"Shimano Vs. ABU Vs. ?"

by Anonymous

Note:  This article may result in high blood pressure for some of you.  The opinions expressed herein are based on the writer's personal experiences

Don't let 'em fool ya about "tight tolerances making reels prone to problems with dirt" man!!   All the tests I've done were totally unbiased and very "real world", actually, way back then I was a bona fide Abu Fan who was simply looking for the quality of reel that I could hand down to my grandkids. And after what's now been about 8 years, I can say with complete confidence that the tighter the tolerances, the less dirt and grime get into the reel to muck things up. All that stuff about them seizing up because of one little grain of sand is pure myth, probably invented to justify not wanting to fork over the money for true quality.

Here's a test you can try for yourself. Actually, next time we're going to be on the beach together I'll bring one of each reel to show you. First take an Abu, a Curado and a Calcutta all three need to be shiny and clean. Make several test casts with each reel, a few with the wind, and a few against the wind, and note how they perform, also make special note of how they sound, and how much fiddling with knobs and thumbing the spool it takes to get a good "into the wind" cast without a backlash. Then (and this is where the rubber meets the road), take one of the reels out into the water and give it a good dunking. I mean really get it in there and swish it around in the breakers where the sand is all churned up. Now bring it back to the beach, let it dry, then take it out and dunk it again. Do this a total of four times, but on the last time don't let it dry out, instead, perform the same test casts as you did before while the reel's still wet. Do the same thing with each reel and you'll be very surprised at what you find.

Now I know that's not how you would normally treat a reel, but what we're going for here, is to simulate several hard wades, in rough water, over several days without a cleaning, let's say for instance, a trip to PINS. Imagine trying to break down and clean a crapped out reel at PINS. You'd probably do more damage than good. I know I would. However, I've done this test so many times that I can pretty much tell you what will happen:

(1) The Abu will have collected so much sand and other material inside it's inner workings, that if you're able to get a cast off at all, it'll sound like you stuck a pig in the butt with an ice pick, and if you don't get it home and clean it immediately, it won't perform at all the next day!

(2) The Calcutta will sound fine, cast fine with the wind, but when you try to cast INTO the wind it will be very hard to control (breaks are wet).

(3) The Curado will perform pretty much as flawless as it did the first time you test cast it, although it will require some cleaning when you get home, whereas the Calcutta won't.

I know, I know, everybody hates hearing me say it, but after all these years, and all those reels, I feel very comfortable stating this as hard fact.  And here's the low down skinny. The fact of the matter is, that out of all the different brand reels that I've tested for durability, the Abu's have come in dead last in almost every respect, and the Shimano's have stood head and shoulders above the rest.

However, keep in mind that I'm testing the reels for the hardships faced when wading the surf (in my opinion the surf is the harshest environment you can subject a reel to). Abu's will work fine as boat reels, and when they're kept on the beach. They'll also work ok in the surf if you are careful about not dunking them and are meticulous about keeping them clean. They also make some of the best long distance casting reels money can buy, but once again, they have to be kept meticulously clean. Ok, now here's the one that really gets me into trouble. All that stuff about Curado's not holding up well in the surf, is a big load of hooey, and I've got the reel to prove it.

My wife's Curado went most of last summer and into the winter with nothing more than one hosing down, and It's still chugging along like a champ. And here's where folks really get mad at me. Now, you know that I'll sing the praises of the Calcutta to anyone who'll listen. So you should also know that I tend to be biased in its direction. So please understand that I'm a little put out by the change of heart that my silly reel tests have forced upon me............

Are You Ready!....Here It Comes!.....The Big Bomb Shell!..........While the Curado DOES require more maintenance than the Calcutta........Oh God!!.......Say It Ain't So!..................It has PROVEN itself to be............Please Somebody Make this Guy Go Away!...........Without a doubt........I don't want to hear this!...........The most reliable, "Bang for Your Buck", Value for the Dollar reel that money can buy!!!!......You can buy a more expensive reel that will perform just as well, maybe even a little better. But in terms of value received for the dollars spent, it's the one and only..... Ahem...At this time anyway. There are other new comers out there that it has yet to prove itself against. Sorry for being long winded, but I thought if nobody else, you could view this objectively.

(editor's note:  I did view it objectively...but I still think Shimano's are over-rated...