Revo Premier: Great Finesse Caster?

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l2yan
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Revo Premier: Great Finesse Caster?

Post by l2yan » Fri Sep 28, 2007 9:58 am

How is the new Revo casting? I was wandering, how does it hold up casting 1/4 or less compared to 50mg, sol, and stx? It is VERY tempting with the all-aluminum frame. I also prefer their style free-spool to shimano. Are their spools much lighter than the lead weights in the stx's... maybe a little closer to that of shimanos?

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Re: Revo Premier: Great Finesse Caster?

Post by sweden14 » Fri Sep 28, 2007 10:43 am

I'm VERY interested in this question as well :)

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Re: Revo Premier: Great Finesse Caster?

Post by hobobob » Fri Sep 28, 2007 3:13 pm

It's a great reel non the less, but I seriously doubt that it would be a great finesse reel. It's not so much as the spool weight. What matter here is the line weight or total weight(spool + line )

here is an example of couple of reel in comparison

curado 101d spool = 12 grams + 8 grams full spool mono = 20 grams total.
tdz spool = 14 grams + 8 grams mono = 22 grams
calais 100 spool = 12 grams + 10 grams of line = 22 grams
alphas spool = 16 grams + 8 grams of mono = 24 grams
revo stx spool = 18 grams + 14 grams of mono = 32 grams
** stx spool = 18 grams + 10 grams of braid = 28 grams. :shock:

my scale is not that accurate :oops: anyone can feel free to post any corrections.

see the difference between the curado and the stx spool? you will probably feel it when you flick the spool with your thumb. The stx spool spin up slower and takes more effort to start vs the curado.

** notice the total weight of the stx with braid? It's alot lighter than mono. So if you got some old braid that you don't use, consider using it as filler for the bottom of the spool.

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Re: Revo Premier: Great Finesse Caster?

Post by backcast » Fri Sep 28, 2007 3:21 pm

Are the STX and Premier spools approximately the same weight?

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Re: Revo Premier: Great Finesse Caster?

Post by dragon1 » Fri Sep 28, 2007 9:27 pm

It is not just spool weight, but transfer of energy in the cast via the cast control systems, bearing quality, line exit angle...and to a lesser extent line guide design as well.

Revo of any type a "Great Finesse" caster? :roll:

I don't think so...unless it is SW finesse. ;)

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Re: Revo Premier: Great Finesse Caster?

Post by l2yan » Fri Sep 28, 2007 11:54 pm

dragon1 wrote:It is not just spool weight, but transfer of energy in the cast via the cast control systems, bearing quality, line exit angle...and to a lesser extent line guide design as well.

Revo of any type a "Great Finesse" caster? :roll:

I don't think so...unless it is SW finesse. ;)
Why? What are some downsides to the Revo's casting??
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Re: Revo Premier: Great Finesse Caster?

Post by dragon1 » Sat Sep 29, 2007 10:23 pm

Revo casts great for 3/8oz +...and I say this because the casting management and consistancy for me was better w/lures in that weight range.

The large spool filled with all that line along with their mag system is not as fine tuned and refined as what Shimano or Daiwa has in their MG reels for light finesse casting.

The key term here is "finesse" casting and how you define it.

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Re: Revo Premier: Great Finesse Caster?

Post by AmericanSkin » Sat Sep 29, 2007 10:43 pm

l2yan,

I just received a Revo Premier today. Preliminary assessment is pretty damn good. I'll post a detailed report about its casting abilities and all of its other aspects after I take it on the water tomorrow.

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Re: Revo Premier: Great Finesse Caster?

Post by rambler » Sun Sep 30, 2007 5:24 am

:idea: Boy - this is a interesting post. Waiting to to see what you come up with, AmericanSkin after testing those two premier reels. :idea:

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Re: Revo Premier: Great Finesse Caster?

Post by l2yan » Sun Sep 30, 2007 10:07 am

AmericanSkin wrote:l2yan,

I just received a Revo Premier today. Preliminary assessment is pretty damn good. I'll post a detailed report about its casting abilities and all of its other aspects after I take it on the water tomorrow.
Standing by........ \:D/ \:D/ \:D/
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Re: Revo Premier: Great Finesse Caster?

