Took a nice Sunday drive over to BPS in Foxboro and was in the market for a new spinning reel/rod, as well as to get tips on why my Johnny Morris bait-caster casts legit 25 yards if that. Went to the reel section and a great guy there pointed me to the new Presidents that they got on Saturday and put out that day.

He did not even have to sell me that much, all I had to do was hold one of these bad boys. So solid, feels so durable. The 10 ball bearings make an extremely smooth retrieve.

At a $59.99 price tag I felt like i walked out of there ripping them off. Compared to other reels they had that were similarly priced this one wins hands down. These redesigned reels were supposed to have a release date of October but he said they got an early shipment? Or they got released early? Not sure, but I am d**n happy I went in there and saw them. Highly recommended.

It's about time they got rid of that nasty wooden knob on the Presidents. I may pick one up for my travel rod to replace the Trion GX-7 that's currently mounted on it.

I have a couple of the older version with "nasty wooden" knobs that I really like. They have many miles on them and are still going strong. The price for the redesigned version is the same as it's been for years, making them a very good value IMO. Enjoy.

Redesigned? Got rid of nasty wooden knob ???

It's that nasty wooden knob that makes it a president, IMHO you aren't getting the true feel of that reel without it.

Tell you what, since I bet the newer handles are interchangable with the older ones, out of concern I'm offering to swap ya

Heck yeah it's nasty. The wooden knob is the only thing that has kept me from owning a President. I've owned a few Supreme MG's, a Supreme XT, an Arbor, a President XT, and four Trion GX-7's in the past couple years, and the only reason I bought the Trions was because they were dirt cheap. I just couldn't shell out the $60 for a reel with a wooden knob.

The nasty wooden knob you are calling is actually teak. I have it on my Stradic and like it just as much as other handles.

The president is one of my favorite spinning reels ever, it is at the least the smoothest I have fished with. I really liked the older handle too, I felt it's what made the reel. It's great that they reduced the weight. I don't think I'll ever buy another sub $100 spinning reel.

Looks like the new Presidents are available on some websites but I've only seen the 25/35 sizes so far. I've used a pair of Trions on cheap rods to keep in the car, loan to friends, etc that get abused and my only complaint has been the wood knob. Just happened to be looking for another budget spinning reel and I'm having a hard time choosing between the old Supreme MG from FFO or buying a new President

Does anyone know the drag ratings for any of these reels in 25/30 size (old or new)?

i own 2 Presidents and love the wooden handle... great feel and the best value under $60 imo

although i did just pick up a Supreme for $52 off FFO..i'm hoping it performs as well as the Presidents.