Refreshed 13 concept reels

[russ57]

It's about time. Is anyone thinking of picking one up?

I had a concept A 2-3 years ago. It was by far (far, far) the furthest casting reel I have ever had. Until it broke, that is.

They do look enticing

[nctrucker]

i've bought two refurbished items in about 20 years from retailers. a GPS(Magellan) and a handheld CB (pilot truck stop in Pa). Both useless. no more refurbished goods for me. they are not as good as new. i get a kick out of ebay listing when they say a rod has been retipped- a spiel to get around saying the tip got broken so they put another tip on it.

[russ57]

They are not refurbished, the concept line is finally being updated.

[LowRange]

Plastic frames though. They call it "cast carbon". Translation: injection molded plastic with some carbon/graphite power mixed in. Or if you like, graphite frame reels.

[tywithay]

I thought the first generation fished well, but I couldn't palm them comfortably with the sharp edge on the palming sideplate. Doesn't look like that has changed. It's a no from me.

[russ57]

Plastic frames though. They call it "cast carbon". Translation: injection molded plastic with some carbon/graphite power mixed in. Or if you like, graphite frame reels.

The reels are significantly heavier overall so the frames must add weight. Concept A is 7.4 Ounces now, used to be 6.6ish. The new Z is 6.8, old was definitely in the low 6s

[Houndfish]

I thought the first generation fished well, but I couldn't palm them comfortably with the sharp edge on the palming sideplate. Doesn't look like that has changed. It's a no from me.

That’s what killed my enthusiasm for them as well, it’s such a ridiculous place to put a sharp ridge.

I still use mine for various saltwater shenanigans and I have to say despite some roughness in the gearing, it’s held up like a champ to some pretty poor treatment and even poorer maintenance.

[Cal]

The reels are significantly heavier overall so the frames must add weight. Concept A is 7.4 Ounces now, used to be 6.6ish. The new Z is 6.8, old was definitely in the low 6s

The information is jumbled in my head, but I'm pretty sure the weight increase is from the guts, not the frame.

[LowRange]

Plastic frames though. They call it "cast carbon". Translation: injection molded plastic with some carbon/graphite power mixed in. Or if you like, graphite frame reels.

The reels are significantly heavier overall so the frames must add weight. Concept A is 7.4 Ounces now, used to be 6.6ish. The new Z is 6.8, old was definitely in the low 6s

I have an 8 oz plastic reel. My Kastking Spartacus. I believe all the weight on that one is the metal parts on the reel. Brass gears, brass crank shaft, aluminum drag star, 90mm aluminum hande, 20 gram spool ect.

[finfinder]

OHHH AHHHH more hype from 13 fishing. No thanks.

Adding magnets is nothing new. Fancy new carbon frame materials - nothing new. CZB bushings that actually do need oil ... yawn.

[SSS]

13Fishing is in the same category as KastKing and Favorite, no thanks.

[13Fishing]

We certainly appreciate all the love and hate we get here, and I would hope that a few of you experience the product and post some feedback.

To clear up a few comments....

The Original Concept A weight is 6.8oz------>the A2 weight is 7.4, this is mainly due to the H.A.M. Brass drive gear replacing the original Aluminum Drive gear. We did this for maximum gear durability and corrosion resistance. The new gear is fitted with larger American carbon drag washers.

The Original Concept C weight is 6.2oz and it was REDUCED to 5.89oz. This is due to the "CAST IRON CARBON" frame, this new material has been in development for a long time. With maximized engineering the frames have so little flex that you would swear it was metal. 100% corrosion proof, and light as a feather. The frame, the new Ti-Armor Drive Gear and the front cover COMBINED weigh 1OZ.

The Original Z weight is 6.4 and was increased by a hair to 6.73oz on the new Z2 SLD. This is the weight of the SLIDE braking system. I think when you see how fun that system is to use on a windy day, you wont notice the extra few grams we added.

The New TX2 is .03oz heavier, but overall we reduced the weight of the reel itself significantly and installed our high end BOSS H.A.M. drive gear. The power, smoothness and longevity will somehow get you to overcome a few grams.

Matt
13 Fishing

[jvelth74]

I I appreciate Matt's info from inside 13 Fishing. Really nice to hear such inside info.

Personally I have two 13 Fishing products, Concept A3 and BlackBetty ice reel. Both are in my opinion worth of money.

A3 I bought for heavy 10 Oz swimbaits. Only thing I have missed so far is more braking power in casting (all brake shoes are on). With full spool it was needed thumb braked all the cast. Or I could also apply some of spool tension. But I don't like that. I took some off line away. With greater spool revolutions and with smaller momentum of inertia there's enough centrifugal brake. But maybe strong magnetic brake could be better for this kind of reel? Or is 10 Oz swimbaits just wrong baits for A3? (Those castability is bad, there's huge drag and casting speed is slow.)

New 13 Fishing products sounds interesting in my opinion in this point.

[new2BC4bass]

I picked up a used original Concept A a few years ago. I am not the type of person that notices the little things. I immediately noticed how good this reel felt the first time I mounted it on a rod. It did take me a bit longer than normal to dial in. A fellow member on another forum mentioned he had several and never had a problem dialing the reels in, but he always cleaned and relubed them before using. Mine was used straight from the box.

That could be a reason or my not so stellar casting ability could be the culprit. I do get good distance with it. I don't know if the edges will cause me pain as I've never fished with it for hours at a time.

[Cal]

13 Concept reels are just low-end banax reels, with special bushing. And promotes the carbon frames, cheapest ones, as an choice for corrosion protection. Overpricing at its best.

Have you fished the product? or is this conjecture?