because the negative reviews all seem to focus on the ease of 'dialing in' the reel for casting to prevent backlashes. Was the reel difficult to adjust? That's a point I can respond to... the IVCB-6 brakes can take a bit of getting used to but are much more free than any of Abu's other braking syst...

Interesting choice of a frog rod. Orochi XX Diablo Spec R. I know those rods are versatile but I had no idea they could pull 1/2oz frog duty.

I like it. Centrifugal brakes, aluminum frame, small and $100 msrp. If Daiwa kills off the Fuego CT and offers up some plastic pos as a replacement then the future looks good for this reel.

Interesting read and sharp looking rods. I'm glad Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for discovering pencil lead. Also an 8 is missing from 3/8 on the rod's lure ratting. It reads 3/ - 1 1/4 oz.

The ACS seat seems like an odd choice for an Abu rod. I have found that the discomfort some feel with the ACS seat is caused by reels with large main gears. As the middle finger tries to nestle into its grove on the seat the tip of the finger encounters the crank case before the rest of the finger t...

Wow, it's on the menu for wels catfish too.

Agree wholeheartedly on the balance. The 172 I have wouldn't balance out on sub 7 ounce reel so I can only imagine what the 172MH is like. I did find the sensitivity on my 1610ML and 172M to be quite good but sensitivity is subjective.