Abel Big Game

Review Date
April 16, 2004

Overall Rating
 2 of 5

Value Rating
 1 of 5

Visitors rate this review
3.25 of 5, 4 votes

Reviewed by: Matt ,  50+ days a year

Price Paid:  $799.00 at Tackle Warehouse

Body of Water:
Great Barrier Reef

Favorite State:
QLD

Favorite Country:
Australia

Summary:
A beautiful reel that has had a few problems.

Strengths:
Gorgeous. Smooth drag. Overbuilt.

Weaknesses:
Customer service. I've had one problem with my Abel 3N - the bearings siezing after only 18 fishing days, and never having been submerged. The bearings were not corroded, and the company replaced them free of charge. The return freight invoice from the US however was more than 4 times the quote I was given by the company, and more than 18 times the price I paid to get the reel from Australia to the US (taking the same ammount of time). I queried the representative I'd been discussing the problem with (the head of customer sales), and received no reply. I have not paid the invoice as I have never received an answer to my queries (I could buy two Systems 2 reels for the supposed price of freight!!). This was two years ago, and I am now unsure as to whether I even have a warranty. The company has still not contacted me.

Customer Service:
See Above. I will not buy anther Abel product, and am extremely sad about it, as I love this reel very much.

Similar Products Used:
Felty, Fin Nor, Ross

Review Date
May 9, 2003

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Reviewed by: rcsam(Unregistered User) ,  30 days a year

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I used my new Abel Big game .5 reel in Montana for 10 days of fishing. While any reel can hold line, the strength of this reel is the drag. It is butter smooth and never jerky even when wet. If you hook a big fish on a 5 wt rod, and he runs wildly, your only chance is to play line out very smoothly. That little fly in his mouth while flip right out otherwise. This reel also looks and feels super nice.

Strengths:
drag, simple mechanism, fit & finish

Weaknesses:
no outgoing click and you need a coin to change spools with the chance of parts loss

Similar Products Used:
orvis battenkill disk

Review Date
May 4, 2002

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 1 votes

Reviewed by: srieck(Unregistered User) ,  50+ days a year , from Atlanta, Ga. U.S.A.

Price Paid:  $395.00 at Angler''s Pro Shop

Body of Water:
Gulf of Mexico

Favorite City:
Sarasota

Favorite State:
Florida

Favorite Country:
USA

Summary:
I got a great deal on the discontinued old porting style, have just used it in fresh water so far (Taking it to the salt in 2 weeks) But I must say this reel is by far the nicest I've ever handled. The beauty of it lies not in the perfectly smooth anodized finish or flawlessly machined parts, but in its SIMPLICITY of design. Especially the cork drag. A minimum of parts tells me this thing will never fail me under any condition.

Strengths:
(Model 3N) Nice narrow spool coils line evenly without bunching up on any side. Great capacity. Price has come down on discontinued models if you can find them.

Weaknesses:
Tends to spoil the owner into disregarding his other good reels. All other drag systems seem lacking after using this thing. Not a weakness of the Abel though. Warranty too limited especially for a reel in this price range.

Customer Service:
Never used, seems like the warranty could be a little more comprehensive.

Similar Products Used:
Orvis, Redington AL

Review Date
March 7, 2002

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Visitors rate this review
4.00 of 5, 1 votes

Reviewed by: Greg (Unregistered User) ,  30 days a year , from Lansdale

Price Paid:  $399.00 at Anglers Pro

Body of Water:
Martha''s Vineyard, anywhere in the ocean/gulf

Favorite City:
Sanibel

Favorite State:
Florida

Favorite Country:
United States

Summary:
well my two abels are fantastic, I do not have any complaints about them other than the price. I believe in investing in the best the first time and bought Abel. I use the #3 for stripers, tarpon, permit, blues, and the occasional shark or cobia. i use the #2 for reds, trout, weakfish, steelhead, salmon, flounder, albacore, bonito, bones, and snook. i hope to purchase a #.5 for inshore saltwater as well as my trout and steelhead reel. Abels are indeed the best.

Strengths:
Smooth and consistant drag. Beautiful finish and machining.

Weaknesses:
$$$ COST $$$ $399 for #2 and $450 for #3. a bit heavy after a night of hardcore repetative casting.

Customer Service:
haven''t used

Similar Products Used:
nothing really, hope to compare the Abel with a Tibor one of these days

Review Date
December 30, 2001

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1 votes

Reviewed by: JerryG(Unregistered User) ,  40 days a year , from Dekalb, IL 60115

Price Paid:  $450.00 at Various fly shops

Body of Water:
Wisconsin/Michigan streams

Summary:
I own 3 abel reels and 2 extra spools. I have the 0, 1, and 2. They are really top notch reels and I have not had any problems with them. I use the 1 and 2 for steelhead and salmon?xD;?xA;fishing. They have worked extremely well for this purpose. All mine are unported. Once, I was fishing on the St. Mary's river in Canada and took a big spill off some rocks and fell on my reel. ?xD;?xA;The result was only some small dings. The reels do ding and scratch, but overall, their durability is outstanding. They hold a lot of backing and the drag is very smooth and has enabeled me to land fish ?xD;?xA;I may not have on other reels. I have used these reels for about 6 years.

Strengths:
Smooth drag, reliability, durability, outstanding looks. These are some of the prettiest reels on the ?xD;?xA;market

Weaknesses:
Sometimes if the reel is immersed in water the drag does not work well until its dried out. But this has never been a ?xD;?xA;big problem. Changing spools is more complex than on other reels.

Customer Service:
Have not had to use it.

Similar Products Used:
Ross, Teton, Harris Solitude, SA, Orvis, ?xD;?xA;Billy Pate.