to have one, the Smoke would be my choice >otherwise I would stay with Shimano. 

 

 

[DomQ]

I loved my smokes and energy reels, I had 10 in total.

[fk_98]

Quantum was just another brand I was interested in trying out as stated before but I am interested in trying other brands as well. Its not that im disappointed in my shimano reels rather I am just interested in giving other reel brands a shot. Ive tried the abu garcia revo ike which I've found to be disappointing. I have a daiwa tatula 100 which isn't bad but for some reason I've always felt off about the reel and a tatula sv gave out on me after one outing and I've tried the lews tournament pro which casted great but on the retrieve felt kind of geary towards the end of the retrieve. 

[zell_pop1]

I mostly fish Shimano and Daiwa reels in the 100-150 range, but the South Korean made Pflueger reels I had that were in the  same price range were just as good. Now I think I want to try out the Lews Kvd reel as it matches my old 6"8" Falcon lowrider rod.

 

[Lmsmbassaddict]

I only mess with shimano and daiwa. Recently I've had an itch to try a lews tournament mp because it seems solid. The only thing holding me back is lews feel rickity and cheap ($50-$120).

 

I used to use the pro qualifiers and they worked pretty well. They are very under brakes just like almost every cent./magnetic reel I've used. Which is why I have been pretty loyal to Shimano and daiwa. They don't have multiple brakes but they do the ones they use right and that's honestly made the world of difference. 

 

They also use aluminum gears and I'm just not a fan. That's why the pro qualifiers I stopped using.

[PhishLI]

21 hours ago, FishTank said:

The Vapor was a work in progress.  The side plate did not fit properly but Quantum's customer service got it fixed (it took a lot and a long time).  It is a really smooth reel.  

I've read elsewhere that the brass gear set from the Icon PT drops into the Vapor as they use the same frame. If smoothness becomes an issue over time due to the Vapor's aluminum gear, I can give you measurement specs on the pinion and gear if you come to need them and wish to confirm before a swap. I've beaten my Icons on swimbait and frog rigs and they're remarkably smooth still. I greased them with ACE straight away and they've been butter so far.

21 hours ago, FishTank said:

The Accurist was a dud

Were your samples the previous gen black and white dual brake PTs, or the white S3 with ACS 3.0 centrifugal brakes only? I've never tried either. Just curious which version disappointed. AFAIK, the current model Accurist S3 is essentially a Vapor with a flipping switch, but without a carbon handle. The 10ish gram spools are the same.

[PhishLI]

On 10/17/2020 at 7:13 PM, fk_98 said:

Should I try a quantum or stay with shimano reels. 

Stay with Shimano, but get a Tour S3 if you'd like to dip your toe. No reel I own, and I own a bunch, has gotten more time than the Tour this season. Despite @BaitFinessedoing his best to terrify me about it's aluminum main gear spontaneously combusting, and worse, it's remained trouble free and just as smooth as new.

 

Another member here, @QUAKEnSHAKE, claimed his Tour's brakes were noisy below a certain setting and shelved it. I've had no such issue, however they're not as quiet as the K's SVS Infinty brakes. This fact is one of the reasons I like the Tour. I fish at night more than any other time. Sound and vibration are my cues as I can rarely see the lure in flight. I need to hear and feel what the spool is doing to feather and stop it in time.

 

The Curado K is super smooth and quiet, but it's almost too much of a good thing in this scenario. Put that together with Fluorocarbon in cold weather and darkness, it's a challenge. Besides that, the Tour is more versatile regarding lure weights, in my opinion. With the brakes set on 6 I can switch from a 9/16 oz WP75 to a 1/4 oz squarebill, making no other adjustments whatsoever, and fire the bait out with abandon. Try that with the K without juicing up the spool tension or fiddling with brake blocks. Good luck. In my hands and the way I fish I find the Tour far more forgiving of the two when switching between typical bass baits under 3/4 oz. That said, my K now sits on a Dobyn's Champion 794SB for chucking Gantarel Jr's, Shellcraker G2s and the like, and is just outstanding in this role. Perfect. Dreamy.

 

Look, nothing's built like a Shimano, not even Daiwa until you get into the stratosphere. Shimano is top of the food chain regarding build and smoothness. Having cracked open and serviced every reel I own, plus my brother's and beyond, there's not much to complain about with the Tour S3, even if it's not a Shimano. The drag is smooth, the thumbar/clutch has a nice positive click, it cranks pretty smoothly, it has bearings in the most important places, and is one heck of a caster. Build quality should matter, but performance in hand is what matters most. There are little things, beyond absolute build quality alone, like braking profile, that make for synergistic match ups. It's personal. That's why there are Daiwa guys and Shimano guys, but there are other players on the block. You'll never know unless you try. I'm glad I did.

[FishTank]

1 hour ago, PhishLI said:

Were you're samples the previous gen black and white dual brake PTs, or the white S3 with ACS 3.0 centrifugal brakes only? I've never tried either. Just curious which version disappointed. AFAIK, the current model Accurist S3 is essentially a Vapor with a flipping switch, but without a carbon handle. The 10ish gram spools are the same.

