Johnbt Posted January 21 Posted January 21 www.abugarcia.com/products/max-x-baitcast-combo?currency=USD&variant=42039890083979&stkn=846e8546609e&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAqL28BhCrARIsACYJvkdwvB4aFts6EH8EA5rF8HsehDWSbUMY6mGdeujaSA7WsjILfxf1PaYaAkE_EALw_wcB Max X Baitcast Combo, 7' MH Right $54.99 $89.99 The banner on the home page says free shipping on orders over $50 and to see details. Quote
Eric 26 Posted January 21 Posted January 21 I’m going to add on to my original answer. Again at the time of receiving my Revo X I held quite a few different reels and felt then as I do now the Abu offered quite a bit of reel for the price, with that said I preferred and still do the Daiwa braking system to that of the Abu and or the Lews LFS that as I’ve said before just doesn’t fit right in my hands and if they offered a 5 speed Fuego or Tatula CT I would have probably ended up with one of them instead. As far as being a plastic framed reel I can assure you it’s not and is an aluminum frame with carbon/plastic side plates which is quite normal even in the Daiwa/Shimano lines and fits really nicely in my hands to boot. Also as was shared with me by ironically @bulldog1935 the Revo X platform was used by the aftermarket company ZPI to produce the “Alcance” a reel that bulldog owns and hey if it’s good enough for them it’s definitely more than good enough for me. As far as my saying I wouldn’t purchase the Abu currently it’s because of this site that I’ve discovered purchasing from Japan and I really do prefer Daiwa although I’m using casting reels from 6 different companies currently. I will say the new Abu Revo’s do feel good in hand but I’m also just as inclined to want to try a Sevin branded reel as they also fit in my hand. Oh how I need to win the lottery 😜 1 Quote
MediumMouthBass Posted January 21 Posted January 21 4 hours ago, Eric 26 said: As far as being a plastic framed reel I can assure you it’s not and is an aluminum frame with carbon/plastic side plates which is quite normal even in the Daiwa/Shimano lines I think we might be talking about two different Revo X's. Im talking about the 5th gen with an all carbon frame, not the 4th which was aluminum. The reels from Daiwa and Shimano with plastic/carbon frames that are equivalent (CC80 CR80 Caius) cost $70-80. Which is $50 less. OP's original point makes sense when you start to compare prices. The Abu Revo 4th gen was a steal and a heck of a deal back then, because it would be sold regularly on sale for $80. So just a few years ago Abu was miles ahead of both competitors selling there plastic junk for the same price. (Yes thats right, an aluminum framed Abu was the same price as the big 2's plastic junk) Abu shouldve took the win, and stayed being the budget fishermans company. Because they were the only game in town, and they had the win handed to them. 4 hours ago, Eric 26 said: and fits really nicely in my hands Which matters more than we think, i hate my Tatula 150 because it feels like im holding a brick. Its interesting theres so much controversy here, i know the old school Abu fanboys (1 comes to mind in particular) were upset by this thread and called it trolling. Blocking a guy for stating a fact Abu costs more than other brands? Okay then. And that the OP and i are the devil for saying anything about it, but its the truth. Whether people like it or not. Do Abu reels still offer something to the table? Yes absolutely. But they dont offer anything to back up the steep price increase compared to what they were selling for and whats already on the market. On sale Abu reels are still very good for the money, like the Rexo SX on Amazon right now for $120. Its actually $115. Heck of a deal compared to even the JDM Daiwas and Shimanos. And because i like the design and color im really thinking about buying one. But this is a rarity today, as Abu keeps doing less and less sales and trying to sell only for MSRP most of the time now. I personally love all the Abu products i have, even got a t shirt and a few hats. But im not going to let my love for my older rods and reels keep me from seeing the truth. A $10 pizza is a $10 pizza, no matter how much the fanboys tell you its worth $20. Imagine if Daiwa took the Tatula CT and sold it for $210. Lews the LFS for $150. Shimano the SLX XT for $180. (US and JDM prices) Id be boycotting them too. Its nothing personal against Abus products (well