|
Rev up
your fishing with Abu Garcia's Revo SX20 Spinning Reel (continued)
  Drag:
The standard Carbon-Matrix Hybrid drag stack provides strong performance and is
relatively smooth. It's not jerky at normal settings, but the drag pressure is
not perfectly consistent. There's a noticeable “bump” as line is pulled off the
rod tip, even at very light settings. Although a maximum drag rating was not
available from our lab, a couple of pulls on a hand scale (with the drag
absolutely locked down as tight as I could muster) yielded about 17 pounds of
pressure—far more than anyone should require!
A close look at the
drag stack of the SX20....
|
Performance Ratings for
Abu Garcia Revo SX20 Spinning Reel |
|
Retrieve (1-5)
|
Drag
(1-5)
|
Power
(1-5)
|
Bail Operation(1-5)
|
Line Twist
(1-5)
|
Total
|
Possible
|
Rating(= Tot/Pos* 10)
|
|
4 |
3 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
22 |
25 |
8.8 |
Ergonomics: Tipping the scales at 8.2 ounces, the SX20
is of modest weight. Compared to the ever-popular Shimano 2500 series reels, it
weighs less than several of those models. It felt just fine while testing on my
lightweight Steez SVF spinning rod.
This reel has a nice slim waistline.
The form of the
reel is quite good, with a narrow and compact body structure. If it's one thing
I hate it's a bulky reel, and the SX20 is far from it. I also really like EVA
foam handle knob which is a great size and easy to hold onto. One other
ergonomic gripe, though, is the drag knob. It could be larger and easier to
grab.
|
Features Ratings for Abu
Garcia Revo SX20 Spinning Reel |
|
Spool Bearing(1-2) |
Line
Roller
Bearing
(1-2) |
Water- Resistant Drag
(1-2) |
Back
Reel(1-2) |
Spare Spool(1-2) |
Reel Cover(1-2) |
Total |
Possible |
Rating (=Tot/Pos* 10) |
|
1 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
10 |
14 |
7.14 |
Durability:
The Revo SX20 utilizes eight HPCR (High Performance Corrosion Resistant)
bearings plus one roller bearing to help retain smoothness and combat the
harshness of saltwater. I didn't personally experience any durability issues nor
would I expect to. I don't see any obvious reasons to doubt the durability of
the reel in either fresh or saltwater.
The EVA knob
is sized perfectly and feels great.
Price and
Applications: All Revo SX models from size 10 to 40 carry an MSRP of
$159.95. This puts these reels slightly above other noteworthy offerings like
the Shimano Saros, Daiwa Lexa, and Pflueger Supreme XT. Since I find the reel
good but not overly impressive, I feel the price could be lessened by about 30
dollars to make it more competitive.
There's a simple and slightly-deeper spare spool and additional washers (to help
with line lay issues) that are included.
The SX20 is
suitable for both fresh and saltwater, but the line capacity can be a drawback
for certain applications. Of course, braided line can be a way to overcome this
issue. Bass, Snook, and Redfish are just a few possible targets for this reel.
As a bass reel, it works very well for any light finesse application you choose.
I personally used the reel with 20 pound braid so I could use the standard spool
in both fresh and saltwater, but I wouldn't want to use heavier line than that
with such a shallow spool.
Ratings:
(We've
re-calibrated our
ratings standard for
2008 and have
included a key at
the bottom of the
following matrix as
a guide):
|
Abu
Garcia
Revo
SX20
Spinning
Reel
Ratings
(?/10)
|
|
Construction/Quality |
Good
overall
but a
few
little
areas
could be
cleaned
up. |
7.5 |
|
Performance |
The reel
casts
very
well,
but
could be
slightly
more
refined
in the
drag
department. |
8.8 |
|
Price |
After
testing
the reel
I think
the
price
would be
more
attractive
around
$130. |
6.5 |
|
Features |
There's
a nice
set of
features
in
place. I
was
particularly
fond of
the
saltwater-friendly
parts. |
7.14 |
|
Design
(Ergonomics) |
The body
is
compact
and the
handle
is
comfy. |
7 |
|
Application |
A worthy
finesse
reel
that
also
doubles
for
inshore
saltwater
fishing. |
7 |
|
Total
Score
|
8.31 |
Ratings
Key:
1 =
terrible
: 2 =
poor : 3
=
lacking
: 4 =
sub par
: 5 =
mediocre
: 6 =
fair : 7
= good :
8 =
great :
9 =
excellent
: 10 =
unbelievable!
For More
Details
of the
updated
rating
system
visit
our
explanation
here |
Pluses and Minuses:
|
Plus
Minus
|
|
+
Attractive
looks |
- Lacks
a bit of
refinement |
|
+ Feels
solid |
- Drag
is not
completely
smooth |
|
+
Compact
body |
|
|
+ Spare
spool |
|
|
+
Powerful
drag |
|
Drop shotting in Florida does work in certain places!
Conclusion:
The reels of today make
use of a host of different materials and technologies which (for the most part)
work pretty darn good. The Revo SX20 is no exception. As a whole, it's a solid
little reel that gets the job done well. At a middle-of-the-road price, it's a
fine performer but still has a few minor kinks it needs worked out before it
becomes one of my favorites for the money.
Looking for the
Abu Garcia Revo SX20
Spinning Reel?
Try
Tackle Warehouse
|
