Revo Drag Upgrade and Service

[BassnMan Mike]

Hi, I've seen alot of people on the internet asking questions on how to upgrade the drag on Revos as well as servicing them and since I've been servicing my Abu reels for quite a few years, I did a video post on my site thats pretty detailed, its almost 30 minutes long.

Let me stress a few things here. First off, if you dont feel comfortable tearing down your reels, pay a professional. Next, the video is for the Abu Revo's only. It does not cover amy other brands and finally, while upgrading the drag washers with the carbon fiber Smooth Drag is pretty fail safe, the tip I show on how to increase drag pressure can damage your gears if you crank it down to much so please use caution.

Any servicing you do to your reel you do so at your own risk and I will not be held responsible for any damage caused.

All that being said, check it out and let me know what you think. While your there be sure to sign up for my Free Monthly Tackle Giveaway

http://bassnman.com/fishing-gear/tackle-maintance/upgrading-the-drag-and-servicing-an-abu-revo/

BassnMan Mike

[Big Bait Fishing]

why would you ever need to "upgade" a REVO drag  :-? their drags are very smooth and very strong , i guess their is a market for people looking to "super tune" something , but i think that any more drag on them will destroy the reel , you even say not to cinch them down too much for possible damage to the reel , so why even spend the money to do it if you won't need any more power than there already is ????

[BassnMan Mike]

The reason I did the drag upgrade was first off because I wanted to take out the plastic drag washer and replace it with the superior Smooth Drag carbon fiber one. While the stock drag is smooth, anyone that has upgraded their stock drag washers with the Smooth Drag ones knows how much smoother they make your drag.

As to upgrading the stopping power on the used Skeet reel goes, it just didnt seem to have the same stopping power as my other Revo reels. Even after I replaced the carbon fiber drag washers as well as the metal drag washers the reel still didnt have the "Head Turning" power I wanted, I had 3 pound bass stripping drag on me.

In my opinion, I believe the drag ratings of the Revo's are way over rated. I dont believe that even my brand new Toro has as much pressure as they advertise, dont take my statements wrong, I love my Abu reels and will continue to use them.

I guess its like you said, some people just want to "Super Tune" things by taking something good and make it great, just my opinion.

[Triton20XSD]

I have a Revo Premier and the drag on that is just plain terrible.  I had 2 lb bass pulling drag and was unable to gain any line.  You can cinch the drag all the way down and it still pulls out very easily.  My STX's don't seem to do this.  How much would it cost to have the drag on the Premier "beefed up"?  Other than the drag I really like the reel...casts great and is smooth.

[dodgeguy]

i couldn't have siad it better myself!!!what really cracks me up is the desire for faster spool bearings when guys can't even control backlash with the ones they have.does casting another 5 feet really matter?

[BassnMan Mike]

I also have a Revo Premier that I experienced the same problem with so I upgraded it as well. As it turns out the Skeet and Premier have only 2 drag washers , that can be verified by looking at schmatics for the reels, whereas the other Revos I own, STX, Winch and Toro have more drag washers in the drag pack. I dont understand why Abu did it that way but they did. I've wondered if I could just replace the drag pack in my Skeet with the same type drag pack that is in the STX, hmmmm.

Anyhow, as to ths cost of upgrading the Revo Premier, you would need the Smoooooth Drag Carbontex drag washers, part # CBT A#Revo 2, just tell them which reel you have to be sure, the cost is $6.00 + $1.50 Shipping.

You will also need 1 little metal drag washer from Abu. Look on your schmatics, it should be item #93 which is part #1132935, they are only .50 cents each. The down side is shipping was $3.95 so I ordered 2 washers to upgrade both my Skeet and Premier as well as a couple of the big Skeet handles to upgrade other Revo's, yes I'm guilty of Tweaking things to my liking. HA!

If you have any questions please feel free to ask.