Post by sweden14 » Mon Oct 01, 2007 6:30 am

l2yan wrote:
AmericanSkin wrote:l2yan,

I just received a Revo Premier today. Preliminary assessment is pretty damn good. I'll post a detailed report about its casting abilities and all of its other aspects after I take it on the water tomorrow.
Standing by........ \:D/ \:D/ \:D/
x2 :)

And on the note of the STX spool weight...are there any lighter, aftermarket spools available for the STX?

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Re: Revo Premier: Great Finesse Caster?

Post by jtrotter » Tue Oct 02, 2007 4:33 am

are the Revo STX and Premier spools interchangeable?

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Re: Revo Premier: Great Finesse Caster?

Post by backcast » Tue Oct 02, 2007 5:08 pm

I have an STX, and until a few days ago had only seen pictures of the Premier. Went to BPS and looked at both reels side by side. Was in a hurry so did not get to play with them. The Premier spool and the frame for that matter are narrower than the STX. The spools are very definately different widths.
Also the hole pattern is different, with what appears to be more holes in the Premier.

Not sure this means anything, but am interested about casting difference between the two.

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Re: Revo Premier: Great Finesse Caster?

Post by AmericanSkin » Wed Oct 03, 2007 1:17 am

Sorry for the late reply guys, I know I promised a report a few days ago and have been insanely busy.

To start this review off, let me say that I despise Abu Garcia reels. Not ambivalence, not disinterest, but pure hatred. And I've used most of their high-end reels extensively, including a couple Morrum models as well as the Revo STX. The STX, by far, was their best offering in my opinion, but having used Shimano and Daiwa exclusively, and recently dumping all of my Daiwas for a complete arsenal of Shimanos, the STX still had a few glaring flaws that kept my loyalties intact. With the advent of the Revo Premier, I knew I had to get the reel on the water to see if the company could really stay at pace with the two stalwarts of the industry.

I was blown away...for the most part.

Initial impressions: Light, light, light. I use Calais 100s and Calcutta DCs for most of my fishing needs, and have never entertained even an afterthought about their weight. The Premier is a feather in comparison, especially for an aluminum reel. And for its insubstantial weight, it certainly is an incredibly well-built reel. It feels totally solid, yet nimble and graceful at the same time. Freespool tests gave me a nearly foolish grin: one click of the clutch at moderate tension control started the perforated spool's spin without effort. A flick of the thumb, and the rotations seemed to last forever. Mechanically and structurally - so far, so good.

Filled the spool with 12lb Sunline Machinegun Cast and began putting the reel through the wringer. Tied on a 3/8th oz leadhead with a 3 inch Big Hammer boot tail swimbait (total weight probably around 1/2 to 5/8ths of an oz) and began swinging for the fences with the mag set at half. Man, this thing can friggin' cast. As much as I've hated Abus in the past, they were always pretty decent casters, and the Revo is beyond comparison. I had no way to quantitatively measure the distance, but I can tell you the Premier has no performance voids in the casting department. To hell with finesse articulations: the reel casts like a damn rocket, as well or even slightly better than the STX.

Noticed a bit of roughness in the initial casting period, but fortunately that quickly disappeared. Sidearm casts, overhead, light underhand lobs, the Premier handled it all extremely well. After a couple of indistinct bass, I grabbed a 1/4oz custom jig with a Baby Pacacraw trailer and started the pitching routine. The results were fantastic: smooth, controlled pitches throughout, with excellent distance. No qualms here at all.

Pulling a wide range of baits through the green at varying water column levels, the retrieve was incredible. Exceptionally smooth, creeping into Shimano territory and certainly surpassing Daiwa's high-end as far as refinement's concerned (remember, these are just personal opinions). While the Premier lacked that signature Calais feel that I've grown completely accustomed to, it's certainly a sophisticated tool with extremely aggressive gearing. Every revolution of the handle translated into a distinct feeling of power without sacrificing refinement. Bearing supported knobs, while not an absolute necessity, would definitely have given the reel a few points. Overall, more than satisfied with the Premier's casting and retrieve performance.

