Quantum unifies conventional and low profile reel design to
create the Cabo PT Baitcast

Date: |
4/11/04 |
Tackle type: |
Reels |
Manufacturer: |
Quantum |
Reviewer: |
JIP |
Total Score: 8.83
Introduction:
To complement their recently introduced saltwater light tackle PT rods, Quantum
launches the new Cabo PT Baitcast reel. The Cabo PT is a hybrid
between a round conventional reel and a low profile baitcaster, which
equates to a smaller, lighter, reel that still holds the massive amount of line
necessary to reach deep dwelling prey.
Quantum Cabo PT
Baitcast (CBC30PTs) Specifications |
Line
Capacity (lb/yds) |
14/270,
20/200 |
Gear
Ratio |
5.7:1 |
Weight |
10
oz |
Bearings |
6 |
Additional Features |
Solid one-piece aluminum frame, Magnum ceramic drag, Continuous
Anti-Reverse, super-hard brass alloy machined gears, ceramic-coated
levelwind gear with Zirconia pawl, Saltgard six-layer corrosion protection
finish, high-capacity forged aluminum spool, lubrication port, adjustable
centrifugal cast control, Neoprene bag, wrench+knot tool |
Price |
$159.95 |
Impressions: When I heard that Quantum
took two popular designs and blended them together to form
something that's between a low profile and round conventional reel, I had no
idea what this new-fangled reel would finally evolve into. When I first examined
the new Cabo PT Baitcast I was surprised by how compact the reel looked. Unlike
most saltwater reels which are hulking in appearance, the Quantum PT is
streamlined in a teardrop profile. To protect your investment, Quantum provides
a very nice Neoprene cover that prevents damage during storage and transport.

A small reel with a huge line
capacity, the Cabo PT Baitcast reel is quite stirring
The Design:
Despite its sleek design, the newly introduced
saltwater baitcast reel boasts plenty of line capacity thanks to the wide spool
design of the CBC30PTs. This smaller sized saltwater
reel is lighter in weight and able to be palmed if desired; not the case with
traditional round reels. Quantum wanted to design a reel that can be fished
with the finesse of a freshwater baitcaster, but still has enough muscle to hold
its own when it comes time to skirmish with ocean faring fish.
The low profile reel is protected with Quantum's Saltgard six-layer finish
which safeguards it from harsh corrosive saltwater
conditions. Quantum makes use of quality saltwater-grade components that
ensure the reel will enjoy many seasons of duty. The Zirconia pawl offers chemical and corrosion
resistance, and can withstand extreme temperature conditions. The part is
extremely high strength, making it a perfect match to be used in the big
ocean. Other portions that make the Cabo PT Baitcast a saltwater worthy
reel include the aluminum, brass, and ceramic coated guts under the reel's
polished swathe.

The wide spool allows you to have
plenty of line when targeting larger saltwater species
The Cabo PT baitcast sports a number of features
that are designed to allow anglers to fish the reel in a wide assortment of
applications. The audible star drag clicks as
you finely adjust the pressure of the drag system. While a accurate audible
click may seem like a small element, it's enormously helpful especially when
you need to make quick corrections to the amount of drag pressure needed when
fighting the fish. The Cabo PT reel also comes with a line out alarm that
screams as a big fish takes your line, and when not needed simply turn it off
via a easy to access button.
The Cabo PT Baitcast reels also come with a
maintenance port for a quick on-the-go lubrication. This does not replace
a full maintenance where you open up the reel, clean each component, and then
either grease or oil the parts, but it is a beneficial feature for anglers in
need of a prompt lube.
Complete Rig for
Cabo PT Baitcast Tests |
Rods |
Quantum PT Inshore |
Reel |
Quantum Cabo PT (CBC30PTs) |
Line |
20
lb. Sufix Tritanium Plus |
Real
World Tests: Being on the West coast we have plenty of saltwater species
that helped put the new Cabo PT through the paces. With the reel spooled with Sufix Tritanium 20 lb test line
it was time to go fishing for an assortment of rockfish, stripers, and...
migratory green sturgeon.

