Quality/Construction: Abu Garcia's REVO Toro Beast is available in two sizes - a 50 size and a 60 size. Both sizes are available in two different retrieve ratios and all four models are available in left and right hand retrieve. We fished the left handed 50 size in standard 4.9:1 retrieve. Specifically, the REVOT2BST51 (Revo Toro 2 Beast 51). This reel is finished in all black with glossy black sideplates and a matte black frame. There are anodized blue highlights at the cast control cap, base of the handle, and on the handle and knobs at various spots.

This is a big reel but still feasible to palm.

The frame and sideplates align almost perfectly but the non-handle sideplate extends beyond the frame at the front of the reel by about half a millimeter. Otherwise, everything lines up perfectly. The reel's insanely long 110mm handle does have a little back and forth wiggle to it and the large-ish knobs also move in and out from the handle a little.

Performance: I spooled the REVO Toro Beast 51 with some twenty pound (20lb) Sunline Super Natural monofilament and mounted it on a Fantasista FB79-6 casting rod for some big bait action earlier this year.

Drag: Abu Garcia uses their Carbon Matrix Drag System on the REVO Toro Beast to deliver 29lbs of max drag pressure as tested in our lab. The reel is rated to 25lbs max pressure. As you can see on the reel's Sweet Drag Performance chart below, at all but full lockdown, that drag is pretty smooth and consistent in performance. Most reels we test have very erratic curves at full lockdown. This systemic of everything from line stretch to the line digging in on itself and releasing momentarily so erratic lockdown curves are nothing of which to be concerned.

Fig 1: The Sweet Drag Performance chart above shows the consistency in drag performance of our Abu Garcia REVO Toro Beast 50/51.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to hook into anything to really put the REVO Toro Beast's Carbon Matrix Drag system to the test, but nothing with what I did experience led me to doubt what we charted back a the lab. Abu Garcia's drag system in their REVO reels has worked well for us to date.

A look at the reel's extensive drag stack.

Power: This reel has power to spare. With the extra long handle, large line capacity, and slow gear ratio, this reel pulls baits like Strike King's 10XD and Lucky Craft's Magnum SKT cranks like they're shallow running square bills. The power this reel delivers is very reassuring and if not for its size, it'd be my new cranking reel of choice. As such it's a wonderful reel with which to cast and retrieve big baits like GanCraft's Jointed Claw 300!

The reel's extra long handle affords you greater leverage, but that oversized gear box is where the real power comes from.

Brakes: Abu Garcia uses their InfiniMax Braking System in the new REVO Toro Beast. This is a dual braking system with adjustable centrifugal brakes on the spool's rotor together with a mag dial adjustable through a dial on the reel's non-handle sideplate. This dial moves a set of magnets into and away from the spool's rotor to control its spin.

Abu Garcia's InfiniMax Braking system is a two in one design with adjustable centrifugal brakes on the spool and ...

I've written before that I find the dual system unnecessary and with big baits involved, on the REVO Toro Beast, I typically backed off as far as I could with the magnetic brakes and relied upon the centrifugal brakes on the spool for my brake control. Centrifugal brakes are favored in long cast situations over magnetic braking systems as the latter can have the effect of choking off your cast prematurely.

... magnetic brakes on the sideplate adjustable with an external dial.

Features: The REVO Toro Beast, as with all of Abu Garcia's REVO reels, does very well against our standard checklist of features, but what we do not score, and what the Toro Beast comes with are two extra power handles. Normally reserved as aftermarket items you have to purchase, or simply not offered at all, these power handles have just one knob and are great when you want to take the reel out in pursuit of inshore species or other, big, powerful fish. Additionally, this reel has a non-disengaging levelwind meaning the line guide tracks back and forth while line is being pulled out of the reel with the drag engaged.