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Posts: 3147
| for years Ive sworn off abu 6500's because every year its pawl/anti reverse going out or handle wont engage 'have to slap it on the side' and that was before the dbl 10 bucktails,,,thinking of trying again has a jekbait reel no blades mostly picking up slack for lures like wtd topwaters and glidebaits,,,theyve gone up to $100 are they making them any better or is it still the pawl/anti reverse/ wont engage issues or just lack of durability like the early to mid 2000 era ones were????? |
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Location: Eastern Ontario | I much prefer my 30 year old reels to the newer ones |
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Posts: 865
| I have heard this over and over again, But I have personally been using the 6501 series (same thing but lefty) for many years now and I NEVER had any problems with them.. I have used them for casting and trolling and I really like them . While holding the rod your thumb can disengage the spool for casting. I personally just hate reels with Thumb bars...... You asked if they make them any better now ?????? I really have no idea, but I like them and for the price you can't beat them...JMO Mike Sr |
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Location: Minneapolis | This is my third season with the reel and I have had no problems with it. I thumb the spool when ripping baits and I don't use 10s with it. I have even trolled a little at 5+ mph with believers and grandmas. I fish quite a bit with it. |
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Posts: 756
| I have a couple 6500c international reels. These reels have the cast control knob on the opposite side of the handle. Built well and I've had no problems with them. Reminds me of the 6500c's from the 70's. |
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Posts: 994
Location: Minnesota: where it's tough to be a sportsfan! | I probably have 20 6500's between all 5 fishermen we have. About every two to three years one needs repair. With the time they get I have no complaints. I can never train myself to grab the fore grip on the rod, and end up with claw hand using the 6500. I have switched over to Revos to cure that issue. But still have a 6500 or two in the boat in case a backup is needed. I think for the money the 6500 is a decent reel. Every year they get cleaned well in solvent and re-lubed, mid season they get lubed again. My son's also use them on Cat's they are 23-50 + lbs. |
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Posts: 416
Location: Madtown, WI | I love my Abu's, most reliable reels I own. Sure the pawl and clutch arm need to replaced every other year but they extremely easy to service. Just treat those parts like tires, you'll have to replace them after you put on some mileage. I think both parts are <$6 each and take seconds to replace.
I have used the same 6500 for a jerkbait reel for probably 10 years now. Have only replaced 2 parts (each a few times). Other reels have bearings go out, springs break, odd clacking noises, stripped gears, AR failings.... You know exactly what you're going to get with 6500. |
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Posts: 548
Location: MN | I have 6 reels ranging from 5501 to 6501 C4.
As mentioned before easy to service and work great.
I'd give them another try.
I've bought older reels on e-bay and serviced them myself to make them like new.
Good Luck,
Nick
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Posts: 246
| My 6500C4 is still ticking after a bunch of years of use. I use it for wtd topwater/jerkbaits and gliders. I had little luck keeping my c3's working as my main reel though. Weird because they are the same reel. Maybe I learned how to cast better but I have not gone back to them other than the one C4. |
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Posts: 548
Location: MN | You can convert your C3 to a C4 with just 2 parts. |
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Posts: 166
Location: Merrill, Wisconsin | What's the difference from a 6500c3 to a c4? |
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Posts: 415
| TheYoungGun_ - 6/12/2013 10:53 AM
What's the difference from a 6500c3 to a c4?
Gear Ratio. A C4 is a 6.3:1 and a C3 is 5.3:1 |
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Posts: 548
Location: MN | Forgot about the gear ratio.
To make the C3 a 4 bearing reel you need a different worm gear cover and worm gear bearing.
Bearing number - 21680
Worm gear cover numbers:
4000 series – part number 23936
5000 series – part number 23940
6000 series – part number 23944 |
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Posts: 218
| As a friend once commented to me "the Abu 6500 is the AK 47 of the fishing world" everyone has one and no matter what you do to them it's an easy fix to get back in the game. To answer your original question I'm pretty sure that about 5 years ago they changed the clutch arm from some softer metal (aluminum?) to stainless steel. That gave the arm a lot more reliability and no more knocking on the side of the frame to engage the reel. I also learned a little trick and that was to remove the little plastic thumb rest on the top of the reels. The tiny bit of space created by the clips for the thumbrest was a haven for gunk to get into the worm gear and shorten the life of your pawl and worm gear. The other benefit of the 6500 is that I've had those reels continue working during LATE season when every $300 + reel in my boat was frozen up like a rock. |
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