Thoughts on reels

There is no doubt that the Avets are fantastic reels.  Their drags are phenomenal, their parts are high quality, and the more you use it the smoother it gets.  That being said if you're not used to a non-leveler reel you probably want to start getting used to it with mono or use a glove on your leveler hand with braid.  I've fished with an Avet MXL and it was a breeze to use but IMO is not as good casting as a reel as with a spool tensioner and star drag.  I have a Saltist 30 LC and it is a sweet little reel and it has a a very smooth drag.  When I sold tackle the Sealine 30 H was probably the most popular non-leveler reel sold for anything from bank sturgeon to tuna fishing, but if I was to buy one reel for a multitude of things I would probably buy the Saltist (or above models) in the 20 size.  It's got plenty of drag, nice and small, and holds a ton of braid.  If you feel you need a level drag I would get an Avet but no bigger than an MXL.

Penn Fathom or Defiance. Then the Okuma Solterra ( level wind lever drag) just remember the Okuma is right hand only.

Love the looks of those Saltists and Avets but Penns selection of lefties keeps growing.

Amen to that brother Lefties! Im amazed at how few options there are in left-hand retrieve! Im in the same boat finding what want amid sooooooo many choices for righties. Fwiw WR, I did find a Level Wind AND Lever Drag AND Left Hand Retrieve Okuma Solterra! (Its only available as the SLR-10LX or SLR-15LX size though.

As a matter of fact... right now the SLR15LX priced at $103.32 and free 2-day shipping with Amazon Prime membership. :-)

I've searched and I cant find any other reel with those options: 1) Left Hand 2.) Level Wind 3.) Lever Drag

I'm stoked to hear your guys' experience with reels, especially being a lefty and having a limited selection. I too am in the market for a new reel and I'm surprised no one has mentioned Release Reels. I had been fishing an Avet MXL 5.8:1 all year and I loved it because when a 30lb native chinook peeled off 100+yards of line I could bring her in almost as fast as she took it. My only complaints are the 18oz. bulky size, and more importantly when trolling & retrieving a lot the Avet would begin to collect line unevenly on the inside of the spool. I sold my Avet (almost cried) in hopes to buy a Release SG this year.
The Release SG is moe compact, lighter 14oz., and the specs have a greater range & limit than that of the Avets, all for the same price. I'd like to hear if anyone else has experienced this with Avets or Release reels.

I'm stoked to hear your guys' experience with reels, especially being a lefty and having a limited selection. I too am in the market for a new reel and I'm surprised no one has mentioned Release Reels. I had been fishing an Avet MXL 5.8:1 all year and I loved it because when a 30lb native chinook peeled off 100+yards of line I could bring her in almost as fast as she took it. My only complaints are the 18oz. bulky size, and more importantly when trolling & retrieving a lot the Avet would begin to collect line unevenly on the inside of the spool. I sold my Avet (almost cried) in hopes to buy a Release SG this year.
The Release SG is moe compact, lighter 14oz., and the specs have a greater range & limit than that of the Avets, all for the same price. I'd like to hear if anyone else has experienced this with Avets or Release reels.

You'll adore the SG! I've owned Avet as well. Like you said, the SG is lighter, has a better/stronger drag, and more cranking power as well. One other comparison is the anti-reverse. On the Avet it's graduated, so the handle rotates in reverse a partial turn before locking into place. The SG is instant. Not a huge deal, but that always annoyed the hell out of me when jigging with my Avet. The SG also comes with a lifetime warranty, and their customer service is top notch! The line piling on one side is something you'll have to manage though. Your thumb is your level wind. After a while it'll come natural, but you'll have to make a conscious effort until you develop the muscle memory.

I'm stoked to hear your guys' experience with reels, especially being a lefty and having a limited selection. I too am in the market for a new reel and I'm surprised no one has mentioned Release Reels. I had been fishing an Avet MXL 5.8:1 all year and I loved it because when a 30lb native chinook peeled off 100+yards of line I could bring her in almost as fast as she took it. My only complaints are the 18oz. bulky size, and more importantly when trolling & retrieving a lot the Avet would begin to collect line unevenly on the inside of the spool. I sold my Avet (almost cried) in hopes to buy a Release SG this year.
The Release SG is moe compact, lighter 14oz., and the specs have a greater range & limit than that of the Avets, all for the same price. I'd like to hear if anyone else has experienced this with Avets or Release reels.

You'll adore the SG! I've owned Avet as well. Like you said, the SG is lighter, has a better/stronger drag, and more cranking power as well. One other comparison is the anti-reverse. On the Avet it's graduated, so the handle rotates in reverse a partial turn before locking into place. The SG is instant. Not a huge deal, but that always annoyed the hell out of me when jigging with my Avet. The SG also comes with a lifetime warranty, and their customer service is top notch! The line piling on one side is something you'll have to manage though. Your thumb is your level wind. After a while it'll come natural, but you'll have to make a conscious effort until you develop the muscle memory.

