Suffice it to say, however you feel about the look, the overall shape and profile of these reels is very comfortable in hand. Rated at up to 18lbs of max pressure on the Revo5 Rocketĭesign & Ergonomics: We've covered the purpose behind Abu Garcia's asymmetrical top plate on the generation 5 Revo reels, so no real need to get into that again. Abu Garcia has been delivering on that requirement for some time now. Personally, that's still more than enough for the way I fish, and as I've stated many times before, what concerns me with any reel's drag is how smooth (free from studder) and reliable it performs as line is being pulled out. The Revo5 Rocket has the same exact drag stack as the previously reviewed Revo5 SX, yet instead of a maximum rating of 25lbs, the Revo5 Rocket's drag is rated at a maximum pressure of 18. Otherwise, its ability to quickly pick up line really helps with vertical bait presentations where slack line can mean a missed opportunity.Ību Garcia's PowerStack Carbon Drag is an iconic featureĭrag: Another area where faster reels have difficulty is with maximum drag. However, I had no issues pulling some medium and shallow running cranks with the new Revo5 Rocket, so the Revo5 Rocket is actually better than some super high speed reels I've fished in the past and given it is the fastest, that's saying something. Abu Garcia mitigates this somewhat with an oversized gear, but the reel still struggles with a bait like Zander'sĪll time favorite deep diving crank, the good old Norman DD22.īearings where you want them and then some In other words, super fast reels are not the best choice for something like deep cranking. They're fine for a lot of general purpose work, but fishing any lures that have a degree of resistance in the water can be challenging. Power: The issue, of course, with any reel featuring a gear ratio equal to or greater than 8.0:1 or so, is they commonly lack torque. Than expected torque thanks in part to that oversized gear

I find these new knobs to be a big improvement.įor as fast as its gear ratio is, the Revo5 Rocket has better The material is a rubberized PVC compound that is also more comfortable than the previous generation EVA material. They look a bit out of scale because they're so large, but they are also thin making them easier and more comfortable to grasp.

While that inconsistency leaves me a little neutral on that handle and dragstar combo, what I really like are the Rocket's new knobs. What I really appreciate is how thin the knobs are I like it, but that vibe is mitigated for the fact the drag star is still swept. For the Revo5 Rocket, I get kind of a throwback, old school vibe with the handle. I find it amusing now that a straight handle looks really out of place. In fact, I thought it was a bit odd when I first saw it, but it quickly grew on me. In real world applications, for me, I've never felt a benefit of the swept handle design. Not to say the handle is without an aggressive swept shape The disadvantages are for those with larger hands, that proximity of the hands closer to the reel can lead to banging your fingers on various parts of the reel as you retrieve.

This also allows you to complete your reeling motion in a more compact manner reducing wobble. It moves the knobs closer to the reel for better balance. Aside from the more aggressive appearance, there's actually some ergonomic reasoning behind the swept handle design. With swept handles all the rage, the Revo5 Rocket actually comes with a straight handle (made of carbon fiber). Abu Garcia Raises the Bar in Their Quest for Speed : Revo5 RKTĬontinued: Another area of interest for me on this reel was the handle design.

Abu garcia revo rocket reviews