I was intrigued by the write-up on these Cabela Tournament ZX reels at $80 so I ordered one. Its a compact and light [just over 6 oz] reel. I compared it to a Skeet Reese[Abu] at $220, a Chronarch 50E at $200, a Lew's Tournament Pro at $200 and an Abu MGX at $350. I use it mainly for side-arm skipping a jig on a rather short [6'] rod but have done considerable casting with it. It is as smooth and casts as far as any of the more expensive reels considering rod length. Of course I can't report on longevity but will in a couple of years if it lasts.

 

The knock on these reels is the longevity issue for sure. It was on the previous model as well. All I know is I purchased 3 of them for my sons and myself. We all bass fish as much as possible, because I'm older and semi-retired I am able to fish several times a week. One son says they are ok and one says they are not as good as his Pro Qualifiers. I happen to love the one I kept for myself. It's smooth and I really like the thumb button, just seems to fit my hand. I have many rods and reels so this reel probably doesn't get used as hard as someone who only uses two or three when fishing, so I might not be a good source of info? But the way I currently feel about it is I would buy more if they were on sale. Over my many years of fishing I have been a Abu Garcia fan and believe they are a pretty darn good bass fishing reel. These Cabelas are a good reel too!

With ya, Bassman. As an oldster myself, I've long been heavy on Abu and have nothin bad to say about em.