I occasionally see Tourney Special reels on ebay at a reasonable price. I've never handled one. I understand that they aren't as good as as the Pro Qualifier 2 reels I have been using. But, how does the TS actually hold up? Does it compare to the Abu Black Max 3 reel?

 

Talking about baitcasting reels.

I haven’t compared the current versions but historically I’d place the Tourney Special meaningfully above a Black Max. IMO TS is to PQ as Revo Sx is to Revo stx 

Thank you DVT.

It is the current version I'm interested in. https://www.basspro.com/p/bass-pro-shops-tourney-special-baitcast-reel-159789-1

It's a chinease Tsurinoya platform like the early Kastkings.  That particular platform was popular for a while as a cheap BFS reel as the XF-50/Whirlwind.  They're solid reels for the money.  The BPS one has a unique take on a centrifugal brake that uses the springs that retain the centrifugal brake to push down on a tapered drum controlled by the external dial as a friction brake.  The centrifugal brake comes off the drum and contacts the centrifugal race to brake mid cast then once the centrifugal forces fall below the retaining spring force the brakes seat back into their holder and are driven by the spring onto the inner drum and brake at the end of the cast.  It's similar to a dual brake centrifugal/magnetic in behavior but different in that one part of the brake is working while the other is not then vice versa instead of the magnetic working while the centrifugal is working.

 

I'd pay $30 for a used one to play with that brake.  I only ever saw that system in store on the Enigma Smartcast and it was $100 in 2016 money.

 

Here is the BFS reel from like 10 years ago

 

https://youtu.be/dhxLL34G-0Y?si=4dO38Vt5TzNTokSS

 

 

 

I don't know anything about the newer models, but I owned two of the green Tourney Specials about 20 years ago.  I ended up taking both of them back and purchasing a 5600C3.