Which Avet are you comparing to?  The beauty of Avets, is that there is a model for all occasions.  You can't just compare an SG to Avets in general.

And what makes the drags "better" and what gives them more "cranking power".

-Allen

I was comparing to the MXL since that's the one mentioned. What makes the drag "better" IMO is the absence of preset settings. There's no strike position on to full and so on. It just applies more pressure the further the lever is advanced. And it's a 30# drag vs 14.

The cranking power comes from the reversed gear box. I didn't get this info from Release, but found it online when I was doing some homework a few months back.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not Avet bashing. They're a solid tried and true reel!

I was comparing to the MXL since that's the one mentioned. What makes the drag "better" IMO is the absence of preset settings. There's no strike position on to full and so on. It just applies more pressure the further the lever is advanced. And it's a 30# drag vs 14.

The cranking power comes from the reversed gear box. I didn't get this info from Release, but found it online when I was doing some homework a few months back.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not Avet bashing. They're a solid tried and true reel!

I view presets on the drag as a feature.  You set it to strike, which is whatever nominal drag you desire, and move up from there.  It too applies more pressure the further the level is advanced.

30# drag vs 14.  How often does one go beyond 10# of drag?

Reversed gear box.  Sounds like marketing hype to me.  Other than gear ratio and drag, how does the reversed gear box make any difference?

-Allen

Agreed the lever on the MXL applies more pressure as you go, but with no presets you can define your own depending on the species your targeting, line weight, and personal preference combined. Not that you can't adjust that on the MXL, but you still have that strike indent as you advance the lever. I personally prefer the blank canvas of the SG.

In our water from a kayak you will likely never see more than 10 maybe 15# of drag. That doesn't mean the buyer will only use it in the PNW for ling cod either. I'm from FL, and try to get back to fish whenever I can. When jigging for grouper off shore, I'll crank up the drag to 20+ for that initial hook up to get them out of the wreck, reef, or whatever. So if your shopping for something new why not get the most for your $. If I wasn't Release pro staff I may or may not have sold my other reels to make the change. Then again I might have just to get rid of the annoying handle flop when jigging. If I was shopping for a replacement, or just something new, than it would be silly not to strongly consider the SG.

I personally can't say exactly how the reversed gear box increases cranking power since I'm not about to conduct any sort of experiment to test it. To the best of my knowledge Release doesn't advertise "more cranking power than Avet" either. I've just found numerous sites stating things like "The patented reverse gear box design gives this reel an incredible amount of torque and stopping power!" I've also read things that have nothing to do with crank power like this "reverse gear box design (moved the center of the main gear back) which allows for improved lever drag range as well as more comfortable and convenient free spool and full drag locations". So I can't say from my own testing that the gear box provides more cranking power than the MX, but once you add the drag it'll certainly out pull it!

How do you repeatedly go to a predefined drag amount without a preset on the Release?  That's what the strike indent is for.

The one and only time I handled a Release reel, the handle fell off.  Serious ...

-Allen

Use a marker to make a visual stopping point. Clean it off with alcohol and remark to change it.

Can't answer for a loose or otherwise defective handle. I know that's not the norm though. Shit happens.

 

Haha, not quite Rich. Allen's the man when it come's to about all things fishing. We're just comparing two quality products.

Oh.   I'm Release curious, that's fit sure.   Avet  has its own set of issues.

I'll have mine at the ORC. I'm gonna see if they'll pony one up as a prize as well

Avet SX single and two speed we're my reel of choice.  SUPER reels except they need too much TLC,  Leave them out over night or two after salt and they bind up.  The SX has no issue landing large halibut and my opinion is shallow water halibut I target are harder on reels than deep water due to the fact they run harder.

I started using the release sg a lot more this fall.  When I first started it was a major PITA to get the drag correct.  You'd think it'd be easy, but I struggled with getting the right drag setting.  I have it set right now where max drag has to be under 12 pounds I think instead of the thirty top end.  Sort of like Allen was saying, I'm used to "normal" reels.  To me anything past 12 pounds of drag feels like it's 'Locked up' so I don't know if it's 30 or not.  I don't think there is any difference on which reel is easier to crank in a big planer.  I don't like the oversized handle that came with the release sg.  Gets in the way of lowering the gear down.  So far the release has taken my abuse and performed well.   Once I got the drag set where I wanted it, it's a super light weight and smooth reel.  Usually I know immediately whether I like something or not.  I am liking my release more overtime I use it.  Still need to test it on something bigger than 15 pound kings though.