Abu Garcia Revo X review

[SteelHorseCowboy]

I picked one up to replace the battered pawn shop Caenan.

I'd sworn off AG low profiles after nothing but heartache with the Black Max, but seeing as this is a metal framed reel for under $100 before tax, I decided to take a chance.

Couldn't be happier, so far, with a reel at this price point. I've been sitting on a stool in the back yard the past couple days playing with it, using a rubber practice plug. I picked up the 7 ratio, 30 IPT to fill the speed gap between my low speed Ambassadeur Black Max and Curado K XG.

Right now it's spooled with 14# Trilene because that's what the tackle shop offered for free.

Cons so far:
-It's noisy. Abu put the cheapest bearings they could get away with in this reel, and you can tell it. A drop of oil on the spool bearings have quieted it down quite a bit.
-Also, I can feel a slight vibration on the cast. That by itself isn't bad enough to bother me, but I do worry that a slight vibration could turn into heavy wear on something later. This could be due to the cheap bearings, or the fact that it's a cheap reel and maybe the spool isn't balanced very well.
I could also just be spoiled by my ridiculously smooth 3600 and Curado.

Pros:
-Price point. Not many metal framed reels out there at this price.
-Oiling port. I'm not a fan of oiling ports, I don't use 'em because it directs oil into places I want grease, and I view it as in ingress point for dirt and debris. So why is the Revo X's oiling port on the "Pro" list? Because it's plugged. It's there for the people who use it, but there's a plug held in place with a screw.
-Backlashing is nearly non existent. I basically had to force it to backlash by turning the brakes all the way down and loosening the spool knob until it had some side to side play. Even then, I had to whip it, and whip it good.
-The matte black finish just looks "woops"y.
-It's smooth on the retrieve.
-Strong drag, at least in comparison to my other two main reels, @18#.
-Smooth drag. I've had the kid out holding the practice plug and reeling against him. No jerkiness at all.
-Casting distance. Of course a practice plug is going to cast pretty well, but the distance is ALMOST comparable to my Curado, even with the crappy bearings. Wonder how they'll both do once I finally get around to upgrading the bearings in each? I don't know how this thing casts so much further and with so much more control than the low pro Bowel Movement, considering the cast control is pretty much identical, but the difference is night and day.
-Handle Length: Not as long as the handle on my other two reels, but long enough to be comfortable. I'd prefer another 5-10mm, but I'm okay with this. I believe it's a 95mm.

Overall, after tossing a plug while sitting on a stool, I have only those two complaints.
I'll be updating this as I get more time with it on the water, which will be at least a couple more days. I did find a spot on the way home where I could make a few casts from my car with the door open, but it proved to be more hassle than it was worth.

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[the_huber_show]

Great review!

[Smallie_Stalker]

Great review!

I'll second that!!! 

[LgMouthGambler]

Good reel for the money. A bit on the heavy side, but makes a great flipping reel that will balance on a longer rod. The Magtrax brakes are really a good choice for the reel. Yes, the spool bearings suck major  but that is an easy fix.

[SteelHorseCowboy]

Glad y'all like the write up.

From what I've been reading, the Orra has been discontinued and this is the reel chosen to take it's place and fill in between the Max and the Revos.

It's offered in 3 ratios. I can't remember the exact numbers, but it's offered in a low speed winch model, regular speed and high speed. The one I got is the high speed version, which is more mid speed I guess, but it's the exact speed I was looking for.
I'm pretty sure all three ratios are offered in left and right handedness.

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[SteelHorseCowboy]

Update:
I've yet to even seriously fish with this reel, but that ain't stopped me from casting practice in the back yard! I didn't keep count, but I know I've made at least a couple hundred casts since I got it.

I've simulated line dig in. Even pulled out about 20 yards and dug the line in deep in several places a few feet apart.
Managed to cast in that condition with very minimal problems. Many times casting with the line dug in tight resulted in no problems at all.

I've moved the brake and tension settings all out of whack numerous times and made some casts with the line dug in. About 75% of the time, the reel gave no damns at all and just did it's job. The other times, EVERY time I had a backlash, it was easy to unravel and get it back into action.

Back hand, overhead, to the sides, roll casting, pitching, flipping, even clumsy left handed casts, this thing doesn't like to backlash.

The bearing noise and vibration has disappeared completely.

If I were to compare it to my Curado, I'd say it doesn't meet the Curado's initial quality and doesn't come close to it's refinement. It simply doesn't feel quite as tight and responsive. But in my opinion it's got the Curado beat in ease of use. There is no need to open the reel and engage or disengage brake blocks, and no need to make fine adjustments once done. Just adjust the spool tension knob to the right amount of free fall, and I've found that leaving the mag brakes set about a quarter from the minimum works well for just about any weight and technique. Making longer casts with lighter weights requires the brakes to be turned up just a click or two more.

I'm gonna give it some more time. I'm leery of low pro Abus after the horrible experience with the cheapest piece of junk they make. But if this reel holds up as I suspect it will, I can see myself getting the winch model next year for cranking.

So far, I couldn't be more impressed. I mean, I'm impressed as hell with my Curado, but I EXPECTED it. So I'm surprised to be so impressed with the Revo X.

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[LgMouthGambler]

Good to hear you are enjoying it. The X is a whole different build than the Max reels.

<")))>{

[SteelHorseCowboy]

Unless this reel breaks down unexpectedly, this will be the last update.

For the past three days straight I've run this reel HARD. I've been bombing big cranks and spinners dead into stiff winds on Lake Ouachita. I've set hooks on rocks and even managed to bring one in a bit bigger than my fist, just happened to get a hook into a crack. Unfortunately I've only caught three fish on it for a grand total of about 4 pounds.
Just a few hours ago I hung a spinner bait on a stump in Lake Darbonne and slowly winched myself over to unsnag it. This reel will slowly drag 320#+ of dead weight without complaint (me at 265#, the kayak at 60# plus about another 15# of gear).

Backlash? What backlash? The more I use this sucker the sweeter it gets. Only noise I hear is the "click" when I hit the thumb bar, then the light hiss of the line flying out. And flying. And flying. Far enough that I can see the mono backing on the spool. Then "click" when I engage the spool.

I'm feeling no urge to replace the factory bearings now that they're broken in.

I'm a fan again, no doubt about it. I'm even willing to dust off that Abu Garcia hat I got for my birthday last year and never bothered to take the tags off of.

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[Mike Cork]

Thanks for all the great information and follow up on this Definitely helps other anglers

[SteelHorseCowboy]

I definitely consider it a viable budget minded reel.

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[SteelHorseCowboy]

Update:

I've only recently been able to get a few hours of fishing in here and there this year so far.

Some of the bearing noise has come back, as well as some vibration and the casting distance has suffered a bit. I fear it may be as I suspected: possibly the cheapo bearings accumulated wear and tear too quickly.

First step to remedy this will be an in depth servicing with bearing flushing, then bearing replacement if I don't see much improvement.

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[LgMouthGambler]

Save yourself the headache, and upgrade the bearings now.

[SteelHorseCowboy]

Sounds good, I'll go ahead and order some.

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