# why does cheap reel function better than more expensive one?



## camaroman (May 17, 2009)

I have recently gotten an abu garcia black max reel which was around $50 which is on a medium 6'6 ugly stick. I have also just purchased a quantum code combo for $120 at dicks. I mainly have used zoom plastics with 1/8 bullet weight and the abu garcia setup can cast this around twice the distance of the more expensive quantum. With the abu i also get about 1/4 of the backlashes i do with the quantum. I have tried adjusting both the magnetic and friction? Brake on both reels to the best of my ability. Can anyone explain this to someone who knows nothing about baitcasting reels?


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## CelticCross (Aug 18, 2010)

um maybe you got a good black max... or maybe your used to it. Also the code is not that great of a reel. my friend has one and my e7 knocks it in the dirt. 

But that isnt a fair comparison. My old carbonlite would knock them both in the dirt, or a pro qualifier. 

You could just be used to the brakes in the model. Try a model with the same brakes but more expensive. correct me if im wrong but doesnt the code use centrifugal brakes? the max uses magnetic. 

Personally, i like centrifugal pins best. I HATE reels with JUST the magnetic brake. 

I feather fine, so i dont need brake help at the end of the cast, its when im tossing that i find a brake useful.


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## camaroman (May 17, 2009)

As far as the brakes go I am not sure which reel has which, i just assumed they both had magnetic, most likely i am wrong about that. I am going to continue to use both for awhile and if the code does not get better for me i will attempt to get a different type of reel.


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## Bad Bub (Jan 17, 2006)

celtic is right. i'm a quantum man and the code flat stinks. it does use centrifugal braking. this takes alot of getting used to if you've been throwing nothing but magnetic brakes. i have reels with both types and it still takes a couple of casts to adjust when i change from one to another.


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## st.slippy (Oct 3, 2008)

Don't have the code, but the 2 baitcast reels I use most are the quantum energy multicolored version, and the bass pro qualifier. They serve different purposes for me, so they don't often get fished together, but when I was switching between them this spring, it was really tough at first. Those reels both have a dramatically different feel. I can cast lighter lures very easily with the pro qualifier, while I can cast much larger lures far better with the energy. Try to find something that you like using the code for, and go with it. For instance, I can throw a weightless fluke all day with a pro qualifier, without any issue. On the other hand I can throw an HJ12 Husky jerk all day with the energy. Switch them up and I'm full of birdsnests. The brakes on my quantum are very touchy!! A slight nudge can make a huge difference. I also use my thumb a lot to slow the spool.


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## AbuGarciaFan (Jun 21, 2010)

i fish with a black max and a revo SX. they feel completely different. the SX is an awesome reel but i prefer to fish the black max more haha. i think because i learned how to use a baitcaster on the blackmax so im just used to it. and also its a REALLY good reel for the price


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## CelticCross (Aug 18, 2010)

Bad Bub said:


> celtic is right. i'm a quantum man and the code flat stinks. it does use centrifugal braking. this takes alot of getting used to if you've been throwing nothing but magnetic brakes. i have reels with both types and it still takes a couple of casts to adjust when i change from one to another.


me personally, if i had to pick between pin brakes, or magnetic, id go with PIN any day. 

Now, no doubt you can get reels with the best of both worlds, but id rather stick with my curado's or chronarchs. 

I will be purchasing a few pro qualifiers here shortly because i want a reel that is like the STX, but dont feel like paying the price they want. MAY get one second hand tho. 

But like i said, i would totally rather Pin brakes as i find for me there more accurate at keeping the birds nests down. 

They help at the very beginning of casting, as magnetic help towards the end. I feather, so by the end of the cast, i dont need help slowing the spool down. Magnetic brakes for me are completely useless. 

Now, when im whipping my curado in wind, i set the brakes up high, and it works wonders. 

I occasionally get backlashes, no one is perfect. but i maybe get 2 a month, i fish 2 times daily usually. so thats 60 times fishing, 2 birds nests. 

With the diawa magforce v, i was getting them constantly, and it made me HATE HATE HATE the magforce brake system. It straight sucks.


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## Tokugawa (Apr 29, 2008)

CelticCross said:


> me personally, if i had to pick between pin brakes, or magnetic, id go with PIN any day.
> 
> But like i said, i would totally rather Pin brakes as i find for me there more accurate at keeping the birds nests down.
> 
> ...


Now now now...let's understand what the Mag V is before trashing it.  The Mag V is a centrifugal braking system - like the "pins" you extol. However, instead of using simple friction on a shoe like the VBS system, it uses eddy currents into an inductor from magnets to slow the spool. The faster the spool spins, the further into the magnetic field the inductor goes. When the spool slows, the inductor moves out.

There is a very specific process to set the brakes properly - fortunately you don't need to open the reel to do so. 

"Magforce" uses a fixed inductor and braking power is proportional to spool speed.

http://www.tackletour.net/T3Forum/viewtopic.php?t=8831&highlight=magforce

http://www.japantackle.com/Topics/brake_system.htm

Read and learn young Paduan.


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## FISHIN216 (Mar 18, 2009)

Ya the most expensive reel I have ever purchased was the Bass Pro Shops JM1000.....long story short it is an awful reel...it has a very flat spool, hardly any line fits on it and it just sits there collecting dust...man do I feel like a sucker for spending that kind of money on crap..anybody want it...$50


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## drjkl1 (Jul 2, 2009)

I have a number of newer Abu's: black max, silver max, and revo s. My wife grabbed that blk max rod reel combo and after a slight adjustment to her style was slinging her way to a couple bass and a pike. The black max is really not a bad set-up, at least for how I fish, but for others it might be a pile of dung. For some reason I find the little black max nice for tossing lighter things like a pop-R, but much prefer throwing a spook with a BP JMX10HC. But I do a little voo doo internally to little max, so maybe my mad science helps make them more fishable.

Unfortunately I think how a person casts can affect what they like and dislike. Its tough to stomach buying an expensive reel and not having it fit your style. It may not mean its junk, just that its not conducive to how you fish/cast.


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## drjkl1 (Jul 2, 2009)

FISHIN216 said:


> Ya the most expensive reel I have ever purchased was the Bass Pro Shops JM1000.....long story short it is an awful reel...it has a very flat spool, hardly any line fits on it and it just sits there collecting dust...man do I feel like a sucker for spending that kind of money on crap..anybody want it...$50


FISHIN 216

Do you mean the JM"X" 1000? I actually love that reel and if thats what you got yeah I might be up for a sale. Send me a message


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