I've been curious about the new Revo frames and I saw 2 threads recently asking about them, unfortunately with no replies. My tackle shop had a Daiwa and Abu sale so I grabbed a Winch along with a Tatula Elite and thought I'd post a pic and answer any questions. 

 

 

I'm a Daiwa guy so the only other thing I have to compare it to is a Revo 4 SX. Even though it looks dark Grey on some pictures it is matte black. The shape is a huge improvement but when I wrap my finger around the front it seems like the line will rub on top of my finger. I love my Daiwa reels for palming with my index wrapper around the front. Even on the Revo 4 SX I can feel the screw holding the line guide rub back and forth as I reel which bugs me. The handle knobs are huge and very comfortable.  I do also like the ones on my SX but the ones on the Winch are even better. Turning the handle without any load or line feels smoother than my new elite. I'm going to fly south where there's no ice in a couple weeks to test it on the water. If anyone wants any info or pics I'll be happy to help. 

Thanks for the review, I've been thinking about getting one of the gen 5s or Zenon. I like the photo comparison, the new frame looks interesting. 

Great, another bait monkey reminder that the REVO Winch gen 5 exists.

 

Seriously, thank you though. Please let us know how the reel performs for you on the water.

 

I have two REVO Winch Gen 4s. They are among my favorite reels. I tried replacing the Winch with a 5 speed zillion on my spinnerbait rod, but it didn't take me long and I was back to the winch. I enjoy the large spool capacity and feel of the reel

Thanks for the review. I was able to pick up the gen 5 winch 25% off, so I did. The deep cranking bite wont arrive in NY until sometime in June so I haven’t used it yet. I'm with you on the ergonomics,  it's definitely more comfortable to grip than previous generations, the line finger rubbing could be problematic based on the individual anglers grip style. I am looking forward to the brake system, I shook the reel and thought something was loose, it was the moving pins of the brakes. This is a good thread, hopefully more folks will have some input. Thanks again.

Finally got my Winch on the water, I threw it on an Evergreen Combat Stick MH/MF rated 3/8-1 1/4. I tossed a Berkley Dredger 25ft dive depth and 1 1/8oz. It was crazy windy and the reel threw the lures alot farther than my Tatula 150 without much trouble as long as I used a little thumbing. I started experimenting with all kinds of cranks and it handled them so well this is going to be my full time Crank reel for everything 1/2oz and up. My biggest worry was that the retrieval speed would be too slow but the 23ipt is actually perfect. It's spooled with 15lb BG Mono and will probably stay that way for the season.