I�m not a fan of the Catmaxx reel at all, I purchased one to try out and the first one went out on me within the third month I used it. Since then I�ve had to exchange it twice and all of them for different reasons. The bait clicker is also underneath the reel and can be difficult to reach at times. Some people may like them for the price but I haven�t had good luck with them.

Someone smart once said that Cutting enough corners to save money on cheap merchandise would end in a circle where you started only needlessly spending all that money along the line. Shimano has always built quality gear albeit a bit more pricey. If it cost 20% more up front but last 5 times as long then you saved a ton of money. Shimano makes a Cardiff, a Corvaus, and of course the Tekota. Tekota is the best quality of the three but you have to learn to throw the bail lever instead of turning handle to engage reel. I�d just save and buy something that will last trouble free.

There are always Penn 209. Cheap and Time tested for 50 years. Kinda big but.... Good luck

I have managed to buy several ABU reels in the 6000/6500 size at garage sales for as little as 10 dollars. I also have picked up a couple "for parts" for almost nothing that were cheaply repaired. One is a 6500C3 that just needed a new pawl. $3.25 on Ebay. I never pass up a garage sale. No doubt when I'm gone my girls will have a monster garage sale and some lucky fisherman is going to hit it big.

PS: While you are at the garage sales keep a look out for Penn reels. A Penn 9m or a 109 are about the same as the 6000/6500 ABUs as far as line capacity and willo offer you good service.

I like to use my spare time to fish and I leave the garage sales to my wife...

I was in Southwestern Parts and Service a couple weeks back and discovered that you can still get Abus made in Sweden.
They indicated reels were much better quality than ones made in China.
There is something in the number on the bottom of the real that lets you know.
Might try one of these or get a used old one, they have these pass through the shop pretty frequently.
An old 700 reel made in sweden in good condition I have seen there for about $200.
You could use this catfishing or surf fishing.

I'm sure that this is going to be a tough pill for most of you but I've been poor and had to deal with buying what I can afford versus what I WANT or would prefer. There are several good NOT great cheaper reels out there that are unashamedly MADE IN CHINA. I fish a lot and am probably on the water at least 50 to 100 days a year. EVERY Friday rain or shine freezing cold or hot as the hinges of the gates of Hades. I use Swedish made ABUs because they LAST.

One was a 16th birthday gift from my Dad and I still use it. I'm 65 so it is nearly 50 years old and still casts great. All that said, one of my occasional fishing buddies has a couple of Mingyang reels that are about the same size and look as the 6500 ABUs. They work OK. He has never had any real problems with them. I wouldn't do well with them but then I used up several of the Shakespeare tidewater reels that look like 6500 ABUs. If you are an occasional fisherman that goes out one a month or so in the spring and summer they will last you several years. Buy a Chinese reel, put a can on your dresser and drop your change and loose one dollar bills in it when you empty your pockets and when you have enough buy a top line reel. I'm an ABU fan but there are other great reels out there.

Unless you are fishing strictly for monsters you don't actually need a 6000/6500 sized reel. I've caught a lot of fish in both fresh and salt water with reels in the 5000/5500 class. I actually have a couple of older ABUs that are 5000Bs that have clickers. These show up in garage sales pretty often and even if they look rough they can be brought back. I love them for channel cats especially but have caught several bigger cats with them.

If you are going to brag about Swedish reels you shouldn't bad mouth reels just because they are made in China. Neither is American made. I use a lot of Chinese spinning reels. They are dir cheap, smooth as silk with 10 or 12 bearings and I just throw them away when the wear out. You might want to check out "Newfrog" and "Wish" the prices are great and I've had good luck with both of them. Newfrog is better on Wish you have to watch the shipping prices. There are some 10 bearing spinning reels on Newfrog that you can get in the 50 size that are great for 17 bucks. I've given several of those to people and use one when I'm fishing for smaller eater size channel cats.

What about used Abus? Does that qualify as a good alternative?

Poor folks have poor ways and all I use are Abu's.I have changed over to all 5000 and 5500 because it takes less line to fill em up and they cast plenty easy with ample drag. I've never had any catfish take over 20 yards of line and never had a red drum spool me. All my reels are at least 10 years old and most are gong on 20+. I do have them cleaned and oiled regularly at least once a year. They see limited use of about 150 or more trips a year. I know they are not Shaminos nor do they cost like them. Not a smooth nor cast as good, but they have got the job done for me going on thirty years. Use whatever works for you.

You can get a new Penn 209 for $50. It will handle any catfish out there and will last for many, many years. I�ve got two Penn 209�s and two Penn 500 Jigmasters that were my grandpa�s. He used them for 10+ years in the ocean and they are still in great shape. They won�t cast as far as an Abu but they will take care of business.

Sold all my abus long time ago, after I found my lovely Daiwa CV-Z
From that moment on, it was CV-Z only (which is Luna this days).
Depending on casting weight, it is either 253 (lighter), or 300(JDM, heavier).
300 was working great for sturgeon, too.
And for many other saltwater applications, including salmon trolling.

Used ABUs are great. Unless they have been abused they are easy to clean up and get back into service.

Texdamn,

Sorry if my post was not clear. I was commenting ONLY on the abu reels made in China vs those made in Sweden.
My comments are based on discussions with those who repair reels for a living.

As for drag on the 6500 C3, they have been sufficient for all fish I have hooked except one.
I use the carbon drag washers and crank my drag down when catfishing.
One night I hooked into one that did not slow down at all when I engaged the drag it ran well over 20 yards.
All I could do was hold on and hope it did not find any trees, brush or other obstruction to wrap the line around.
Well, it did.
Found out later that week they pulled a 60 and 70 # cat out of that spot on a small lake.

The Abu 7000 not only holds more line but has a heftier drag the trade-off is it is heavier and more expensive.

Check out the Penn Rival levelwind reels. They are only $50 and you can find them on Amazon for as low as $41. The smallest one has a bit more line capacity than an Abu 6500 and they come with carbon drag washers. I like the larger handle that it comes with. I always bought power handles for all my Abu�s which was another $10. I ordered one last night to try it out and it should be here today.

I'll be curious to see your report after fishing/catching with it.

KastKing are junk. I went out on a limb and bought a pair of them this summer for striper fishing. The drag stinks, the braking mechanisms are basic, pieces of the handle have fallen off, and I think they are made very cheaply/ I cannot imagine how they got such a good amazon rating.