A saltwater worthy reel that
performs well in casting and retrieving, and can also be used in freshwater
fishing
Casting:
Casting comes easy with this reel, but it does require two hands to make it
happen. It is lower in profile than round
conventional reels and the spool is wide enough to easily control the rotation
with your thumb. The Cabo PT Baitcast saltwater reel employs an adjustable
centrifugal cast control that does require you to remove the side cover to access. This
could be considered a hassle to some anglers, but since this is a saltwater reel
having less openings helps guard from harsh saltwater contaminants from coming
in contact with the reel's key components.
The size of the Cabo PT Baitcast in the wide spool
style casted fine as we tossed lures and baits with heavy sinkers at the end of
the line. When not casting, the reel is great for vertical fishing as we
did with rockfish. When using heavier jigs or weights, the wide spool allows you to use both thumbs
to prevent the line from getting out of control as it is released.
Double thumbing will allow greater pressure and also minimizing the chances of
burning your thumb.

The CBC30PTs sports corrosion
resistant components while the frame is protected with Quantum's Saltgard
six-layer finish
Retrieving: The
retrieve feels confident and fluid with every turn of the handle. The
CBC30PTs comes with 6 high quality PT bearings that are specially produced to
withstand corrosion, minimize vibration, and to reduce noise. The bearings
are stainless steel and housed in a polymer composite cage which has a very tight
tolerance for greater performance.
One of the many things I find incredibly
good about this reel is the Continuous Anti-reverse system, which showed
absolutely no signs of backplay. The Cabo PT Baitcast reel is made with
tight specifications and the design of the nut locking mechanism is superb,
giving zero unwanted movement in the handle. This gives you a sure hookset
and minimizes any sloppiness created by your total rig when fighting that big
saltwater game fish.
While hauling rockcod and bigger lingcods up from
100' below the surface, the reel was powerful and showed no signs of torquing. Each turn of the handle translated
perfectly through the tough brass gears that brought the
fish to the surface and into the boat. The reel also proved it could win a
tug of war with big fish when we targeted Sturgeon in the San Francisco Bay. With
a large line
capacity and confidence in the abilities of the reel, we were able to land a few
of those ancient creatures.

A green sturgeon gives the Cabo PT
reel a good tugging, but is still no match for a solid reel like this
The Drag: You might wonder why we took the
CBC30PTs out sturgeon fishing when most people choose to use heavy tackle to haul in those
monsters. The Cabo PT Baitcast reel has an aggressive drag system that
uses Quantum's Magnum ceramic drag discs that puts plenty of pressure for many
saltwater game fish. Prior to fishing, pre-adjust the drag according to the pound test line you're using
with a scale. You want the line to spool off when the fish runs
and with the Cabo PT reel, the startup was nice and smooth when we hooked up on
stripers and sturgeon the fish did indeed take out line, but never felt
unmanageable or too big for the Cabo to handle. If
adjusting is required during the fight, the audible clicking star drag can be
finely increased or decreased when necessary on the fly.
With a quality drag, the CBC30PTs has another
feature that'll come in handy especially when you hook into an unexpectedly big
fish. While you let the fish run and tire out under the sure of the Magnum ceramic
drag, this hybrid small reel sports a wide spool design that holds a generous
amount of line. We know that conventional round reels are known to hold a
lot of line, and low profile ones not as much, but the Quantum Cabo PT Baitcast
test unit holds more line than some conventional reels with a larger frame size!

The lubrication port provides a
quick lube when just a few drops are needed to do the job
Durability: Saltwater reels demand a lot,
and everything from the frame to the tiniest component must withstand hard
tugging fish and the added trouble saltwater adds to the equation. After the field tests
were completed, we opened
up the reel and analyzed the inside. Since there are a few tight openings
where saltwater has the possibility to get into the interior, we made sure to
look at every component and see if we could detect any corrosion, especially in the
bearings and main gearing. After a thorough investigation, there was a tiny spot
of saltwater residue near the lubrication port side but no signs of corrosion
were
noticed on any of the components. A good sign since the reel came in
contact with saltwater in many different ways that could have punished a reel
that was poorly designed, but this was simply not the case with the CBC30PTs.