For those of you interested in the reel's finesse abilities as per the original post, the Premier isn't billed as a finesse tool and there are certainly better options out there for casting 1/8th oz and below. I did tie on a naked 1/4oz egg sinker for a few casts and the distance was very respectable considering my line choice as well as the rod (Loomis MBR844 GLX). With the right rod and line, I have no doubt that the Premier could be used easily in finesse applications down to 1/8th of an oz, but that stretches the spectrum of this reel's abilities. This is a lightweight workhorse, but in a pinch, the Premier should suit some finesse tactics well. What amazed me was the reel's performance casting this 1/4 weight into moderate wind, where it performed admirably - but there's a negative side to this as well.

On to some of the cons. Like I mentioned before, the Premier can cast into the wind, even with light weights, quite well - as long as you pay close attention to the spool. The magnetic control on the Premier, in my opinion, is definitely a bit less refined and reliable than Shimano's VBS and Daiwa's own mag brakes, and takes some time getting used to, even coming from the STX. The range in spool control from notch to notch, in minutia, is fairly wide, and at times, seemingly inconsistent. With practice, and an educated thumb, anglers should have no issues with the brake settings and casting.

Aesthetically, I believe Abu lost some a few significant opportunities to set itself apart from the pack with the Premier. Although this may not concern some, from a personal enthusiast perspective the Premier has a lackluster paint job and color scheme. Like the STX, which had extremely soft paint, the Premier seems susceptible to scratches and nicks more readily than the average reel. On that topic, I feel Abu should consider a stronger degree of quality control when it comes to the paint tolerances. On my NIB reel, there are noticeable imperfections in the finish, with slight rubs and uneven gaps at certain points. Performance is obviously unaffected, yet it seems almost insulting to receive a brand new product with these flaws. None of these are glaring, and some may even glance over them, but it's still a bit irritating to the discriminating angler. That being said, the handle, drag star, and spool tension cap, despite not being forged, feel awesome and are very tightly machined. There is absolutely no backplay in the anti-reverse as well. To me, the Premier's handle and drag star are definite improvements over the STX's forged counterparts, which seemed extraordinarily cheap and unrefined. The drag star and tension cap, by the way, employ clicking adjustments - a nice touch as on the STX.

I'm not sure what the published drag specifications are on the Premier, but the pressure is nowhere near the 24 pounds being touted by Abu and their customers on the other Revos. Even with the drag buttoned down, it was still possible to strip out line. The drag, to its credit, did perform very smoothly, with no discernable jerks or pauses, and in the end the drag is more than enough for everyday bass fishing.

My final grievance with the Premier? Pricing. While this is by all means an excellent reel, I feel that considering the Premier's manufacturing location (Korea) as well as its lack of finish refinement, it fits squarely in the 200-220 range. Priced to compete with Curado 100Ds and the like, the Premier should do well. But with the current 260 tag, the Premier begins to encroach on the 300 dollar market where JDM reels reign as king. Yet considering the unique features of the Premier, and the absence of competition at its range, I have a feeling the reel will have no problem flying off the shelves.

Bottom line, if you're in the market for an extremely lightweight, aluminum-based reel (a blessing for inshore anglers) that shows versatility in most applications and excels in casting and pitching at and above the 3/8th oz weight range, the Premier is a fine choice. But like the STX, I don't think the Revo Premier is the end-all of bass fishing reels. It is, however, an excellent performer with few faults, and I'm quite impressed overall.

Ironically enough, I can't seem to find a place for this reel in my gear cadre, and after two sessions and a lot of reflection, I've decided to sell the Premier. Don't let my hesitation with the reel sway your decision, though. It is a very nice tool, just not for me and my often inane sense of loyalty to Shimano and the almighty Calais 100A. After casting 8-10 oz reels for so long, a 6 oz reel is simply too light for my tastes.

l2yan, I hope this helps with your query, and have fun with the Premier if you decide to pick it up.

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Re: Revo Premier: Great Finesse Caster?

Post by Fishingelbow » Wed Oct 03, 2007 4:15 pm

After casting 8-10 oz reels for so long, a 6 oz reel is simply too light for my tastes.
Skin, do you have the same tastes for rods too - like them on the heavy side? :?:

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