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I'm an old fisherman & purchased many Ambassador reels for $20 in the 60's. Latest Basspro catalog shows a number of reels for $500-800. I probably own over 30 assorted reels & never paid more than $100+ for any of them. I have fished hard with 100 trips/year for over 35 years & have 25 fish mounted so I have caught my share. Why does anyone need reels this expensive?
Life Members SCI & NRA. NRA Instructor & RSO. What have YOU done to support hunting & gun rights?
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Campfire Ranger
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I would guess it may be worth it to guys who charter for a living. Equipment expense can add up cone tax time. But. Ive never used a 600 dollar reel so I can't tell you whether they are worth it or not. Most expensive reel I have cost around 150. But its a fly reel
The government plans these shootings by targeting kids from kindergarten that the government thinks they can control with drugs until the appropriate time--DerbyDude
Whatever. Tell the oompa loompa's hey for me. [/quote]. LtPPowell
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
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I was on a trip to Padre Island last year with a passle of "Fire members, and a shark fisherman there with us had a rack of more than a dozen rods and reels. Many of those reels cost several thousand dollars each. Perhaps stxhunter could chip in here with better info, but that's my memory.
On my own rods, I don't think I paid $100 for any reel at any time. Most cost me about half that. I'm perfectly well served by them, though. Higher end reels might cast a bit better, have better drags or last decades longer - but do I really NEED those things? I don't think so.
Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult.
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I think its just like anything else.. Ammo used to be a few bucks a box.. now its $30+
Gas used be be 25 cents a gallon....now look at it 3.75+
If people continue to pay it, companies will keep the prices high... Our glorious economy at work!
I have many Ambassadors and I highly doubt that a $600 reel could outlast or out-fish any of my Abu's
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Those $20 Garcia 5000 reels you bought in the 1960's cost $60 when I bought mine in the 1990's. The last two I bought were rebuilt used reels I paid $65 for. A new 6500 is about $120 now.
How good a reel you need depends on what you are fishing for and how often you use it.
It's difficult to find a good reel under $100. And I'm talking bass and cat fishing bait casting reels. I have no idea what type of reel would be needed for saltwater big fish. But I bet it would need to be well made to hold up.
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
Edmund Burke 1795
"Give me liberty or give me death"
Patrick Henry 1775
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A single shot H&R for $150 will do anything a $10,000 custom build will do also, but we all want that fancy custom rifle don't we? Many of those high end reels are large salt water reels that are just huge and the cost is also huge. The bass sized reels over $300 are very hard sells, $150-$200 is the common higher end bass reel.
I bet in 1960's dollars you paid more for your 5000 then they are selling for today, but they were also a much better reel. The new reels have IAR which is real nice but the rest of the reel is crap compared to the old ones.
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Marketing will play on some peoples impulses. just look at the complete rampid stupidity in the bass fishing world. 25 dollar crankbaits 17 dollar jerkbaits, it takes a special kind of idiot to pay that. I have placed in many tournament where guys where fishing a luckycraft bait or something similar and I beat them useing a cheap strike king 4S or bill norman deep tiny n or. its insane.
Eating fried chicken and watermelon since 1972.
You tell me how I ought to be, yet you don't even know your own sexuality,, the philosopher,,, you know so much about nothing at all. Chuck Schuldiner
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The bass sized reels over $300 are very hard sells, $150-$200 is the common higher end bass reel.
The difference between a $200 Daiwa Zillion and a $500 Steez is like the difference between a Honda and a Lexus. A LOT of refinement, not worth it on my budget though. I did buy a saltwater rated Zillion though 'cause I fish out of a kayak and that abuses reels big time. Step down to something like a Basspro Extreme $50 special and you may destroy two or three of them in a year of kayak fishing, doesn't sound so cheap at that point.
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The difference between a $50 and a $100 reel is HUGE, the difference between a $100 and a $200 reel is not so great. As you get more expensive the quality and differences get smaller and smaller for your money. That's pretty much the same in just about everything you buy.
I repped Abu reels up until this past April so I will use their Revo line as an example. The Revo S is a nice reel for $120, the SX gives you magnetic cast control and a couple more bearings (that don't really make it any smoother or do anything other than make it sound better) for $165. Step up to the STX for around $200 and you get a couple more bearings (again that don't do anything) and an aluminum sideplate. Now go to the MGX and they give you a magnezium frame that makes it about 3/4 oz lighter for $350. Step all the way up to the MGXrteme and you get a magnezium frame and sideplate along with a carbon handle and some titanium parts in it that save about 1/2 oz over the MGX for $500! Virtually all of the parts on all of the reels are interchangible and they will all cast pretty much the same distance and have the same drags, actually the MGxtreme has a lower quality drag because it's lighter. And being magnezium it's less durable than the lower priced aluminum framed models but it is lighter.
