ABU is overpriced Posted January 21 Posted January 21 I don't want to say that Abus are overpriced, but i have to say that they're well overpriced😁 When Shimano and Daiwa exist, what is the point of going with Abu? They don't offer a single product that is superior to the other two, their higher end reels are as expensive as Japan Made Shimanos and Daiwas, they don't retain their value in the used market, and because of the low yen, Shimanos and especially Daiwas can be had for crazy deals. How is Abu Garcia surviving against these two? 2 Quote
MediumMouthBass Posted January 21 Posted January 21 Abu is a joke now. Not even sure how they are holding on the way the economy is. Their bread was the Ambassadeur. Well they just started making them in China. I think we all know how that will play out? The butter was the affordability, and marketing towards beginners. Remember when you would walk into a Walmart and see Black Maxes, Pro Maxes etc.... Complete combos as low as $60, often times included a few baits for free too! I loved mine so much i bought several, easy to use, simple, and dirt cheap. The new Max X is poorly made, uncomfortable and MSRPs for $90. They also stopped putting them in stores, havent seen a single one in Walmart yet, and they sold a bunch of product only because they were in Walmarts across America. Revos were also less than $80, and most of the rods varied from $50-100. The old school round reel and budget fishing was their thing, and they did it better than anyone. Had the market cornered, and decided to throw it away to compete against Daiwa and Shimano.... Imagine Kia selling a car for as much as a Mercedes, While still only offering Kia quality. The new rods and reels are ridiculously expensive, subpar materials, horrible reviews (especially rods), lack of customer service too. Guys get broken rods and call cs, no one answers. Email? maybe if you are persistent for a few weeks youll get to talk to someone. Their new pro rods MSRP for $200 for example, and they look like garbage. Check it out, the color scheme is something else..... Its Pure Fishings fault, look at Spiderwire. The most hated on braid there is. Berkley? Lures cost $10 and have bills breaking constantly, or they are in the hot seat for copying another bait for this years i cast. Fenwick? Rods snap like twigs. Pfleuger? Terrible reviews, the life long users ditched them and couldnt take it anymore. No one buys a plastic Abu reel for $120, or an aluminum framed one for $200 over a Tatula, LFS, SLX, Curado, Zillion, etc.... Nor will they pay $120-200 for rods when Dobyns, Falcon, Shimano, and Daiwa are the same price. Im very fond of the Abu combos, rods, and reels i own. They have great memories, and shaped my bass fishing to what it is today. But i cant imagine ill ever buy another one of their products, especially for the outrageous prices they ask. And the lack of quality they currently offer. Pure Fishing is the reason so many worried when Dobyns got bought, and this is why. Lews is the new Abu, tons of marketing to beginners. Stocking DSG and Walmarts to the max, promoting all over social media/youtube. Offering affordable rods and reels, doing sales all the time. Thats why so many people are buying Lews, even though Shimanos and Daiwas are often better. 3 Quote
Super User bulldog1935 Posted January 21 Super User Posted January 21 why would other people's money or interests matter to you 9 4 Quote
Super User GreenPig Posted January 21 Super User Posted January 21 I don't buy Abu anymore. I bought alot of them before my young uneducated self tried Shimano & Daiwa. Quote
GReb Posted January 21 Posted January 21 Nobody pays full retail for an Abu or Lews. You can usually get them at least 20% off year round from certain retailers. The STX at $160 and SX at $120 are good buys. I’ve had more problems with Shimano and Daiwa in that price range over the last 5 years. Now if you’re talking over $200 then I agree. Just get a zillion, met, or bantam. 1 Quote
Dan N Posted January 21 Posted January 21 I’m not really sure how to take that. so do you really mean why buy any brand other than Diawa or Shimano? I guess I have many different brands of reels. I like trying different equipment. I have not personally been so impressed by my Diawa and Shimano reels that I think everything else is inferior. Then again , I don’t buy the high end stuff. To each their own, it doesn’t really matter to me what other people prefer. 8 Quote
