I was trying ardents the other day and i kind of like them, can anybody give me an opinion on them? or should i go with lews or shimano...

See what you can workout with American Legacy Fishing or Tackle Warehouse on a purchase and possible return.

The specs on the new Ardent Apex Edge reel and are good and the reel looks great.

I've only talked to two people about them, and both said they are junk. But that's just two opinions.

The Apex is on par with other reels in its range. Od personally go with Lew's or Daiwa

I've had an Apex Elite for little of a year. From day one it made a clicking noise on retrieve under load. I sent it back to Ardent (they have a 3 year warranty), they replaced the pinion, main gear and spool and all was well. I understand every company has problems with a product so I wouldn't judge them based on one reel. From the first email I sent them about the reel, I received an email back from customer service within one hour. Communication was great the whole time. I think this is company that will stand behind their product. This reel will cast a mile, actually will outcast my other pricier reels.

 

All my other reels had centrifugal breaking and I wanted to try one with mag breaks only. The breaking system on this reel is very effective, even one click on the mag break dial makes a noticeable difference in casting, so fine tuning of the breaks is very easy to dial in. I had read a lot of online reviews before I bought it and most of them were very positive. Very lightweight, palms well. I'll give it til the end of this season to see how it holds up with more use, but right now I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one.

The Apex is on par with other reels in its range. Od personally go with Lew's or Daiwa

 

Me too. But if he's a buyer for an Ardent so be it. They do look good.

I have 4 1000's - still working and casting great after several years of hard usage. Great customer service

I have 4 1000's - still working and casting great after several years of hard usage. Great customer service

Good to hear.

I have the ardent edge elite and its awesome for 110$ you can't beat it

     I have a few for flipping reels, but the casting isnt as good as the shimanos in the price range.

I have never fished one but I have never heard anything positive them unfortunately.