BassnMan Mike

[BassnMan Mike]

To bad no one knows how the feather a spool to add drag power to a fight any longer. Guess these reels all should have come direct drive for all the big fish that strip line on them..

Sorry gents as a 25 yr veteran of servicing reels I don't believe what is coming off of the mfg assembly lines need actual upgrading. Been thinking most anglers today are fishing with their egos and not the equipment.

Tight Lines All !!

David, I do know how to feather the spool when fighting a Big bass, been doing it for years, but to me when a 2-3 pound bass can pull drag like its not even there or when you set the hook on the same size bass and the drag spins on one reel, like my Revo Skeet and Premier did and on another reel like my STX, Winch or Toro the drag works considerable better, in my opinion its time for an upgrade.

I dont fully understand why Abu used more drag washers in the other Revos but the Skeet and Premier only have 2 drag washers, one of which is plastic, and the other Revos have several more drag washers.

BassnMan Mike

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

There are several companies that sell performance upgrades for a Corvette. How fast can the average driver go? It doesn't matter because these people are enthusiasts. 

[Big Bait Fishing]

well you should of been more specific , yeah the skeet reese and the older premier are lacking but when you just state "REVO drags" most people will think you are talking about ALL REVO reels !!! i own a TORO51 and i'm pretty sure that it's drag is or very close to 22 lbs. i think the only drag specs that are off is on the SX , but not as bad as tackle Tour says ( they claim they tested it to 11 lbs. ) but the STX ,S, winch , and inshore all pack 24 lbs. of drag . well any how , i guess you are just making it smoother , right ??? i wouldn't mind doing that upgrade , just don't need any extra drag pressure ......

[NewKidInTown]

why would you ever need to "upgade" a REVO drag :-? their drags are very smooth and very strong , i guess their is a market for people looking to "super tune" something , but i think that any more drag on them will destroy the reel , you even say not to cinch them down too much for possible damage to the reel , so why even spend the money to do it if you won't need any more power than there already is ????

The first generation Revo Premiers drag trouble is well known. Some of the reels have almost no drag,some of them work decent,all depends on what you happened to get, Theres a design flaw in those reels,no doubt about it.Maybe the new pimped out looking one with the gold trim has fixed the problem.

[b.Lee]

Thanks for the Video!

[J Francho]

I don't even know why this is an argument or debate.  Drag washers wear out, and stock Revo s/SX/STX do not hold up to the rated max drag over their life.  I've talked to Smooth Drags about a possible reason, and the only thing they could come up with is the dry coating process.  Smooth Drag upgrade washers have been holding up for years in my customer's reels.  They are what they say they are.

[ww2farmer]

You know Reel Mech. it's really none of my nor your business if a guy wants to tinker with  his reels drag. Have advice? By all means post it, but as some one who I am sure has gained a few customers off this forum I find it pretty ridiculous that you come on here with that attitude. I for one will not do business with you.

[BucketBuster]

I actually learned a few new things about my favorite reels. Thanks for the video.

[Big Bait Fishing]

I also have a Revo Premier that I experienced the same problem with so I upgraded it as well. As it turns out the Skeet and Premier have only 2 drag washers , that can be verified by looking at schmatics for the reels, whereas the other Revos I own, STX, Winch and Toro have more drag washers in the drag pack. I dont understand why Abu did it that way but they did. I've wondered if I could just replace the drag pack in my Skeet with the same type drag pack that is in the STX, hmmmm.

Anyhow, as to ths cost of upgrading the Revo Premier, you would need the Smoooooth Drag Carbontex drag washers, part # CBT A#Revo 2, just tell them which reel you have to be sure, the cost is $6.00 + $1.50 Shipping.

You will also need 1 little metal drag washer from Abu. Look on your schmatics, it should be item #93 which is part #1132935, they are only .50 cents each. The down side is shipping was $3.95 so I ordered 2 washers to upgrade both my Skeet and Premier as well as a couple of the big Skeet handles to upgrade other Revo's, yes I'm guilty of Tweaking things to my liking. HA!

