well lets start off with i got a revo s lefty from my wife for x-mas...early...and i got to use it a bit over the last couple days, it is mounted on my 6' MH custom rod.

we started friday night for a couple hours trying to stick some hybrids, well we managed a few small whites. the reel worked well, i had the brakes set to 3 on and 3 off. it cast nice and i didnt get any backlash, but i was not getting the distance that i know this reel can achieve. so this morning we went again. i decided after a bit that i needed to reset the brakes so i could get more distance. so i turned all six off. big mistake! first cast i backlashed so badly i had to strip all the line off the reel. so i asked my partner if he had some more line on the boat. he told me his spare spools (shimano sonara's) were in the box and i could transfer the line off of one of them. so i get one out and run the line through the guides. we decided to move the boat a ways to follow the gulls. so i held the line and had the spool between my feet on the floor while the boat was moving. at this point the line is NOT tied to my reel's spool. as we are cruising along, i feel the line pulling from my hand and before i could react my partners entire spare spool is on its way to its final resting place at the bottom of belton lake in about 60 foot of water. i still dont know how it got out from between my feet and into the lake. now i am ticked and to top it all off we are not catching any good fish. so i finished the trip using one of his rod and reels.

i get home early this afternoon and decide to go to a stock tank to "play" with my new revo and figure it out. well, after another spools worth of line and about 2 hours later, i can now cast a freakin country mile and a half with no backlash!! ;D this thing is sweet, so smooth and light, i have it set with one brake on and the rest off. the casting distance and accuracy is just as good and probebly better than with my C3's and effortless, just a flick of the wrist and away my bait goes. i caught one dink on a rattletrap but had a blast casting with this reel. like alot of people have said on here, better equipment will not make you catch more fish, but it sure does make your time on the water much more enjoyable!!

my conclusion is this is a great reel for the money, but for me it took a bit of work to get so i could cast it properly, my next reel will be another revo S for sure!

thanks

Cliff

P.S.

anyone know where i can get a shimano sonora 4000FA aluminum spool?

Cliff,

Glad you are liking your Revo. I hope the rod is still working well for you.

here's a new spool

http://cgi.ebay.com/SPARE-SPOOL-FOR-SAHARA-4000FB-BRAND-NEW-LETS-GO-FISHING_W0QQitemZ280133178785QQihZ018QQcategoryZ36147QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem?_trksid=p1638.m118

Ronnie

Great news, Red.

Red,

Great post. Thanks for sharing.

I was always told to leave all the brakes off.

Maybe someone who repairs reels or who knows about reel brakes can give us some tips.

I have never seen anything in the literature about reel brakes and I know we all would love to know more on setting up our reels.

Reel Mechanic, where are you when we need you???????

I love the Revo line, but the documentation provided with the reels sucks.  The booklets tell you next to nothing.

the booklet i got lists ALL of AG brake systems for ALL their baitcasting reels, and it does not specify which reel model has which brake system

thanks for the link ronnie!

Cliff

ronnie, thanks again for the link, but i am looking for a sonora 4000FA, that is for a sahara

If you scroll down in the ad the guy says the spool also fits the Sonora 4000FA. I don't know personally, just going by the Ad.

Ronnie

Maybe send a email to Reel Mech??  

 Revo's are great reels.  Big performance in a tidy,compact package!

Maybe send a email to Reel Mech??  

 Revo's are great reels.  Big performance in a tidy,compact package!

Completely agreed, although the Revo SC is even more convenient to use than the Revo S...although they are both great reels.  Good luck with the new reel

Another great reel from Abu. Love my SC's and S's. The way they fit in your hand is comfortable and they are nice and small. The Max series is great too, don't be fooled the price, these are some great reels as well.

Is the revo sc higher up version than the stx or is the stx the higher end reel.

STX. The SC is made exclusively for Cabelas and is in between the S and SX as far as price goes.

The STX is the higher end reel. I think that the SC is made for cabelas exculisivley.

I recently got a REVO S, also. Still tinkering with ti, but I love it so far.

Got 40lb. Stren Super Braid on it , as of now...

I don't know if this is true or not, but from what I've heard you should have symetry to the brakes.  I don't know if it's good to only have one on.  I would think you should have either all off, or two on, or three on, four on, or all six on.  Am I wrong on this?

how do you turn on/off brakes??

I was always told you were supposed to have brakes on in pairs going directly across from each other therefore only having zero, two, four, or all six brakes engaged. Never seen this in writing but it was something I was taught before I was even taught to cast....

what is the reason for having it in pairs? will it damage the reel?  it seems that if they were supposed to be in pairs or something it would be noted somewhere or you wouldnt be able to adjust only one

Cliff

what is the reason for having it in pairs? will it damage the reel?  it seems that if they were supposed to be in pairs or something it would be noted somewhere or you wouldnt be able to adjust only one

Cliff

You can believe anything you like, but this is cut and pasted from Shimano's website....

"VBS weights need to be adjusted to the bait you are using. Turn all weights on and start casting while turning one off at a time until casting distance is good and backlashes stop."

One at a time suggests to me that it is OK to use just one and not pairs to correct the braking. JMHO

Ronnie

uhh... so does the side panel on the revo s open and you can adjust the brakes?? i have one and i can't get it to open... someone please explain this to me

I'll explain it to you.

All the Revos, regardless of model, open the same way:

1) Start by loosening the knurled screw at the top/front of the handle-side side plate. The screw will not come all the way out. You'll know, though, when it's loose.

2) Twist the brake-side side plate clockwise about 1/8 of the turn then lift off.

3) Once the side plate is off, you'll see the brake. They are little plastic weights on pins - 6 of them. You turn them "on" by pushing the weights up on the pin, or "off" by pushing them down on the pin. There are 6 of them and you can adjust one, any, or all of them to achieve the desired performance.

4) Once you adjust them, place the sideplate back on the reel at the same angle you took it off, then twist it counterclockwise to lock it into place.

5) Re-tighten the screw. DO NOT use a screw driver, only twist it thumb/finger tight.

I don't have this model of Revo.  RedTorp can tell you more about the actual adjustment of the brake.  

amazing... thanks for that great insight

I have the Revo S and had the same problem. I have all the brakes off now, and smoothened out my cast. What do you recommed how many brakes should be on.

I have always been told that in order to insure smooth casting with a brake system you need to have them symetrically adjusted.  For example with a 6 pin system, you could have 3 on and 3 off (they should be alternating in and out though)  I typically begin with them set 3 on/ 3 off when I get a new reel and start tying to learn its personality.  This usually is good enough for me and from then on I adjust the magnets or tension knob on the handle side.

I have the Revo S and had the same problem. I have all the brakes off now, and smoothened out my cast. What do you recommed how many brakes should be on.

It depends on you and your thumb.  The Revo non drilled spools are a little heavier so I use 0 or 2 depending on which rod it's on.  Just be sure to use 2 (or 2 pairs of) opposing brake weights, or alternate them for 3.  Use only 0, 2, 3, 4 or 6.  Using 1 or 5 of them will throw it out of balance.