Chum8888

Abus used to provide the most bang for buck. Here in my neck of the woods (PNW) the ambassadors were workhorses. Used 5500,6500 and 7500 c3’s for all different applications from fishing for sturgeon on the Fraser River to Coho Salmon on our small streams. For the price of one shimano calcutta, I could get 2 or 3 ambassadors. Parts were more readily available and most of us tweeked them with upgraded bearings and drag washers. Maintaining them was super easy compared to calcuttas and low profile offerings from Daiwa and Shimano. Alas, I desired reels that were smoother and abu’s were a little “rough around the edges “. Not to say they weren’t reliable, but required constant maintenance to keep them that way. Nowadays, the price gap isn’t so large anymore. Here in my area, low profile reels are becoming more and more popular and Shimano and Daiwa both have Abu beat over selection and price.

The refresh on the SLX BFS would explain why the 2021 models were on sale in Japan. I managed to pick one up in Osaka for 15,470 yen which is about 98 bucks US at todays exchange rate.