Abu VS. Lew's

[Toad_Hunter]

so recently the Abu Garcia revo premier gen 4 came on sale for 50% off normally 300usd now 150usd at bass pro. i was about to order the lews tournament pro speed spool lfs but the reel caught my attention. anyone have thoughts on either of thee reels?   

[CountryboyinDC]

I don't have any experience with the Gen4 Revos, but I did have 2 Gen3 Revos that stopped running (STXs) with the thumb bar not returning to after you spin the handle.  I still have 2 Gen3 Revos going, a Premier and a SX.  I didn't get a lot of help from Abu, and I've been using Lews Tournament MBs since.  The problem I was having was reported pretty widely on other forums, but I haven't heard much about the Gen4s.  The Premier is a nice reel for $150 if it's reliable.

[Michigander]

I also saw that deal and passed on it.

 

Two red flags about it:

A ) It's not sold out yet....

B )There's more horror stories in the reviews than glowing recommendations...

 

 

 

 

[Hawkeye21]

I wouldn't get too caught up in comparing Lew's and Abu Garcia.  They are basically the same thing.  I believe they are made by the same manufacturer.

[JustJames]

Agree with this ^^^^ if not the same they are definitely close. Is it worth 300? Absolutely not but at 150 it is a may be. A 6.1oz reel with only 10 grams deep spool, should be able to handle wild varieties of lure weight. Are there any better reel in the same price range? Definitely YES from shimano and Daiwa but not Lews.

[galyonj]

8 minutes ago, Hawkeye21 said:

I wouldn't get too caught up in comparing Lew's and Abu Garcia.  They are basically the same thing.  I believe they are made by the same manufacturer.

 

I think Doyo manufactures for both (among a whole slew of others) based on specs provided by the brand(s).

 

I use a bunch of Lew's reels – I have two of those LFS reels in heavy rotation, and I like them okay. They do a good job.

 

You're comparing it with a reel that fights at a higher price point for basically the cost of a LFS, though. That's kind of a no-brainer to me.

[Toad_Hunter]

10 minutes ago, galyonj said:

 

I think Doyo manufactures for both (among a whole slew of others) based on specs provided by the brand(s).

 

I use a bunch of Lew's reels – I have two of those LFS reels in heavy rotation, and I like them okay. They do a good job.

 

You're comparing it with a reel that fights at a higher price point for basically the cost of a LFS, though. That's kind of a no-brainer to me.

so in your opinion the abu is the better choice?

[galyonj]

7 minutes ago, Toad_Hunter said:

so in your opinion the abu is the better choice?

 

 

You know what? I just realized I was thinking about a completely different LFS reel this entire time.

 

I'm so sorry, and I'm going to reverse myself. I'd take the Lew's for $200 over the Abu at $150. The P2 gear gets a lot of love every time I hear about it, and Lew's customer service is fabulous.

 

[PhishLI]

On 12/4/2020 at 8:59 AM, Toad_Hunter said:

so recently the Abu Garcia revo premier gen 4 came on sale for 50% off normally 300usd now 150usd at bass pro. i was about to order the lews tournament pro speed spool lfs but the reel caught my attention. anyone have thoughts on either of thee reels?   

The Tournament Pro LFS has a spool that's just as light as the ABU's, and you won't have to mess around with opening the side cover to adjust brake blocks like the ABU as it has externally adjustable centrifugal brakes. It's an excellent caster with light baits. Mine's been trouble free all season. Not one quirk or one bit of mechanical weirdness. $139 in some places.

[CFDoc]

2 hours ago, Hawkeye21 said:

I wouldn't get too caught up in comparing Lew's and Abu Garcia.  They are basically the same thing.  I believe they are made by the same manufacturer.

 

 

Would you say there's a difference between an Antares A and Caius? I mean, they're both made by the same manufacturer...

 

To the OP, put me in the Lews over the Abu for the models you're considering. I owned two Revo's in my day and had issues with both. 

[newapti5]

I'd pick the Abu Premier. Actually I did, and the one I got is quite smooth out-of-the-box. I won't pay $300 for it, but $150 is a good price for a flagship reel. It can't compare to the same price Shimano or Daiwa reels, or even the craftsmanship of a $179 Curado K, but since both Abu and Lew's are made by Doyo, I would say Abu Premier is a step-up from Tournament Pro. 

 

But I guess it mostly comes down to what you want to use it for. I bought it for throwing ~3/8oz jerkbaits. The whole reel is lighter than Lew's Tournament Pro, also has a VERY light-weight spool.  Furthermore, it's got some bling-bling, and a carbon fiber handle. Whether or not you like these "extras", that's where some of the price difference goes.  The brake system is a little finicky as the STX's, but if you're a experienced baitcaster user, it shouldn't be a problem. About the thumb bar problem that plagued the 3rd Gen Revos, they fixed it on this Gen of Revos, and specifically listed it as a promotional feature. The new thumb bars are fine, according to my 2-year-old Gen 4 Revo STX. All the above make the Premier a better choice for me. 