It's no surprise that the SX outsells all the other ones combined as it gives you the best value for the dollar. If you want to have a super lightweight combo the MGxtreme is the way to go. Kind of like a Remington Mountain Rifle is a nice gun for about $700, if you want a lighter rifle go with a Kimber for about $1400 and if you want the ultimate go with a Rilfes Inc. rifle for several thousand dollars.
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A single shot H&R for $150 will do anything a $10,000 custom build will do also No it won't. That must be good stuff you're smoking.
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I'm saying it will kill a deer just as good. Will it be as accurate? Probably not. Will it have as good of a trigger? Probably not. But it will kill the deer just the same.
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I'm saying it will kill a deer just as good. Will it be as accurate? Probably not. Will it have as good of a trigger? Probably not. But it will kill the deer just the same. You could say the same thing about a rock.
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
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I stick in the middle price range for bait casting bass fishing reels....they seem to hold up better than the cheaper stuff, and about as well as the refined and more expensive reels.
You can turn a cheap bait casting reel into worthless crap in a season of continued use. They work fine at first but quit earlier IME.
The 280 Remington is overbore.
The 7 Rem Mag is over bore.
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I spent good money on my halibut reel, a penn international 16vsx. I look at it the same way I look at a rifle, it is a tool to put food in the freezer. Would a cheaper reel do the same job? Probably, but I have no doubt the reel I bought will last me for the rest of my life.
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Take one of your old Ambassadors out in your yard and pitch a 1/4 oz. jig or Sinko for ten minutes and let us know how you made out.When you pay $120 to $550 entry fee you need gear that will cast with little or no effort for 8-10 hrs.
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All the fuss and $$$, grab a cane pole, hooks, and live bait 
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Take one of your old Ambassadors out in your yard and pitch a 1/4 oz. jig or Sinko for ten minutes and let us know how you made out.When you pay $120 to $550 entry fee you need gear that will cast with little or no effort for 8-10 hrs. Give me an early 80's Ambasadeur 521 XLT Plus and I will do anything the latest $500 MGExtreme will.
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Give someone a 1972 Volkswagon "Thing" and they can get to Seattle in it the same as I could get there in a new Corvette. I am happy that they are happy to drive such an automobile, it is just transportation. I guarantee I would enjoy the trip more and I didn't really need a Corvette to get there, but if that is what I want to drive, so what.
I have never looked at cars as merely transportation any different than I look at guns as tools, or fly rods and reels as just fishing gear. I love expensive stuff, but I can't afford all that I would like...
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Campfire Outfitter
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Take one of your old Ambassadors out in your yard and pitch a 1/4 oz. jig or Sinko for ten minutes and let us know how you made out.When you pay $120 to $550 entry fee you need gear that will cast with little or no effort for 8-10 hrs. Give me an early 80's Ambasadeur 521 XLT Plus and I will do anything the latest $500 MGExtreme will. Going by your handle, I'll bet your ambassadeurs are all buffed and have ABEC 7 bearings in 'em too. That helps a bunch.
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TaK, nope they're all pretty much bone stock but they are cleaned and lubed correctly (not the way they come from the factory) I've put different rated ABEC bearings in reels and never really noticed a difference.
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Campfire Kahuna
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I have a bunch of reels in fly and bait cast configurations that would explain to anyone listening exactly what the differences are.
A couple 80# halibut on fly gear on the same very old reel think the old (expensive) reliable is worth every penny.
That would be the same model Gr8fuldoug whacked a knuckle with on a silver salmon some years ago. It took the handle clean off the reel. The knuckle lost in the long term.
When thousands of pounds of fish are dealt with annually with the same reel it starts making more sense to buy just quality gear.
Mark Begich, Joaquin Jackson, and Heller resistance... Three huge reasons to worry about the NRA.
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OP
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When the old red Ambassadors were the best reel available I did just that without any trouble. My 100/year fishing trips were day light to dark in heat, cold, rain, & snow. I doubt you ever cast an old Ambassador with that statement. I also fished in a few tournaments back in the day. Best day was 100lbs 7 0z. for 20 bass on the Santee Cooper. Also won a few big bass tournaments with 9-10lb.+ fish. For specialized fishing where really big fish in large numbers are involved I can see spending more than $150 on a reel, but for general purpose freshwater fishing I just don't fell the need.
Life Members SCI & NRA. NRA Instructor & RSO. What have YOU done to support hunting & gun rights?
