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Burn Baby Burn!
The Ultra high speed Tour Edition PT from Quantum
(continued)
 Retrieve:
Once your lure has been
cast out as far as you can fling it its now time to enjoy what the Burner is all
about….speed, lots of it. At a 7.0:1 ratio this reel is blazing fast, and the
minute I started tugging on my Pointer 100 and Vision 110 jerkbaits I was
astounded. The reel is so fast it brings baits back to you at such a rapid rate
that you may have to adjust your rod jerks in between retrieves, or force
yourself to slow down your crank. So why would you need a reel this fast? I
think when most of us think “speed” we think about fishing jerkbaits or speed
traps. But Pro’s view “speed” somewhat differently. Take these examples:
Another look below
Dean Rojas
says the Burner’s speed is critical for his favorite “frog” bait. “When a fish
hits my frog, he’s turned and headed down to cover in a flash,” Rojas explained,
“and I’ve got to retrieve line and turn his head, fast.” “With this new Tour
Edition PT, I’m in total control of my bait, line, and the fish, just as soon as
I start to turn the handle. It makes an awesome difference for me in this
fishing technique.”
This reel is braid capable for frog
fisherman, and makes use of a titanium nitride guide and ceramic zirconic level
wind system
To Tommy
Biffle, the Tour Edition Burners model is all about fishing time. “Flipping and
pitching are about covering every piece of structure you can in a day’s
fishing,” Biffle began. “The more targets I hit, the more fish I catch. It’s
that simple. With the 7:1 gear ratio, I can react quicker to a strike and get
the fish turned. If I don’t get bit, I can have the bait back and on its way
again in a split second. For me, this reel means I can make more bait
presentations in a day’s fishing.”
The opening allows generous spool
feathering
The ability to run baits
fast can also be good for burning buzzbaits and topwater lures bringing them to
plane quicker. In terms of smoothness the Quantum is smoother than the previous
Energy, but still less smooth than some competitors. But before you pass
judgment lets take a closer look. True the Quantum Burner may not be as smooth
in terms of pure “silkiness” but that’s not exactly what the reel was built for.
Unlike other reels that emphasize smoothness above all or on the other end of
the spectrum raw unadulterated power, the Burner manages to achieve a very good
balance of both. The gears on the Burner are oversized, but the gearing is still
precise and hardened. The bearings are supertuned polymer-stainless and deliver
a balance of both refinement and robustness.
Notice the spots on the reels exterior? The
reel's finish is easy to clean with a damp cloth after each use, but will
highlight both water and oil from your hands
So how does the Burner
really feel? Somewhat like a quality all aluminum round reel with machined
gears. While not ultra smooth it does feel exceptionally well tuned. One area
that Quantum has really improved upon is the handle response. The previous
generation reels had excellent anti-reverse mechanisms but there was some sloppy
play in their handle design. This is no longer the case now as the Burner has
zero play thanks to a combination of the dual PT bearing continuous anti-reverse
and rigid screw on handle design.
Porting inside the forged handle for some
weight reduction
Drag: The drag on
the Burner is excellent. We were once skeptical of the ceramic drag, but over
time have found the system to deliver consistent performance, and actually
outperform most dry drag systems when heated due to friction. In our tests the
drag allowed both largemouth and stripers to strip out line controllably, never
did the ceramic drag shudder or lock under force. The Burner is able to dole out
8.9lbs of drag counter pressure confidently. We retested the drag after weeks of
use and found the results to be the same. While we will revisit the overall
durability of the drags after a more extended period we believe that these drags
should hold up as good if not better than most fiber and steel sandwich systems
due to the ability to negate the ill effects of prolonged friction on fiber
washers which can lose gripping strength as resistance generating surface ridges
compress over time.
A striper cant resist a darting
Vision during our field test
Infinite ACS
is adjusted via an ergonomic knob on the sideplate. The knob can be turned up
and down quickly, and our tests confirmed that not only does the system work, but it
is possible to make extremely precise adjustments to the cast control system,
much more so than traditional weighted cast control systems. Once I had the reel
dialed in at around 30% I began casting. Line peels off the spool smoothly as
the reel surprised me by making an enchanting whirring noise during each cast.
The casting “whine” is beautiful, and to some extent like a slightly lower
pitched Calcutta TE DC cast. The noise emits from with Quantum’s unique ACS
system as the weights come into contact with the friction shield.
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Close up of the enlarged grip |
Ergonomics: Hold the Burner in your hand and one thing you won’t be saying
is “this is a light reel.” The Burner is a powerhouse, and is built more like a
machined round reel than a customary low profile baitcaster. The entire frame is
CNC Machined aluminum and the frame feels slick and metallic rather than coated
like most baitcasters. The cold forged handle on this reel features a screwless
design and looks and feels sleek, porting has been done on the inside of the
handle to reduce some additional weight. This was a welcome addition from the
original beta reel we started testing with, which felt even heavier.
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A small switch under the reel
unlocks the sideplate |
Also the handle grips
are now large paddles
rather than slender
knobs like on the
original PT reels. These
new paddles feel much
more comfortable, which
is important when
cranking down on the
reel rapidly for
extended periods of
time, as you will no
doubt find yourself
doing with this
particular reel and the
applications you can
fish with it. Quantum
has done a good job with
the reels overall
ergonomics and I would
say they beat their old
model in all areas save
for palming, in which
the previous Energy PT
reels seemed to more
easily disappear into
the cradle of your hand.
Will it last? Price, and
Ratings...
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