minus the rods), its against the prices. Shimano, Daiwa, Lews, and Abu all have their issues, strenghts, and weaknesses. And each one brings something different. But would anyone here actually buy a 5th Gen Revo SX that MSRP's for $170, Revo STX $230, Zata $190, Rocket $330, Winch $230, Zenon X $350. Over a Tatula 100 from Japan for $110? Tatula CT from the US for $150, SLX XT for $125? JDM Zillion for $210? JDM Zillion HD $240? Or on the low end, would anyone pay $120 for the Revo X over the LFS $100, SLX $100, Fuego Ct $120? Some might because they might just love the reels, whether its looks, fit and finish, or how it feels, but for the majority if they can get more for less they will go that route. Quote
Eric 26 Posted January 21 Posted January 21 @MediumMouthBass I was definitely referring to the 4th generation Revo X and to be perfectly honest I didn’t even realize the 5th or newer 🤔 generation was made from carbon throughout. With that said I do realize the Seven branded reel is made from carbon/plastic even though I will admit I would rather have an aluminum frame. At very least Seven doesn’t seem to be trying to hide that fact under a really nice paint job. I will add that lot of my personal preference for Daiwa comes from both their braking systems and what I perceive as a better built product vs what the materials used are and as I’ve already stated elsewhere I don’t really care where it’s being manufactured as long as it doesn’t have a ton of notable problems. But with that said I’d definitely take an SLX over the new Revo X and or the Seven at the current prices. 1 hour ago, MediumMouthBass said: I think we might be talking about two different Revo X's. Im talking about the 5th gen with an all carbon frame, not the 4th which was aluminum. Or on the low end, would anyone pay $120 for the Revo X over the LFS $100, SLX $100, Fuego Ct $120? Some might because they might just love the reels, whether its looks, fit and finish, or how it feels, but for the majority if they can get more for less they will go that route. With that said I can see all sides of this debate and I’m enjoying reading all of the different responses. Quote
MediumMouthBass Posted January 21 Posted January 21 3 hours ago, Eric 26 said: But with that said I’d definitely take an SLX over the new Revo X and or the Seven at the current prices. 4 hours ago, MediumMouthBass said: As would i, but if you or anyone else on here are interested in some heavily marked down Abu products check out my post in the latest sale thread. Makes them very affordable and comparable to the offerings from Daiwa/Shimano/Lews 1 Quote
woolleyfooley Posted January 21 Posted January 21 6 hours ago, A-Jay said: Why would you buy an ABU over a Shimano or a Daiwa? Is this a trick Question ? A-Jay Do you like bantams? Quote
Super User A-Jay Posted January 21 Super User Posted January 21 19 minutes ago, woolleyfooley said: Do you like bantams? As of now, I'm undecided. But it's looking pretty good. Btw, how's that Electroconvulsive therapy going ? A-Jay 3 Quote
FrnkNsteen Posted January 22 Posted January 22 20 hours ago, A-Jay said: Why would you buy an ABU over a Shimano or a Daiwa? Is this a trick Question ? A-Jay Seems to me, it wasn't all that long ago I remember you posting that were thinking about they by the Bantam and wanted people's feedback. I take it you liked it pretty well!! 🤣🤣 2 Quote
Super User dodgeguy Posted January 22 Super User Posted January 22 22 hours ago, Gera said: lol... are you talking about Dodge/jeep?? That is a great analogy Mercedes ruined dodge jeep 1 Quote
Gera Posted January 22 Posted January 22 2 minutes ago, dodgeguy said: Mercedes ruined dodge jeep My dad was an engineer for Chrysler when that merger happen, everyone felt that things would go great after that.. I think I still have the Swatch watch they gave everyone in the organization. I still love company, but will never buy one of their vehicles at their current prices.. they are completely out of reality. Quote
ABU is overpriced Posted January 22 Author Posted January 22 21 hours ago, Johnbt said: "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. Honestly, who cares about what's on TW? Everyone in the know purchases their reels for the cheapest price possible, not the inflated ones on TW. If you're buying from Japan, those $750 reels are significantly cheaper, and much closer to Abu offerings. Not to mention that over half a grand for an Abu is 😆 Quote
