Alutecnos Gorilla 12 Review

[Minnow]

I bought my first Alutecnos reel, the Albacore 30 single-speed, back in 2000. The quality and workmanship was top notch, but unfortunately at the time I was so in love with my Accurate 30 two-speed that I didn’t give the Alutecnos much time out on the ocean.

Recently, as I was flipping through Sportfishing magazine I saw a tough compact reel called Alutecnos 12 Gorilla and told myself I must have it. And this time, I was going to give it more of my attention. One week later the reel arrived and I promptly unboxed it. The cute little reel appears to be very well constructed. It fit in my hands nicely, had a great finish, and lots of attention to detail in the workmanship. At first, this reel reminded me of the ATC JigHunter jigging reel with its smooth, beautiful, and compact exterior, but, luckily, unlike the ATC, this one’s beauty was more than skin deep. This Alutecnos 12 Gorilla was a completely different beast. When I took it apart I found all the quality and attention to detail you would expect from a reel at the $500 price range, if not better.

With quad disk drag (2 on each side of the spool), this reel will stop a big AJ from going back rig leg. If you don’t mind a little extra weight for jigging, this might be one of the best reels for jigging big tuna 150# and above.

This review is based on my inspections and personal opinion, I have not fished with this reel yet and I am not affiliated with Alutecnos.

PRO

1. 40# of drag out of the box.
2. Very smooth, even in 35# drag setting.
3. Quad drag, 2 drag on each side of the spool.
4. Loud clicker.
5. Fits nicely in my hand.
6. Spool width at 2 inches wide, perfect for jigging.
7. 4 screws on the rod clamp, most reels on the market only come with 2 screws.

CON

1. At $549 it’s a little high for a small single-speed reel.
2. Short handle, measured at 3 ½ inches.
3. Small knob, measured at 2 ½ inches.
4. Poor free spool, 7 seconds max.
5. No screw at the spool, spooling spectra directly is impossible.
6. Heavy for a jigging reel, weighing in at 27.5 oz.
7. Hard to move the level drag to full position due to placement of drag release button.
8. Parts might be hard to come by in the long run.

[Minnow]

the test is to see how well it will cast.

Don't worry, I am sure you will be very happy with the reel. I shouldn't have return that reel.

[123abc]

tighten up
So how is your reel? does it freespool? has it gone on any trips?

[TightenUp]

i still haven't used my reel, but the freespool is about 14-16 seconds. i have not maxed out the drag but i have had it about 25 lbs and its like butter, smooth as silk. i will give a better report after using the reel. right now it is as my beach house so i can not do any more tests. i spooled it with 80lb suffix braid and cant wait to jig up some tuna

[Ragman]

Hey TightenUp!

Do you recall how much 80# braid fit onto your Gorilla 12?

On the free spool, I'll bet if you degrease the bearings and put a drop of Corr X, the free-spool time will increase?

Do you think they over grease their reels similar to Shimano?

[TightenUp]

i didn't take he real apart. i think 350 but im not sure