hollandbass Posted July 6, 2007 Posted July 6, 2007 Purchased an Abu Record 50 (for pike/musky) about 6 months back. The drag froze up while fighting a fish, almost broke my rod because of the reel, and lost the fish! Anyway, I call Abu they say send the reel in. Few weeks go by, today I get a Bill from them saying the reel has been repaired and they won't ship it unless I pay $37. Wow, didn't expect this one! So I give them a call, they state that their warranty does not cover "wear and tear". I guess fighting a fish and having the reel FAIL on you is considered "wear and tear" AKA excuse for making a bad weak reel and then not covering it. I am a bit surprised because I own many old ABUs for catfish which have all been great. They are not very smooth but they work. This Record 50 was a mistake from the get go, the thing started making noises and getting rougher and rougher within a few months. I did not know about Shimanos when I got it, would have never gotten it in the first place, Calcutta's from now on. Just got a new Cardiff and its miles ahead of any ABU, amazing. Just a warning about their warranty for anyone considering ABU. Cliff notes: Broken Abu Record 50 reel now costs me a grand total of $210 (with shipping and everything) just get a Calcutta or Cardiff in the first place and it will last a lifetime and will be covered no matter what. Quote
Cajun1977 Posted July 7, 2007 Posted July 7, 2007 sorry to hear about your deal sounds like abu isnt in the customer service business Quote
Super User cart7t Posted July 7, 2007 Super User Posted July 7, 2007 .....just get a Calcutta or Cardiff in the first place and it will last a lifetime and will be covered no matter what. There have been some posts here recently stating that isn't quite the case. Just exactly what was wrong with the reel in the first place? What do you mean by wear and tear? You've raised a whole bunch of questions but haven't explained any of it. Perhaps before you go trashing ABU, you need to explain exactly WHY they're denying warranty service on the reel. BTW, I've handled several Records that were around a year old. They were very solid and smooth, as smooth as any Shimano. Calling them a piece of junk isn't helping your case in my book. Quote
hollandbass Posted July 7, 2007 Author Posted July 7, 2007 cart7, i also own a "few". If you think that the record is as smooth as a calcutta, haha well ok nice joke. I own both, and even got a cardiff which is miles ahead of any abu. Abu stated that they do not cover "wear and tear"; the drags need to be replaced (i assume they are burned up, the whole drag froze up), the relase spool button jammed up and they stated that some internal gear broke. An excuse for a weak reel in my book. This happened while fighing a fish. Quote
Siebert Outdoors Posted July 7, 2007 Posted July 7, 2007 just get a Calcutta or Cardiff in the first place and it will last a lifetime and will be covered no matter what. I dont belive that, and from experience its not true. I can see both sides here. But I can also see the reason the catfish ones have lasted so long is that they are not put to the same use as the pike/musky rods. You might cast a catfish reel 50 times in one night. Musky reel, 500+ times a day. depending on how long you fish. There is alot of wear and tear that happens in a reel especially with fish of this nature. They are extremely hard on gear. Quote
Super User cart7t Posted July 7, 2007 Super User Posted July 7, 2007 cart7, i also own a "few". If you think that the record is as smooth as a calcutta, haha well ok nice joke. I own both, and even got a cardiff which is miles ahead of any abu.Abu stated that they do not cover "wear and tear"; the drags need to be replaced (i assume they are burned up, the whole drag froze up), the relase spool button jammed up and they stated that some internal gear broke. An excuse for a weak reel in my book. This happened while fighing a fish. Reading your original post, it states your reel began getting rough to use just a couple months after owning it. Why didn't you take it for service then since it obviously wasn't working right? No, you continued to use it while it had a problem. No wonder the thing seized up. Sorry bud, but I buy and sell reels all the time including Records and Calcutta's. I handled both brands of reels and I'd put a year old Record up against a year old Calcutta anytime. Both are great reels in my book. Quote
Guest SkyChimp Posted July 7, 2007 Posted July 7, 2007 Wow. I just called Abu Garcia about a screw on my Revo SX that I admitted I messed up and they sent me replacement for free. On a side note, I've owned a couple of Cardiffs and a Curado SF. The Curado has nothing on the Revo - except price. And I sold the Cardiffs and replaced them with more Abus. I like Shimano, but you have to spend $250+ to get a reel as smooth as a $90 Abu. Quote
Super User MALTESE FALCON Posted July 8, 2007 Super User Posted July 8, 2007 I've got a Record RCN40 that I wouldn't trade for any other reel. I've caught 6# smallies and 25# muskies with it and it still works like new. I own eight Abu's and the only problem I've ever had was when my D5 went down last spring. It was out of warranty and Abu fixed it for free and had the reel back to me in four days. I think Abu Garcia is a great company. They make a very good product and stand behind them 100%. I got a Rveo SX last month and the only problem is I want another. Falcon Quote
Super User skunked_again Posted July 9, 2007 Super User Posted July 9, 2007 thats a shame about your abu. for a gift i got a revo stx and had to "learn" how to toss something as smooth as the piece. getting crank baits out of trees can be a pain. Quote
Bass XL Posted July 9, 2007 Posted July 9, 2007 ok, i was gonna make a new thread, but i figured that i might as well put it here. My Revo S got wet over memorial day. Ever since then, it has been real rough (not as smooth as it was) well, i went to grease it up, and I cant get the side with the handle off. Any who, I lost my recipt. Do you think Abu will be a little flexible with me? Quote
Super User skunked_again Posted July 9, 2007 Super User Posted July 9, 2007 ok, i was gonna make a new thread, but i figured that i might as well put it here.My Revo S got wet over memorial day. Ever since then, it has been real rough (not as smooth as it was) well, i went to grease it up, and I cant get the side with the handle off. Any who, I lost my recipt. Do you think Abu will be a little flexible with me? at the least they well talk you through servicing the unit. not to pry but why is it you cant get the side with the handle off? Quote
Super User cart7t Posted July 9, 2007 Super User Posted July 9, 2007 There was just a thread on here about the Revo disassembly. Quote
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