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i feel a good way to find out about reel quality is to talk
with people who earn a living servicing them.
im primarily a salt water fisherman which requires more frequent servicing of reels. today if you dont have gold
lever drags with custom rods lined up in a rocket launcher
your not considered much of a fisherman. but those who fix them
will tell you thats not necessarily a fact. the old penn senators and the like still do a bang up job for those unaffected by the snide remarks.
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A single shot H&R for $150 will do anything a $10,000 custom build will do also No it won't. That must be good stuff you're smoking. Darn close though!!
But the fruits of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,faithfulness, Gentleness and self control. Against such things there is no law. Galations 5: 22&23
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
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This thread reminds me of something out of the optics forum. 
The 280 Remington is overbore.
The 7 Rem Mag is over bore.
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I use a few reels... ![[Linked Image]](http://pic90.picturetrail.com/VOL2250/777751/2652330/407792541.jpg) I also personally believe that after you reach the $200.00 level, you should have a pretty good reel. The better reels have good metal gears, along with metal guts. You also need a good drag system, but these can be bought on the internet to upgrade even an otherwise less expensive reel. http://www.smoothdrag.com/
Old Fishermen never die, we just get reel tired.
May you build a ladder to the stars
and climb on every rung.
May you stay......Forever young
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lets see ....
45k for the boat
another 30k for a truck to pull it
makes 500 for a reel seem cheap when it is the link between you and the fish..
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The difference between a $50 and a $100 reel is HUGE, the difference between a $100 and a $200 reel is not so great. As you get more expensive the quality and differences get smaller and smaller for your money. That's pretty much the same in just about everything you buy.
I repped Abu reels up until this past April so I will use their Revo line as an example. The Revo S is a nice reel for $120, the SX gives you magnetic cast control and a couple more bearings (that don't really make it any smoother or do anything other than make it sound better) for $165. Step up to the STX for around $200 and you get a couple more bearings (again that don't do anything) and an aluminum sideplate. Now go to the MGX and they give you a magnezium frame that makes it about 3/4 oz lighter for $350. Step all the way up to the MGXrteme and you get a magnezium frame and sideplate along with a carbon handle and some titanium parts in it that save about 1/2 oz over the MGX for $500! Virtually all of the parts on all of the reels are interchangible and they will all cast pretty much the same distance and have the same drags, actually the MGxtreme has a lower quality drag because it's lighter. And being magnezium it's less durable than the lower priced aluminum framed models but it is lighter.
It's no surprise that the SX outsells all the other ones combined as it gives you the best value for the dollar. If you want to have a super lightweight combo the MGxtreme is the way to go. Kind of like a Remington Mountain Rifle is a nice gun for about $700, if you want a lighter rifle go with a Kimber for about $1400 and if you want the ultimate go with a Rilfes Inc. rifle for several thousand dollars. This is why I cherish my "Morum" reels. Doc
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A single shot H&R for $150 will do anything a $10,000 custom build will do also No it won't. That must be good stuff you're smoking. Agreed
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The difference between a $50 and a $100 reel is HUGE, the difference between a $100 and a $200 reel is not so great. As you get more expensive the quality and differences get smaller and smaller for your money. That's pretty much the same in just about everything you buy.
I repped Abu reels up until this past April so I will use their Revo line as an example. The Revo S is a nice reel for $120, the SX gives you magnetic cast control and a couple more bearings (that don't really make it any smoother or do anything other than make it sound better) for $165. Step up to the STX for around $200 and you get a couple more bearings (again that don't do anything) and an aluminum sideplate. Now go to the MGX and they give you a magnezium frame that makes it about 3/4 oz lighter for $350. Step all the way up to the MGXrteme and you get a magnezium frame and sideplate along with a carbon handle and some titanium parts in it that save about 1/2 oz over the MGX for $500! Virtually all of the parts on all of the reels are interchangible and they will all cast pretty much the same distance and have the same drags, actually the MGxtreme has a lower quality drag because it's lighter. And being magnezium it's less durable than the lower priced aluminum framed models but it is lighter.
It's no surprise that the SX outsells all the other ones combined as it gives you the best value for the dollar. If you want to have a super lightweight combo the MGxtreme is the way to go. Kind of like a Remington Mountain Rifle is a nice gun for about $700, if you want a lighter rifle go with a Kimber for about $1400 and if you want the ultimate go with a Rilfes Inc. rifle for several thousand dollars. This is why I cherish my "Morum" reels. Doc As do I! They were the last reel made is Sweden that was really the quality an Abu should be.
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A single shot H&R for $150 will do anything a $10,000 custom build will do also No it won't. That must be good stuff you're smoking. Agreed What I mean is they will both kill a deer just fine. Of course a nice custom will do it with more class and more accuracy but for the majority of hunters the POS H&R will kill anything they shoot at if they do their part.
