ABU Blue Max baitcaster review/initial impressions
I'm frequently frustrated by lack of info. on the products I am interested in, which can result in poor or sub-optimal purchasing decisions. With than in mind, I thought I'd share my impression of my new reel:
A few initial impressions of the new reel, an ABU Blue Max, lefthand wind, baitcaster reel. It's
superlight, even compared to the small German DAM fixed spool reel (2500 or less) I picked up at a car-boot sale last week. It fits the Browning baitcaster rod superbly. Overall I like it and look forward to using it more.
It's a bit plasticky. Not so much the body, although that probably is, but disappointingly the reel arm is not very substantial and could do with being a good inch longer, for me anyway. It struck me that this reel might end up being my birthday present (or half of it) from the family, in which case perhaps I should have gone for a fancier model(!) with more bearings; it is supposed to have
2+1 bearings (2 bearings and one roller bearing) but strangely I counted 5 or 6 bearings on the included diagram of this specific left wind model. However, as this is for kayak fishing, it is already at the high-end of my price range.
It felt quite jerky reeling in but I think that was because the cast weight was resting on grass, however the subsequent rod tip movement & reeling suggested something I have long suspected: this short rod & reel set-up imparts some
extra action/movement into lures that is(/could be) attractive to fish.
The
retrieve ratio is 6.2:1, which sounds like a high speed retrieve but it's not
, especially not compared to my lower ratio fixed spool reels. Presumably this is because the inner circumference of the spool is quite small, so the 6.2 spins of the spool that I get from one turn of the handle is considerably less than I get from one turn of my lower ratio fixed spool reels. You need to wind a lot to bring the (shorter) cast in.
[This oft quoted ratio seems particularly useless - a much more useful measure would be the length of line retrieve by a single turn of the handle - this is what we really want to know and it would take into account all those other variables (ratio, circumference, width, etc.). The catch, of course, is that it increases as more line fills the spool, so perhaps the measure should be taken when the the spool is filled to half depth.]
This is a right-hand wind model:
The amount of engineering/technology in such a small package is truly impressive. The spool is solid and smooth. Casting, with practice becomes a joy - although minor bird-nests are still fairly common for me, and will likely mean that the line will need to be replaced more regularly. There are 2 adjusters to help with this, the first is set for the lure in use (it should slowly fall 10-30cm when you waggle the rod tip) the other is a magnetic dial which you set high to start with and reduce with experience. Setting it high reduces the overruns that cause the birds nests but also reduces cast distance. Multipliers are more difficult for beginners but this is a welcome challenge for me
. Was hoping that kids could use this from the kayak but that might take a while
(fortunately there is the Shimano spinning combo to fall back on
).
The instructions that come with it are those horrible generic ones. Fortunately there is enough there to get casting and deal with the main controls. However the ON switch is and thumbscrew are not explained. I still don't know what the purpose of the latter is, other than to remove a bar (to what end is not explained). The ON switch appeared to do nothing at first but eventually it clicked. I think it might be called a
"flipping switch" or something similar. It changes the way that the neat thumb release works, such that instead of thumbing the spool and clicking the spool ratchet "permanently" off (until you reel in) with the base of your thumb, it is instead releases the spool only while the thumb switch is depressed. Not sure how best to use this feature currently but a little experience and/or youtube will likely explain.
The star drag is cheap, flimsy plastic - not in the same class as my old ABU 505 which is also a small, lighweight spinning reel - and can too easily be set too loose or too tight to be useful. Perhaps the least satisfying aspect of the reel. Maybe they think they need to do this keep costs down or to differentiate from higher models but, at this price, it would make me think twice before buying ABU again. Perhaps in practice it will work better than expected (as the nylon line release in the lower end RA spearguns did).
Too early to really know how this reel will hold up. My initial impression is
only 4-6+/10*, but it is early days if it lasts well and/or I catch lots of fish with it that might well improve - perhaps considerably
, I expect it to. It struck me as
a little overpriced, a price of £14-£24 seems more appropriate than £28-£34. The poor generic instructions let it down quite a lot although the proper, quality cardboard box (handy size to hold the line when spooling line on
) and model-specific diagram help offset that somewhat - in the US these are sold in tacky plastic throw-away packaging (albeit at a lower price).
[For comparison, I would give my Shimano Exage 2500 (& my FILs Exage 400) 9+/10, my Leeda Surfmaster60 7/10, my Abu 505 7-8+/10, my used DAM reel 8+/10, my old Ryobi right-hand wind spare reel 4-6.5/10, my old Penn multiplier 4-6/10 and the junky no-name closed face reels we bought as spares 0/10.]