SuperWetBlanket

When talking about soft plastics, you gotta compare them to what's available on temu and aliexpress. There is a ton of quality SP's on there because it doesn't take anything to make a working bait. Pack it with salt, use soft silicon, copy a working mold, and the job there is done. But then you look at the price they're charging per pack, and see what's on Ali, and the difference in prices is astronomical. This is what i've noticed that folks never pay attention to when they're positive about googan's soft plastics.

Come on guys, those who started the brand have millions of views on youtube, their stuff can't be bad😁

Just curious. I've been reading some reviews on their rods and lures, an am just giggling a bit😊

Your mistake was to start with a Shimano. There is nothing better on the market to learn baitcasters than a daiwa with a reel that has an SV spool. Reel doesn't matter, just grab one with an SV spool, used or new. Try that, and you will understand how far ahead Daiwa is compared to Shimano offerings for those who are new to baitcasters.

Ahhhh my old name on here "Abu Is Overpriced" is finally showing up. That is the reason why i don't believe Abu can compete with the other two. Not only are their products inferior, but cost as much, and in certain cases even more expensive. And then, don't preserve their value in the used market whatsoever. Its a good brand if they were at least 35% less expensive in each tier of reels. Otherwise i have no chosen an Abu over the other two, and i don't see this ever happening, no matter the reel. Maybe a Made In Sweden/Poland magnesium low profile reel with a slick new frame, and a good paintjob, but that's just not happening, like ever.

Wouldn't get the 2018 Ryoga because of the side plate. The OG 1016, that would be a great option, and i've used mine a ton for spinnerbaits and chatterbaits.

Other than them stopping their production in Sweden, i didn't even knew Abu is about to become nothing but a brand. When this happens, i don't think we can even consider them being in "the big three" anymore.

Never was a fan of Abu when compared to the other two, but after gen 3 Revo's, i dislike em even more. Now, their lineup looks like Quantums made to be sold exclusively at BPS🤢 What do y'all think? Is there a reel of theirs that you'd buy over Shimano/Daiwa offerings?

If you're in the salt, you might want to try full ceramic from aliexpress. Can be had for like $10 a pair, and from the couple i tried, they worked fine in freshwater.

Bocas are nothing else but overpriced garbage. I don't even know how people consider them in 2025. Probably because of 10-15 years old youtube vids, or something. Air HD's are amazing. The choice is pretty clear.

its thin ceramic, of course it's brittle. Not sure why you'd be hitting them, though.

Never tried it, but i assume its like a Tat80. I do prefer the Tat100 over the 80, though. Feels a bit smoother under load, and the frame is a bit comfier to me. And this thing was like $105 on aliexpress before the tariffs, which is an insane deal considering how smooth (very high quality gears in such a cheap reel) and comfy they are.

For me the bare minimum is to remove the gear set, clean it from the old grease, apply some new grease. Then, remove the worm shaft (annoying on most reels), clean it, and apply some new grease. This is the minimum i do.

The new Tat80s and Tat100s are far superior to any SLX or Curados, but with the tariffs in the US, i don't know for how much you can get them these days.

Check if somebody posted a maintenance video of your reel on youtube. It really is not difficult. Simply film yourself disassembling the reel, and don't mix all the parts. When you disassemble the level wind assembly, put all the level wind parts together, everything that's installed on the handle shaft together, etc. When you split different sections of the reel, it's much easier to reassemble everything.

MagZ is for range, and SV is for control, so it won't be as forgiving. I personally never understood this fascination of casting thumb free. You will never, no matter the technology used, be able to cast for maximum distance without a thumb. And if you don't care about the distance, just max your brakes, apply some friction to the spool shaft with the mechanical brake knob, and you will be able to cast those 20 meters without a thumb even with a cheapo $100 reel. Get the new Tatula in 100 or 200 size. If most fish is over 10lb, a 200 size will be great.

You don't even need a Moderate action, Mod Fast will be perfectly fine on a heavy rod.

Put some new low viscosity oil in both spool bearings, and see if there's any changes.

What's the newest reel with the TW that you've tried? Because i wasn't a fan either, the steez 2016, and how wide the reel was in the front, is the reason i disliked it, but newer models, this isn't at a thing whatsoever. You try a 21 zillion, the newst steez, newest alphas, the newest tat 100/200, steez ct, etc, and they're perfectly comfy.

On the handle shaft where the spring washers are installed, isn't there another washer with one side that is more slippery (feels like teflon)? If you do, you might've installed it on the wrong side because it's the part that makes it so your star drag doesn't stutter.

I prefer white braid over any other, but only on presentations i use a fluoro leader on, which is almost everything i fish with. If going straight braid, and fish in the weeds, then camo or dark green is usually what i use.

I lost my fav super spook as well earlier this year. The *&#&*@&^# gull stole it from me, and flew away with it.

I compared the Z2020 to the first gen Ryoga 2020 and 1016 over years of use. The ryoga is certainly more solidly built, and has a superior gear set that will outlast the one inside the z2020, but when it comes to torque/power, they're indentical. This is the main reason why i don't believe that round reels have an advantage anymore, but then again, not against every low profile reel, obviously.

I thought the price of a deps250 is ridiculous, but $350 is literally casting a 24 Met DC on the end of your line. Finish looks great, though.

I don't feel like a round reel excels at anything (maybe better in salwater because they're usually no painted). Some low profile reels can have as much torque as a round reel. I use them just because it's something different, that's about it.