[HUNTER II]

Went to a Striped Bass / Tuna Seminar today and had a chance to talk with two of the top guides on Cape Cod. Both independantly had the same mantra regarding AVET Reels - avoid them at all costs. Their basic concern was in the bearing that are used are subject to premature failure. Their other concern was with the drag systems in that AVET recommends dry drag, but the reels really need a wet (greased) drag to perform at their top level.

I was ready to buy an HX for jigging tuna and I'm still leaning in that direction but I am going to look a little harder before I leap.

Any opinions/experiences with AVETs in general and the HX in particular would be appreciated.

 

[Mitchw123456]

Hmm my Avets still perform flawlessly after a couple years with dry drags. I disassambled them the other night at work again to do a little spring cleaning and honestly didn't have to do a thing with them. I actually fish with my reels, they don't live in a closet. I generally average around 600 hours a year offshore on my personal boat along with a couple chartered trips a summer and they are still lik e brand new.

 

[gman]

its like anything, if you look hard enough you will find failures of every reel made ... penns, shimano, avets. Seriously I owned 2 small avets teh MLX's, I didn't care for them but they seemed like good little reels.

I can tell you one thing those dam TREX reels have massive amounts of drag

 

[hstsw]

I used my Avet reels for inshore fishing - king mackerels, sharks, cobia & I haven't any issues with them.

 

[Snagged]

Avets are the most bang for your buck. No they're not the best there is, but they are plenty good enough for many saltwater fishermen.

 

[wacker]

I am pretty darn happy with my LX, They don't cost much and mine has been in some pretty good battles offshore. Can't please them Yanks any how.

 

[SpecialK]

I won't pretend to have half of the experience as most on the forum.
I will say the fish that have been caught on my JX, the largest being a 45# YFT, the reel preformed perfectly. I have it set to 17#of drag on strike and it was smooth as butter...
Just my .02
-K

 

[tass]

Speaking as a man with four avets and have used them extensively for years, I would say your cape cod guys are spitting in the wind. I have had no problems with those reels. You have to remember everyone will have their favoriites but for me it would be hard to top an avet and as you can see that opinion is widely shared.

 

[Ragman]

HunterII - if you haven't already, read Alantani's Avet reel break down post where he greases the drags.

It seems to answer the two issues the Cod guides raised.

 

[papio]

I'm glad the Avets work well for all of you who uses them but for me the two that I once owned were pieces of $$h-t. One bad experience is one thing, but two lemons convinced me that if you don't mind wasting your money, then the Avets are okay.

 

[rtran]

After all the reviews on Avet reels I'm still going to get one for the price. I will have the new Avet Pro EX 30 for my chunk setup for YFT. The TR-X looks very impressive though but I would buy an accurate instead if it came down to it.

 

[gman]

Speaking as a man with four avets and have used them extensively for years, I would say your cape cod guys are spitting in the wind. I have had no problems with those reels. You have to remember everyone will have their favoriites but for me it would be hard to top an avet and as you can see that opinion is widely shared.


why are they spitting in the wind because they didn't have the same experiences as you. Would you feel the same way if you bought a truck that didn't perform to the expectations you set for it?? Curious

 

[Guest]

i like mine......and i like shimanos.....and i like daiwas........and i like certain penns.......and accurate....on and on. there are a lot of good reel manufacturers. gman said it best in that you can always find something wrong with a reel if you try hard enough.

Mercedes can break down just like Fords can....

 

[gman]

i like mine......and i like shimanos.....and i like daiwas........and i like certain penns.......and accurate....on and on. there are a lot of good reel manufacturers. gman said it best in that you can always find something wrong with a reel if you try hard enough.

Mercedes can break down just like Fords can....

No kidding my friends mercedes has been in the shop more than on teh road ha ha ha

 

[lite-liner]

Love all 4 of my Avets EX-30, LX-2, & 2 SX's. never, ever had any kind of problem in 4 years & countless trips.
I will be the first to admit; there are better reels, but not for the price.
sure they're not the smoothest, or quietest. but you want a reel that will handle 90% of what evey angler wants, for a not-quite-statospheric price,
the Avet reel is the best bargain. FWIW, I know of many anglers up that way
that won't fish w/ anything but Avet, & their reps precede them.
Like Bret says; Mercedes break just as much as Fords, they're just more expensive to fix!
tight lines
-Brian

 

[Guest]

maintenance is also a variable we haven't mentioned. treat any piece of machinery like crap and it won't last as long or perform as well as if you took care of it.

 

[DeepBlueGulf]

I've had nothing but great experiences with my avets, like them pretty well. I think the early ones probably weren't as refined as the models we have now, but it's nice not having to buy a reel and then immediately send it out for freespooling and blueprinting. Nice to have a choice of colors instead of just gold too.

DBG

 

[jt2hunt]

jim, put some bigger line on the damn thing

 

[jt2hunt]

my avets have performed and i am not the best caretaker of equipment

 

[jureal]

3 JX 1 LX 1 SX 1HXJ...all two speed. Hard to beat the price.