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Campfire Kahuna
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When the old red Ambassadors were the best reel available I did just that without any trouble. My 100/year fishing trips were day light to dark in heat, cold, rain, & snow. I doubt you ever cast an old Ambassador with that statement. I also fished in a few tournaments back in the day. Best day was 100lbs 7 0z. for 20 bass on the Santee Cooper. Also won a few big bass tournaments with 9-10lb.+ fish. For specialized fishing where really big fish in large numbers are involved I can see spending more than $150 on a reel, but for general purpose freshwater fishing I just don't fell the need. I've still got the first Ambassador 5000 that my Dad bought me at K Mart back about 1972. It still works fine. I rebuilt it a few years back. I'd rather use one of my newer Shimano's or Daiwa's though.
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There was nothing comparable in casting reels in this era. You could add or subtract the anti-backlash things & replace the gears if they became worn. I purchased my first Ambassadors for $20 at a local sporting goods dealer. Wish I had never gave them away to friends.
The 2500C was only made for a few years, but also was a marvel. Smaller than a 5000 they were excellent for Smallmouth & other light line fishing. I still have 2 of these on graphite rods for casting small plastic worms & lures on 6lb. test line.
Life Members SCI & NRA. NRA Instructor & RSO. What have YOU done to support hunting & gun rights?
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Abu still makes the 2500C for the Japenese market and occasionally brings them to the USA for a dealer if they order enough of them. The new ones have IAR which makes them even nicer than the originals. I know there are a couple 2500CDL's floating around on Ebay but at around $1000 I'm guessing it's not what you're looking for.
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Campfire Outfitter
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Abu still makes the 2500C for the Japenese market and occasionally brings them to the USA for a dealer if they order enough of them. The new ones have IAR which makes them even nicer than the originals. I know there are a couple 2500CDL's floating around on Ebay but at around $1000 I'm guessing it's not what you're looking for. Reelman, I have two 2500C's I picked up from "1B" who lives in Reston, Virginia 3 years ago, I have not used them yet. Doc
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Thanks for the information. I have over 30 reels so I doubt I ever buy another. I look at the 2500 as sort of a specialty reel for light line & smaller lures. Guess thats why it didn't sell & was discontinued. For $1000 clams I would sell mine in a heart beat.
Life Members SCI & NRA. NRA Instructor & RSO. What have YOU done to support hunting & gun rights?
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The $1000 2500C's are the CDL version which has many parts actually gold plated. They're not really used very often, more for putting on the mantel.
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
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just read this thread, Alert uses Avet reels the 80s run about $800 the 50s $500. add in 3000yds of 100# braid and custom rods and they get pricy. the roller guides on those rods run $250 set, so rod will run round $400 in parts if you build it yourself. ![[Linked Image]](https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/253929_1667821989946_4452941_n.jpg) ![[Linked Image]](https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/994979_10201047239689541_1177444544_n.jpg)
God bless Texas-----------------------
Old 300
I will remain what i am until the day I die- A HUNTER......Sitting Bull
Its not how you pick the booger..
but where you put it !!
Roger V Hunter
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I don,t recall ever seeing anyone using any Ambassadeur reels at a registered Pro-AM Bass Tournament.Then again I have never fished above the Mason Dixon line.
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Campfire 'Bwana
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This thread reminds me of something out of the optics forum. Good point.
Not a real member - just an ordinary guy who appreciates being able to hang around and say something once in awhile.
Happily Trapped In the Past (Thanks, Joe)
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
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The fish can tell. 
Not a real member - just an ordinary guy who appreciates being able to hang around and say something once in awhile.
Happily Trapped In the Past (Thanks, Joe)
Not only a less than minimally educated person, but stupid and out of touch as well.
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Campfire 'Bwana
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I just bought an Abu Silver Max at Scheels for $49.99. It has 6+1 (ball plus roller) bearings and has all the features I will ever need.
I bought an Okuma fly reel last year for (IIRC) $59 and it has all the features I will ever need. I mounted it on an $800 fly rod, which is the more important half of that pairing.
Expensive reels might feel nicer. They might have extra bells and a few more whistles. But do I REALLY need either? I doubt it. I'd rather use an inexpensive (not cheap) reel for a couple decades and replace it than drop a few Franklins on a reel that does no more. If I had 50 years left on this planet, I might feel differently.
But I doubt it.
Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult.
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If anybody knows a cheaper alternative to a calcutta to throw 8 ounce baits with 30 pound mono or 100 pound braid I'm all ears.
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Joined: Aug 2003
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If anybody knows a cheaper alternative to a calcutta to throw 8 ounce baits with 30 pound mono or 100 pound braid I'm all ears. I like the way you perch fish....
Me
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