Super User dodgeguy Posted January 22 Super User Posted January 22 3 hours ago, Gera said: My dad was an engineer for Chrysler when that merger happen, everyone felt that things would go great after that.. I think I still have the Swatch watch they gave everyone in the organization. I still love company, but will never buy one of their vehicles at their current prices.. they are completely out of reality. Agreed. Stellantis totally destroyed what was left. 1 Quote
MediumMouthBass Posted January 22 Posted January 22 3 hours ago, dodgeguy said: Agreed. Stellantis totally destroyed what was left. Not Stellantis, Tavares. 1 Quote
Johnbt Posted January 22 Posted January 22 "Honestly, who cares about what's on TW?" Lot's of people I know. You start with their price and then shop for deals, both here and overseas. And honestly? You said, ""their higher end reels are as expensive as Japan Made Shimanos and Daiwas"" And honestly, they aren't. Maybe Japan Tackle or Digitaka will have an ABU prototype that costs more than the higher end Daiwas or Shimanos, but many of them are never sold in the states. If you have some additional pricing info to share, well, go ahead. I'm glad I'm in the know and buy the cheapest things I can from Japan, but I'm always on the lookout for a better supplier. The reel dealers in Japan have been great to deal with. Quote
ABU is overpriced Posted January 22 Author Posted January 22 1 hour ago, Johnbt said: "Honestly, who cares about what's on TW?" Lot's of people I know. You start with their price and then shop for deals, both here and overseas. And honestly? You said, ""their higher end reels are as expensive as Japan Made Shimanos and Daiwas"" And honestly, they aren't. Maybe Japan Tackle or Digitaka will have an ABU prototype that costs more than the higher end Daiwas or Shimanos, but many of them are never sold in the states. If you have some additional pricing info to share, well, go ahead. I'm glad I'm in the know and buy the cheapest things I can from Japan, but I'm always on the lookout for a better supplier. The reel dealers in Japan have been great to deal with. I mean, you're right, i'd say most people do care about TW. But that's only because almost all of them don't order anything from Japan. People that do order reels and most tackle from Japan, the only thing TW serves them for, is to be reminded how many hundreds of bucks they've saved by ordering abroad😁 Quote
Fishingmickey Posted January 22 Posted January 22 I order both from Japan and TW. Now TW is running a 20% off sale and if you purchased a gift card before Christmas and got a 10% off on it. Then you buy something that is on clearance from TW w/20% off and the 10% reduced price on the gift card plus the clearance reduction you can get some very sweet deals that are at least 30% off if not closer to 50%. I've got a 7'4" MH regular Diawa BLX limber rod coming for just over 200 outlay and a 600 yrd spool of 30# Sunline Xplasma Asegai for $55. Those rods went for $400, OK 399.00 retail. Now they are being discontinued and there are some pretty good bargains for a very nice rod. I have two other BLX's that I really like. One piece rod buying from Japan comes with that shipping kicker but it isn't taxed. They also have some very fine travel rods that the shipping is free. I hunt for good deals on quality equipment and tackle. That's my .02 cents. FM Quote
woolleyfooley Posted January 22 Posted January 22 On 1/21/2025 at 6:06 PM, A-Jay said: As of now, I'm undecided. But it's looking pretty good. Btw, how's that Electroconvulsive therapy going ? A-Jay “Electroconvulsive therapy”?? 😂 1 Quote
Super User dodgeguy Posted January 23 Super User Posted January 23 7 hours ago, MediumMouthBass said: Not Stellantis, Tavares. Same poop different toilet. 1 Quote
AvoidingYardWork Posted January 23 Posted January 23 I didn't realize the Revo X moved to an all carbon body. Lol there is literally no reason to buy Abu now, especially since the SLX line keeps getting better. I was going to say the only compelling reel was the Revo X since it offered good durability and decent enough casting for a decent price. I mean I ended up replacing my Revo with a Curado because once you start using Shimano and Daiwa its hard to go anywhere else, but it was a decent enough reel on my frog setup. 3 Quote