If you have any questions please feel free to ask.

BassnMan Mike

i guess i put my foot in my mouth by talking before i understood what i was talking about  :-[ because now i want to have this done and have made plans to do so !!! so thank you Basman Mike for posting this on the forum , i appreciate it .... 

[BassnMan Mike]

Thanks guys. I put up the video to share some reel tips I've learned over the years, not to start a debate.

Even if you dont feel comfortable enough to do the extra metal washer tip or just dont want to do it, in my opinion you cant go wrong by replacing the 2 stock drag washers with the Smooooth Drag ones in the Abu Skeet and Premier reels.

[Big Bait Fishing]

in your opinion , would it make the drag on a REVO SX smoother ????

[MtCarmelTriton20x]

To bad no one knows how the feather a spool to add drag power to a fight any longer. Guess these reels all should have come direct drive for all the big fish that strip line on them..

Sorry gents as a 25 yr veteran of servicing reels I don't believe what is coming off of the mfg assembly lines need actual upgrading. Been thinking most anglers today are fishing with their egos and not the equipment.

Tight Lines All !!

The point of feathering a reel with your thumb seemed to me because the reel was incapable of producing enough drag that was smooth enough not to break the line. This might have been ok in 1950 but with the products we have today why would you have the want or the need to do it. If I spend 300 or 600 on a reel and I have to thumb the spool to keep the drag from slipping I would be P*#@ed. If you have the chance to improve a product, why not? All sports equipment has improved over the years in every sport. I don't think you'll see Tiger hitting a leather ball full of boiled feathers or Nascar racing on Bias Ply tires that they shaved the tread off of in the barn. Do you? I say make your equipment function as well as you possibly can that way when you loose a fish you can't blame it on the reel. JMHO

[BassnMan Mike]

in your opinion , would it make the drag on a REVO SX smoother ????

The Smooooth Drag washers are made out of carbon fiber and you coat them with a fine layer of star drag grease whereas if you disassemble a Abu Revo Skeet or Premier one of the drag washers is made out of some sort of plastic and both are bone dry.

I dont have an SX, but do have one Skeet, 2 Premiers, 2 Toros, 2 STX's and a few Winch's and after upgrading one reel with the Smooooth Drags I did it to all of them so to answer your question, In my opinion, yes it will be smoother

[Big Bait Fishing]

in your opinion , would it make the drag on a REVO SX smoother ????

The Smooooth Drag washers are made out of carbon fiber and you coat them with a fine layer of star drag grease whereas if you disassemble a Abu Revo Skeet or Premier one of the drag washers is made out of some sort of plastic and both are bone dry.

I dont have an SX, but do have one Skeet, 2 Premiers, 2 Toros, 2 STX's and a few Winch's and after upgrading one reel with the Smooooth Drags I did it to all of them so to answer your question, In my opinion, yes it will be smoother

thanks 

[KenG85]

I know I'm very late but wanted to express my appreciation of this awesome video. very thorough.

It was very helpful as I'm renovating my Revo S.

After I lighten up the guts, and swap the spool. It should be a SKT with 24lbs of drag.

only downside is that completeness can take time. I might reccomend breaking future videos in multiple parts. Then it could be navigated easier.

[KenG85]

Hey jimmymo,

hopefully you'll see this.

[KenG85]

I can't PM you because I haven't enough posts. So we can talk here for a little until I reach 10.

[KenG85]

So first off the biggest differences I see between the two reels is color scheme which I don't care for, weight, drag pressure, and the handle everyone loves.

So in terms of weight the SKT uses Duralumin where the S uses brass and plain aluminum.

Drag pressure: the S wins, it has more pieces to the set. Will swap them for smooth drag.

Infini spool II - interchangable

Handle swap.

I'm waiting on price quotes from ABU. I might end up selling my S, and upgrading to an SX. Then shaving weight off that bad boy.