PBBrandon Posted January 21 Posted January 21 My first “good” baitcaster was a gen 4 Revo SX. I thought the Abus looked cool and I found a nice Veritas to pair it with. I thought that combo was the bees knees. That was until it went geary on me (probably due to my bad habit at the time of locking down the drag and pulling straight back to break free from snags) Looking back it casted well, was smooth, and probably compared well to a $100 Shimano or Daiwa. Abus aren’t bad reels, there are plenty of worse options, but most experienced anglers know that there are 3 better brands and stick with those. They are however, frequently on sale, have a few gems in their lineup, and are “eye catching” to some novice anglers like I was. Their new reels look pretty ugly to me though and I’m sure that isn’t helping their case either. I ended up trading that Revo in a couple of years later at the BPS trade in event and got a Chronarch with it 1 Quote
ABU is overpriced Posted January 21 Author Posted January 21 8 hours ago, Dan N said: I’m not really sure how to take that. so do you really mean why buy any brand other than Diawa or Shimano? I guess I have many different brands of reels. I like trying different equipment. I have not personally been so impressed by my Diawa and Shimano reels that I think everything else is inferior. Then again , I don’t buy the high end stuff. To each their own, it doesn’t really matter to me what other people prefer. No, just Abu in particular because they're part of the "big 3". Quote
Gera Posted January 21 Posted January 21 10 hours ago, MediumMouthBass said: Imagine Kia selling a car for as much as a Mercedes, While still only offering Kia quality. lol... are you talking about Dodge/jeep?? That is a great analogy 1 Quote
Super User A-Jay Posted January 21 Super User Posted January 21 Why would you buy an ABU over a Shimano or a Daiwa? Is this a trick Question ? A-Jay 2 Quote
Eric 26 Posted January 21 Posted January 21 I’m going to throw in my .02 in. So I’ve purchased an Abu Garcia and was gifted one. The gifted reel was/is a Revo X in a 5.4:1 gear ratio and at the time I knew nothing about the JDM market, the second is a Revo ALF in a 6.4:1 gear ratio I purchased on a close out deal from Tackle Warehouse. I will also add I’m a bit of a budget buyer and given the chance to do it again I would probably not buy/ask for the Revo X but it has and continues to serve it’s intended use. I will add both of my reels are left handed retrieve and when I received the Revo there weren’t a whole lot of options for a 5 speed left handed retrieve at least in the domestic market. As for the Revo ALF in my opinion it’s every bit as nice as my Tatulas and being a more compact frame it was and continues to be one of my favorite purchases. 3 Quote
MediumMouthBass Posted January 21 Posted January 21 14 hours ago, bulldog1935 said: why would other people's money or interests matter to you This is a fishing forum, you know where someone comes to ask a question.... And i know for a fact peoples money and interests have mattered to you at one point or another. It seems a lot of people so far missed the actual question. Its not " why would you ever buy an Abu" Its why pay $120 for a plastic framed Revo when an LFS is $100, SLX is $100, Fuego CT is $120. Why pay $200 for their pro rods when you can buy a fantastic quality, highly praised and reviewed Dobyns, Falcon, Daiwa, Shimano, Lews, many many others that are between $100-200. Maybe hes curious what hes missing? Is it the way the reel looks? The way it palms in the hand? How it feels? A life long Abu user just wanting to keep buying reels from the company he did decades ago? Maybe they have good sales that undercut a rod/reel from Daiwa or Shimano by 50%. Or is it the person just had nothing but issues with Daiwas and Shimanos and Abu's gave them good results. No rational person pays 25, 50, 100% more for something else for no reason, so hes asking why? What makes them special and worth paying more than a Daiwa or Shimano? 4 hours ago, Gera said: lol... are you talking about Dodge/jeep?? That is a great analogy Honestly shouldve just used Dodge, but it was late and i was tired. Their Durango RT was $42,000 a few years ago, now its $72,000. TRX $72,000, now any remaining ones are $130,000. And they want $40-50k for the Hornet😂 But ive seen a few Kia's pushing that $60-70k mark too. 3 hours ago, Eric 26 said: I will also add I’m a bit of a budget buyer and given the chance to do it again I would probably not buy/ask for the Revo X but it has and continues to serve it’s intended use. Abu used to run sales frequently, they were the budget fishermans brand. Now they reduced sales, increased price, while keeping quality the same or less. Which is more than likely why the OP is asking this question. 1 Quote
Super User bulldog1935 Posted January 21 Super User Posted January 21 well you just returned to block - I won't read your crap again. Would that you were man enough to say you to my face. When people ask for a recommendation, may offer one on topic if I have one. By definition, offering unsolicited advice defines control freak, dumb control freak is nutso. There's a big difference between making a positive contribution on the forum and randomly trolling with a negative opinion, such as the premise of this thread OP. 5 Quote