 

BTW, someone on the forum did complain that his Premier order got cancelled by BPS. So, I think the availability showed on their website right now is a mistake, or a strategy. 

[PhishLI]

47 minutes ago, newapti5 said:

I would say Abu Premier is a step-up from Tournament Pro. 

Maybe. Maybe not. The Lew's has a CF handle too. Spools weigh the same. Both have quite free centrifugal braking systems and fast spools. Both require sharp thumb skill. The difference is that the TP LFS has a dual pinion support and the Revo doesn't. There's a reason Lew's-Doyo is moving to a fully supported pinion, even in $100 LFSs. Lots of Doyos get a bit geary quite quickly after several good fish or fighting fish out of cover. I've lived it. My TP has stayed the same all season, which is relatively smooth for an aluminum geared reel, and I fish in predominately weed choked, giant pad fields. My Tat SVs gears didn't stand up here either without a fully supported pinion. My Quantums have, but they all have that feature. Anyway, with all things being practically equal, I'd go for the Doyo with a beefed up gear train.

[newapti5]

1 hour ago, PhishLI said:

Maybe. Maybe not. The Lew's has a CF handle too. Spools weigh the same. Both have quite free centrifugal braking systems and fast spools. Both require sharp thumb skill. The difference is that the TP LFS has a dual pinion support and the Revo doesn't. There's a reason Lew's-Doyo is moving to a fully supported pinion, even in $100 LFSs. Lots of Doyos get a bit geary quite quickly after several good fish or fighting fish out of cover. I've lived it. My TP has stayed the same all season, which is relatively smooth for an aluminum geared reel, and I fish in predominately weed choked, giant pad fields. My Tat SVs gears didn't stand up here either without a fully supported pinion. My Quantums have, but they all have that feature. Anyway, with all things being practically equal, I'd go for the Doyo with a beefed up gear train.

 

Oh I am sorry. I thought we're comparing the Premier with the old Tournament Pro. Then yes, I agree with every word you said. Dual support pinion is vital to longevity and performance, especially for fishing resistant lures. That's why I don't want to buy a SLX, no matter what they throw on it, XT, MGL or DC. However, like I said, it depends on what you want to use the reel for. For light duty jerkbait fishing, I don't think dual support pinion gear matters much. My old Tatula CT dedicated for jerkbait fishing is still quite smooth after 3 years usage. Besides dual support pinion, I also believe tolerance plays an important role in smoothness or longevity, and usually that's not something you can easily observe, but comes with a higher price tag. Anyway, these are the reasons why I bought it, even though it doesn't have dual support pinion gear. 

 

On a side note, I don't think it's fair to compare the Premier with the new Tournament Pro.  The latter is relatively new, and the former is already being retired. That's why it's on sale. You can't find it on Abu's website already. They will probably push out a new Premier pretty soon, maybe even with a dual support pinion gear.  It's about time for Abu if you ask me. 

[OG Crankster]

I love my Abu reels. Never had any issues. My Revo Premier arrived yesterday. Feels smooth. Cant wait to use it.

[Born 2 fish]

On 12/4/2020 at 7:59 AM, Toad_Hunter said:

so recently the Abu Garcia revo premier gen 4 came on sale for 50% off normally 300usd now 150usd at bass pro. i was about to order the lews tournament pro speed spool lfs but the reel caught my attention. anyone have thoughts on either of thee reels?   

Buy the  Lews tournament pro lfs you will not be disappointed and you will want another one.

[Teal]

5 minutes ago, Born 2 fish said:

Buy the  Lews tournament pro lfs you will not be disappointed and you will want another one.

SportsmansOutfitters almost always has the Lews TP for 139.00.  

[Big-Bass]

Did you get your Gen4 Premier?  I ordered mine and four days later they canceled it and said it was out of stock.  I thought I was one of the first to order that reel on Black Friday (put 10 in my cart to check inventory and it said fine so I deducted to one but it never shipped.  Instead I got their email as mentioned.

[Shimano_1]

Everyone always says they're basically the same reels. In my experience that isn't true. My buddy has probably 15 revos from gen 2 til now. They all work but none of them feel as smooth as my lews. My buddy even mentions it any time he picks up one of mine. Overall I just feel the lews have a little better quality and durability.  May be a better grade of bearings or something but I've owned several revos and none of them impressed me. Id take the tournament pro for 139 at sportsman's outfitters over that premier all day long. 

[ThatZX14Fella]

I was a big fan of Lew's until recently. It seems like they're putting out an inferior product for a higher price now. Abu is kind of your average to below average for price. Nothing special, but they work. If I had to pick, when it comes to low profile reels, I'd go Lew's. Although, they've burned me out with these $160 graphite framed reels.

[dodgeguy]

On 12/4/2020 at 11:28 AM, PhishLI said:

The Tournament Pro LFS has a spool that's just as light as the ABU's, and you won't have to mess around with opening the side cover to adjust brake blocks like the ABU as it has externally adjustable centrifugal brakes. It's an excellent caster with light baits. Mines been trouble free all season. Not one quirk or one bit of mechanical weirdness. $139 in some places.

I second that