THE RATINGS •Excellent •Very Good •Good •Fair
EDITOR’SCHOICE Abu Garcia Cardinal C503ALB
FINAL SCORE: VeryGood Retail: $65 Performance: Very Good Design: Very Good Price/Value: Very Good
Heavy-dutyconstruction stands out on this reel. This should be one reliable, long-lastingworkhorse. And it’s a classy looker to boot. 877-777-3850; abugarcia.com
Quantum EnergyE30Pti
FINAL SCORE: VeryGood Retail: $140 Performance: Very Good Design: Excellent Price/Value: Very Good
A sculpture-likereel that missed being Editor’s Choice by a wire. Not everyone will like theiridescent finish, but it is eye-catching. Great new bail/roller/rotor designshould eliminate all line pickup woes. Ten bearings make it smooth.800-588-9030; quantumfishing.com
Abu GarciaCardinal C3
FINAL SCORE: VeryGood Retail: $65 Performance: Very Good Design: Very Good Price/Value: Very Good
Rear drag fanswill like the precise adjustment and upgraded design on this reel. The dragcontrol protrudes a bit too far and is unprotected. Nice line keeper. Goodfinish and cast performance. 877-777-3850; abugarcia.com
GREAT BUY Eagle Claw Gunnison GUN-20
FINAL SCORE: VeryGood Retail: $40 Performance: Very Good Design: Very Good Price/Value: Excellent
Has excellentcasting and spooling performance. Large handle knob is supercomfortable. Lineroller arm on the test model was roughly finished. Bright, bold color scheme.720-941-8700; eagleclaw.com
ShakespeareAgility 6835
FINAL SCORE: VeryGood Retail: $30 Performance: Very Good Design: Very Good Price/Value: Excellent
Should handlemost general freshwater assignments except for heavy-duty work. Rotor/bailmechanism was a bit sloppy. We needed to torque down hard on the drag controlto achieve real effect. 800-347-3759; shakespeare-fishing.com
Shimano AX 2500RD
FINAL SCORE: VeryGood Retail: $20 Performance: Very Good Design: Very Good Price/Value: Very Good
Surprisinglysmooth and solidly built. A decent starter-intermediate reel that’s compact andshould work well for light freshwater fishing. Even low-cost Shimano reelsexude quality and this one is no exception. 877-577-0600; shimano.com