Recently I have been trying to nail down exactly where the various ABU multiplier reels are made. particularly the 6500 and 7000 series. Below are some of the responses I have received from ABU Customer Service Centre.
Abu Garcia Customer Service wrote:
"There are several ways to easily determine country of origin. The easiest way is to simply look at the box the reel is in as it will say on the box. Option 2 is to look at the bottom of the reel as it will also have a decal with this information. Option 3 is to provide us with the exact model that you are wanting to purchase and we will reply back with the country of origin".
and
"Do not be concerned regarding the production in China as we have been producing some of our reels in that location for many year, decades even without issue. They are indeed still Abu Garcia quality".
and finally
"The 6500C3 CT Mag Pro, 6500i TSR, 6500 C3 CT Chrome Rocket were produced in Sweden. The 7000 C3 CT and the 7000 C3 CT Mag HS were produced in China. We do not currently produce any size 7000 in Sweden".
I appreciate that this is not exactly a definitive set of answers but it is the best I have been able to drag out of ABU.
From this I deduce that if the box the reel comes in and the decal stuck to the reel seat says "Made in Sweden" this is true to label. Anything else is probably made in China.
My choice of a new ABU is between the 6500i TSR, 6500 C3 CT Mag HS, or a 6500 C3 CT Chrome Rocket.
Considering their beach use began as converted salmon reels in the early 1980s it is a brand that has stood the test of time. Some will say Akios are better (their design comes orginally from ABU), at the moment the invogue freespool seems to be various Penns with mags added. Daiwa Mags still sell well and are being produced to a very high standard but you pay for it and it also pays to shop around for the best price. The problem I have with ABUs is that white plastic pinion mount needed for the racket clicker,and the diameter of the spool, there are replacements available for these and for the bearings the ABUs come with which is a good thing! If I was to get another ABU it would be the TSR love the colours and the low mount cage, I would add ceramic bearings and a rocket handle and spool.
on 1/1/2017, 1:57 pm