Quantum's PT Saltwater reels come
with an attractive and protective reel cover that can be used for storage and
during transport
Maintenance: A reel's longevity and
ability to retain its performance comes from proficient maintenance, and with
saltwater gear it is important to maintain and service reels on a regular basis. Quantum's saltwater reels come with a handy tool for you to use to open up
the reel. The combo tool consists of an Allen-wrench(hex wrench), wrench
to remove the handle,
and it also acts as a knot tool. While the reel does have a lubrication
port, use it only when needed, and apply very modest amounts of oil to the main gear
when doing so. Remember, lubricating through this port does not replace a
full maintenance. When doing maintenance, I recommend opening the reel and
clean each component and give it a superior treatment of oil or grease.
Warranty:
Quantum's Saltwater PT reels have an excellent warranty.
These PT reels are warranted for one year from the date of purchase against
any defects in workmanship or materials. But here's the exciting part that any
saltwater guys will love. Quantum provides their users with a "24 Hour Warranty
Service" because their objective is to keep everyone fishing, and they
understand how important it is to have your gear ready, especially when the sea
conditions are right and the migratory fish are biting. Two advantages to this
service: 1) Quantum will either repair or replace your product in 24 hours and
ship it back to you, 2) the warranty on the product being sent back to you will
again have a 1 year warranty period from the date sent. This is a solid
warranty, with the service to back it up!

When it comes to maintenance,
Quantum gives you the tool for the job
Replacement Parts: Now finding parts for
your Quantum reel is even easier than before. Quantum recently launched a
website dedicated to ordering parts and accessories, where an interactive online
schematic makes finding the parts quickly, easily, and accurately. Yet another
nice added value Quantum provides to its ever growing group of Performance Tuned
saltwater enthusiasts.
Ratings:
Quantum Cabo PT
Baitcast Ratings (?/10) |
Construction/Quality |
Built to withstand harsh corrosive saltwater environments when fishing.
The frame and components are well protected and are solid, being able to
take on a good beating. The six layer finish protects the reel very
well |
9 |
Performance |
Performs great throughout each category with good casting, quality drag
system, and a smooth retrieve with zero backplay |
9 |
Price |
There aren't any real contenders for this reel, at least not yet. But
the CBC30PTs stands up there with the well known brands that are larger,
less line capacity, and are higher in price. This reel is competitive
and affordable |
8.5 |
Features |
A
smaller sized reels packed with features you would normally see in other
conventional saltwater reels such as a line out alarm, audible drag clicker,
high performing Zirconia pawl, and a few others |
8 |
Design
(Ergonomics) |
A
well designed low profile saltwater baitcast reel that is lighter in weight,
ergonomic, and holds a huge amount of line for its size. Great
comfortable size
for an all day fishing trip |
9.5 |
Application |
This baitcast reel would work in any place you would normally use the
smaller conventional types such as light tackle fishing for rockfish,
casting plugs on the flats, and much more. A well rounded light tackle
reel with a good amount of line capacity to give you the upper hand in both
salt and freshwater |
9 |
Total Score |
8.83 |
Pluses and Minuses:
Plus
Minus |
J
Lower profile design |
L
Maintenance port only good for a quick
lube, you should still do a full maintenance depending on how often the reel
is used |
J
Generous line capacity |
|
J
Zero backplay!!! |
|
J
Great warranty service |
|
J
Corrosion resistant components |
|
Conclusion: Conventional reels, move over! Quantum has just unleashed a light tackle low profile saltwater baitcast reel
that can be finessed like a bass reel, and fished aggressively like a
traditional rounder.
After many hours of tests on different species of fish, this reel has proven
itself to be truly saltwater worthy. The Cabo PT Baitcast reel is well protected
with its Saltgard six-layer finish along with quality corrosion resistant
components. Aside from its great looks, the CBC30PTs performed admirably in
all our
categories. With controlled casting abilities you can reach your target
zone, and a smooth retrieve with a zero backplay helps you to set the hook
quickly to successfully
boat the fish. This Quantum saltwater reel is definitely a contender, and in a
sea of sameness the Cabo Pt is breath of fresh air. The ability to have something
smaller in your hands while still retaining a generous capacity of line on the
spool is definitely a big plus for hardcore saltwater guys that demand the most
from their saltwater tackle.