Super User ATA Posted January 23 Super User Posted January 23 On 1/20/2025 at 8:15 PM, ABU is overpriced said: 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? The only ABU I bought over Shimano was Beast 60 size for line capacity and drag power, Except that I would never choose ABU over Shimano. Quote
Super User WRB Posted January 24 Super User Posted January 24 When Garcia-ABU amabassador reels were made in Sweden they owned the bass reel market from the 1960 to around mid 1990’s, I used 2500C, 4500C and 5000C during that time period. Shimano made the 1st low profile Lews BB1 reel before going into the bass reel market in the mid 80’s challenging ABU’s dominance. Daiwa refined their bass reels introducing HT series taking away another share of the market. For me ABU Ambassador reel died when Garcia corp started having reels made in China around 2000. Put away my Ambassador’s and bought Daiwa HTiA’s 103’s & 105’s early 90’s and never looked back. I tried a few Shimano early Bantam’s 100 & 1000, BB1’s and Roybi reels in the 80’s but it was Daiwa that came out with the fast free spinning spool that won me over. Shimano Calcutta became my go to swimbait reel. No more ABU’s all Daiwa and Shimano for me👍. Tom 3 Quote
DaubsNU1 Posted January 24 Posted January 24 All my reels are Shimano, except for one Cabela's branded reel that came in a package deal with the rod. Quote
GReb Posted January 24 Posted January 24 I actually really like the IVCB6 brakes in the SX and STX. Also find the Abu drag to be really good in lock down situations. It’s what I run on my frog rod Under $150 I don’t think you can beat Lews right now. If you shop around you can find Tournament Pros and BB1s for $140-150 and dicks marks the LFS way down several times a year it seems. Last one I bought was $52 I think Ive never owned an Abu rod but every one I’ve picked up felt funny to me 1 Quote
MediumMouthBass Posted January 24 Posted January 24 4 hours ago, GReb said: Under $150 I don’t think you can beat Lews right now. If you shop around you can find Tournament Pros and BB1s for $140-150 and dicks marks the LFS way down several times a year it seems. Last one I bought was $52 I think You are absolutely right. When i got big into bass fishing i was a Lews hater, i will admit it. Everything being sold in my local stores was their plastic overpriced Mach or Smash series junk. And i still hate on this garbage to this day. However Lews is now my #1 go to for rods and reels. I just picked up around $700 worth of really nice Team Lews Custom Pro rods for $200 taxed all together at DSG a few hours ago, got the LFS for $22 too (DSG's current price, since its no more after being replaced by the new Speed Spool Gen 3). The sales many websites run on Lews gear is insane, i picked up a few BB1 Pros and a Superduty for $100 each awhile ago too. Unlike Daiwa and Shimano who are often excluded from sales.... Abu used to be the exact same way, dependable rods and reels that were sold for very huge discounts. Sadly thats not them anymore.... I love my last gen series of SLX reels, and my Tatula/Fuego CT's too. But the new SLX's arent getting great reviews, and my last few higher end Daiwas were complete disappointments. Mainly the overpriced and overhyped Zillion and Tat SV.... In the older days i would go back to Abu, but the darn things cost the same if not more than the big 2 like the OP mentioned. My only option left was Lews, and so far im loving it. The stuff is on sale year round for half to a quarter of the price of the rods/reels from the big 3. And lets be honest, in a post covid world (excluding Japanese made reels) theres no difference in quality from brands anymore. All you are paying for these days is the name. And thats not a good enough justification for me. Quote
ABU is overpriced Posted January 24 Author Posted January 24 13 hours ago, GReb said: I actually really like the IVCB6 brakes in the SX and STX. Also find the Abu drag to be really good in lock down situations. It’s what I run on my frog rod Under $150 I don’t think you can beat Lews right now. If you shop around you can find Tournament Pros and BB1s for $140-150 and dicks marks the LFS way down several times a year it seems. Last one I bought was $52 I think Ive never owned an Abu rod but every one I’ve picked up felt funny to me I mean, the Tat 100 and Tat 80 from Japan are way under $150, and i'd say they're much better than Lews offerings. Quote
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