Gera Posted January 21 Posted January 21 20 minutes ago, MediumMouthBass said: Honestly shouldve just used Dodge, but it was late and i was tired. Their Durango RT was $42,000 a few years ago, now its $72,000. TRX $72,000, now any remaining ones are $130,000. And they want $40-50k for the Hornet😂 But ive seen a few Kia's pushing that $60-70k mark too. Their case should be studied for years on how to destroy a brand... Somehow, Previous Stellantis CEO believed that by a twist of his wand he could convert their US market vehicles to be high end ones.. what??? complete unawareness of their brand position in the market. Quote
Junger Posted January 21 Posted January 21 11 minutes ago, bulldog1935 said: well you just returned to block - I won't read your crap again. Is there a way to block users here? Asking for a friend..... 1 2 Quote
Johnbt Posted January 21 Posted January 21 "their higher end reels are as expensive as Japan Made Shimanos and Daiwas" I just looked at some casting reels on the TW site. ABU has a $550, but Daiwas run up to $750 and Shimanos up to $600. It's all play money past about $250 or $300. Play, as in it's a hobby and I'm blowing my play money budget on it (if I actually limited myself to a budget.) I could be down at the bowling alley every week spending $75 on three games, shoes, a burger and a pitcher of beer, but I don't. Or maybe it would be $100 these days from what my wife spends to take our 2 little grandsons bowling once a month. I bought 3 ABU Premiers in 2012 and they are still fine reels. Meanwhile I have purchased more Daiwa Steez than Shimano Metanium and certainly prefer the Steez variations more than the Metaniums even with the brass gears I added. 1 Quote
rangerjockey Posted January 21 Posted January 21 13 hours ago, MediumMouthBass said: Abu is a joke now. Not even sure how they are holding on the way the economy is. Their bread was the Ambassadeur. Well they just started making them in China. I think we all know how that will play out? The butter was the affordability, and marketing towards beginners. Remember when you would walk into a Walmart and see Black Maxes, Pro Maxes etc.... Complete combos as low as $60, often times included a few baits for free too! I loved mine so much i bought several, easy to use, simple, and dirt cheap. The new Max X is poorly made, uncomfortable and MSRPs for $90. They also stopped putting them in stores, havent seen a single one in Walmart yet, and they sold a bunch of product only because they were in Walmarts across America. Revos were also less than $80, and most of the rods varied from $50-100. The old school round reel and budget fishing was their thing, and they did it better than anyone. Had the market cornered, and decided to throw it away to compete against Daiwa and Shimano.... Imagine Kia selling a car for as much as a Mercedes, While still only offering Kia quality. The new rods and reels are ridiculously expensive, subpar materials, horrible reviews (especially rods), lack of customer service too. Guys get broken rods and call cs, no one answers. Email? maybe if you are persistent for a few weeks youll get to talk to someone. Their new pro rods MSRP for $200 for example, and they look like garbage. Check it out, the color scheme is something else..... Its Pure Fishings fault, look at Spiderwire. The most hated on braid there is. Berkley? Lures cost $10 and have bills breaking constantly, or they are in the hot seat for copying another bait for this years i cast. Fenwick? Rods snap like twigs. Pfleuger? Terrible reviews, the life long users ditched them and couldnt take it anymore. No one buys a plastic Abu reel for $120, or an aluminum framed one for $200 over a Tatula, LFS, SLX, Curado, Zillion, etc.... Nor will they pay $120-200 for rods when Dobyns, Falcon, Shimano, and Daiwa are the same price. Im very fond of the Abu combos, rods, and reels i own. They have great memories, and shaped my bass fishing to what it is today. But i cant imagine ill ever buy another one of their products, especially for the outrageous prices they ask. And the lack of quality they currently offer. Pure Fishing is the reason so many worried when Dobyns got bought, and this is why. Lews is the new Abu, tons of marketing to beginners. Stocking DSG and Walmarts to the max, promoting all over social media/youtube. Offering affordable rods and reels, doing sales all the time. Thats why so many people are buying Lews, even though Shimanos and Daiwas are often better. Why did pure fishing get worried when GSM acquired Dobyns ? And also can you support the Fenwicks snap like twigs comment ? I've owned the 24 World class, Elite and Hmg and have a friend who is a dealer. Never heard about breakage. I'm not a big ABU fan in fact I don't own any at present but one things for sure there has been a load of money won with them over the years. 2 Quote