They were the PT's and not samples.  The first was given to me (sort of) new by an avid Quantum fan.  I had issues with it and exchanged it.  The second I bought on ebay from Simmons Sporting Goods.   The one I exchanged also had the same issues.  In a way, I tried three.  I cant's speak for the newer versions but they do look like the Vapor, which I do like.  I used it today, as a matter of fact (no fish though).  

[MidwestBassAttack]

I say give them a try. Reels are like guitars. Each is unique in their own way. I own three 16’ Metaniums and a Curado K. Solid reels....but so is my Revo X which cost about a third of the price. 
 

Go by fit (how it feels in your hand) then by feel.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

Here is how mine sounds on a cast

 

[PhishLI]

1 hour ago, QUAKEnSHAKE said:

Here is how mine sounds on a cast

Yeesh. Mine doesn't sound like that. If anything it had a slight whine in the beginning. My brother was out with me the first day I fished it and asked if it was some type of DC reel. After oiling the brake race several times with Bantam oil, and the individual brake blocks just once while fully extended, that sound went away after cranking up the brakes and bomb casting a 1 oz dark sleeper for a while. The thought here was to soften the blocks slightly allowing them to conform to the conical brake race as recommended for the Chronarch CI4+. It worked in both cases. My Chronarch screamed before this treatment.

 

I recall that you bought yours during the classic sale, which means you're registered at their site and have their receipt. It has a solid warranty. Why not send it back?

[Kevinator1]

I've got 5 of the Quantum Tour S3's and love them. I also use Shimano and Daiwa but i really believe the Quantum is just as good. It's a pitching machine....extremely long pitches are easy with the Tour S3. 

[PhishLI]

18 hours ago, FishTank said:

They were the PT's and not samples

Instead of writing "were your samples", I could have written "were your examples", or "were your units", or simply "were your reels". My apologies. English is my second language. I come from Brooklyn.

[FishTank]

3 hours ago, PhishLI said:

Instead of writing "were your samples", I could have written "were your examples", or "were your units", or simply "were your reels". My apologies. English is my second language. I come from Brooklyn.

I don't have the Accurists anymore.  They were all returned.  The Smoke and Vapor are the only two I still have.

[Blaine Donders]

My Accurist S3 kicks butt. Only thing I don’t care for is the position of the thumb bar. Small potatoes. I prefer it slightly to my Energy and Icon, only because of the paint job. All are a little rough fit and finish but tough and smooth, and work great.

 

Now the Smoke S3, KVD Smoke S3, and the Smoke HD, are another level all together. I haven’t used a Tour S3, but it’s basically a Smoke S3, so would be awesome as well. 
These reels are great. Underrated! 
 

I also have Tatulas, STX’s, Lew’s, and JM. Sold my Shimano. I love Tatulas, like the STX and Lew’s Tournament MP. Love the JM Pro Qualifiers, and really like the Platinum. I always enjoy my Accurist and Smokes, and will buy more when they wear out. 

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

On 10/19/2020 at 12:35 AM, PhishLI said:

I recall that you bought yours during the classic sale, which means you're registered at their site and have their receipt. It has a solid warranty. Why not send it back?

I sent it in and they sent me back a Smoke S3 took less than a week. Not sure why they didnt give me a Tour S3 for replacement. Havent tried it out yet hoping it doesnt make the same noise.

[PhishLI]

1 hour ago, QUAKEnSHAKE said:

I sent it in and they sent me back a Smoke S3 took less than a week. Not sure why they didnt give me a Tour S3 for replacement. Havent tried it out yet hoping it doesnt make the same noise.

The Tour is no longer shown on Quantum's site. Looks like it's was discontinued after their sale, so maybe that's why? They may get the same treatment Pflueger got. I'll grab a few more Tours myself from the auction site. Other than a few small details the Smoke S3 and the Tour S3 are identical, so hopefully you'll be good this time around.

[FishTank]

3 hours ago, QUAKEnSHAKE said:

I sent it in and they sent me back a Smoke S3 took less than a week. Not sure why they didnt give me a Tour S3 for replacement. Havent tried it out yet hoping it doesnt make the same noise.

 

I picked up a Tour S3 over Christmas break and it's making the same noise on a cast.  I noticed the more I turned the breaks down the less noise it makes so I has to be something in the breaking system> it almost sounds like a Shimano DC reel.   It still casts well but it's not a long distance reel by any stretch of the imagination.   It is really smooth on the retrieve though and it's fun to fish.  

 

One other thing I noticed is that any setting below 5 on breaks seems to deactivate the breaking system all together.  Other than that, it's a nice reel.  It maybe the best Quantum reel I have picked up.  But is it on par with other reels from Shimano and Daiwa at the same regular-price point?   I hate to say it no, not really.  I almost like the Smoke S3 and the KVD Smoke better.   I will need to evaluate them more thoroughly as the year goes on.   We will see. 

 

 

[Murfsda1]

Gday from Downunder. I purchased a quantum smoke SL 100 Hpts. Ive upgraded the bearings to ceramic, and id like to upgrade the spool to a custom lightened spool. Can anyone give me advice. Thanks heaps