i agree and disagree. I agree that Abu is garbage. I disagree that Ardent is even remotely good. Both are garbage.

Good rods for the money.

Daiwa makes good reels too your name reminded me haha.

Ben what Greg z said, there are some St. Croix rods for sale. I went cazzy bought 2 on was a glass rodM.action& graph. m.fast love em they looked brand new, I have also bought some spinnerbaits& zoom baits for a good price. Most guys I believe are straight shooters. Btw if wife gives ya the green light I have used Minnk. 4 sale . 24v.

The only reel I will buy is a Revo SX. I typically find them on eBay for $110-120. Have bought reels of all brands and have spent up to the $200 range and I haven’t found a better value.

When I lived in Louisiana I fished saltwater half the time. Went back and forth between brands and my abus always lasted the longest. Pair them with a falcon or dobyns and you have a solid combo.

Shimano SLX are $90 range.

I agree and agree. Abu is garbage, H2O reels are fantastic bargain.

Check the buy/sell/trade section, you can typically find solid prices on used gear, ive bought several citicas, curados and daiwa tatula at reasonable prices and never had a problem with anything, also, dont know what baits you plan to fish but the daiwa aird-x 7'0 medium rod is a solid rod for wacky rig and squarebills and it is under $60

The 2020 Daiwa Tatula is a fantastic reel. The Steez is totally awesome. Garcia doesn't have anything that compares to these two.

Another great reel.

I like the genesis II Irods and the Shimano Citica reels . It a very very good mid level combo at around $300.00. Money very well spent and not busting the bank

Your opinion is recognized but rather than run a brand into the ground there are folks who have had good luck with all the brands you mention. I like to periodically ask the guys who clean/repair reels frequently what they see on their benches the most/least. Not an ALWAYS/NEVER litmus test but it will get you started. Personally I am not a fan of the h2o series and I have had a Shimano blow up in my hand while reeling. I do not think Shimano makes junk but it is a personal preference.

Those H20 reels are what they and for the dollar good. But they won’t perform anywhere near the mid and high end reels of any brand

Up the budget just slightly. Curado K and Falcon Lowrider.

Most reels I’ve repaired and sent to olsens to repair were level wind and gear paws on abu Garcia reels. Also sent them a lot of okumas that handles would spin backwards. All the 13 omen rods and reels are pretty trashy after a while too.H20express arnt good reels. For the $50 they cost 10 years ago I give them a thumbs up. I have also ruined 6 quantum bursts in less than a week. Never broke any shimanos or had them in for repair unless it was a 20+ year old one. I actually just found an old cu 200 b in sand. Cleaned it and it works great.Most of the time I would just clean them and they would work great again. So that being said I still would never and will never recommend an abu Garcia anything. As for rods we had so many abu return we stopped buying them for the store. So that’s why I give my opinion. It’s not just from seeing a buddies or hear say. It’s first hand experience. Daiwa Zillions are also amazing reels those weren’t mentioned so I will now. As far as rods go 13 were most returned then favorite were our most returned when we started to carry them. Never returned any falcon,dobyns,Powell,gloomis or shimano.