MediumMouthBass Posted January 21 Posted January 21 (edited) 3 hours ago, rangerjockey said: Why did pure fishing get worried when GSM acquired Dobyns ? And also can you support the Fenwicks snap like twigs comment ? I've owned the 24 World class, Elite and Hmg and have a friend who is a dealer. Never heard about breakage. I meant the people, theres still a lot of guys worried about Dobyns buyout. Because look at anything Pure Fishing bought. Company buyouts can go either way, but usually only one. For Fenwicks check out different websites reviews. It seems to be happening more so in the $80-150 range. Look up Fenwick rod snapping on google, reddit has a ton of posts about them if you really want more indepth talks on it. Also when searching look up Fenwick HMG broken, theres a few other forums where theres guys talking about the ones they had breaking easily. Atleast most of the guys were taken care of with replacements, but im still not sure if there customer service team is back yet after covid. For awhile there it was weeks of emailing/calling just to get a human to talk to. Edited January 21 by MediumMouthBass Quote
rangerjockey Posted January 21 Posted January 21 7 minutes ago, MediumMouthBass said: I meant the people, theres still a lot of guys worried about Dobyns buyout. Because look at anything Pure Fishing bought. For fenwicks check TW, and other review sites. It seems to be happening more so in the $80-150 range. Look up Fenwick rod snapping on google, reddit has a ton of posts about them if you really want more indepth talks on it. I don't have any interest in internet BS. Half of the guys writing reviews couldn't catch one in a barrel. I prefer to fish the rod myself and draw my own conclusions. Just my opinion ,but unless the info is coming from someone I know and trust it worthless. As soon as I hear I read this or heard that to me it's meaningless. 1 Quote
MediumMouthBass Posted January 21 Posted January 21 3 hours ago, rangerjockey said: I don't have any interest in internet BS. Half of the guys writing reviews couldn't catch one in a barrel. I prefer to fish the rod myself and draw my own conclusions. Okay? You asked a question, i gave an answer. Who wouldve thought so many people would get so offended by rod reviews on the internet. Its your money, buy whatever you want i guess. For me ill stick with reviews, i dont have a yearly budget of 100k to drop on rods to see if i like them. 1 Quote
rangerjockey Posted January 21 Posted January 21 3 minutes ago, MediumMouthBass said: Okay? You asked a question, i gave an answer. Who wouldve thought so many people would get so offended by rod reviews on the internet. Its your money, buy whatever you want i guess. For me ill stick with reviews, i dont have a yearly budget of 100k to drop on rods to see if i like them. It's not 100k or anywhere near but my wife and I came to an agreement years ago on my fishing. Don't misunderstand . I'm not offended by reviews although some are laughable. I just don't put any value in them unless I know the person writing them is good enough to have an opinion that matters. Quote
MediumMouthBass Posted January 21 Posted January 21 3 hours ago, rangerjockey said: I just don't put any value in them unless I know the person writing them is good enough to have an opinion that matters. I get it, i however dont have anyone i trust to ask in person. As the only people i know who fish are using combos from decades ago or are the shop owners. Reviews on here or websites are all i have to go on, and i like to spend my money carefully. Quote
rangerjockey Posted January 21 Posted January 21 1 minute ago, MediumMouthBass said: I get it, i however dont have anyone i trust to ask in person. As the only people i know who fish are using combos from decades ago or are the shop owners. Reviews on here or websites are all i have to go on, and i like to spend my money carefully. PM me anytime. I haven't fished every rod by any means but I get to fish a lot of them. 2 1 Quote
Super User casts_by_fly Posted January 21 Super User Posted January 21 9 minutes ago, rangerjockey said: It's not 100k or anywhere near but my wife and I came to an agreement years ago on my fishing. Don't misunderstand . I'm not offended by reviews although some are laughable. I just don't put any value in them unless I know the person writing them is good enough to have an opinion that matters. reviews in places that sell rods (tw, Amazon, bps, etc) are inherently biased. Most people will only bother to leave a review if they love love love their item or have had a problem. It is a selection bias and in no way accounts for the totality of that items production. Something might have 100 bad reviews but if they have sold 100 million of them that’s a pretty good run. Unfortunately, we don’t know the bottom number in the fraction. 1 hour ago, Junger said: Is there a way to block users here? Asking for a friend..... yes. Yes you can. Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.