Let me start this by saying I thought Abu Garcia reels were, maybe not top of the line but Quality at least.
My wife just bought me an Abu Garcia 1276SLi for my birthday. It got here two weeks early so I put it on my rod and went out to try it. I was very disappointed. It came with 14 lb. Berkley Fireline line on it. It cast real easy but the retrieve is like something is dragging. With every rotation of the handle it seems to drag in 3 or 4 places. I took the front cover off and tried it without pulling in line and it was the same. I seems to me the dragging in somewhere inside the reel.
Then I took the handle off and added a drop of oil to the bearing that I could see. NO difference.
I put the handle back on and noticed if I tighten the handle it binds, so I backed off on it just a little.
Also there is damage on the reel inside the front cover that may damage line over a period of time.
I'm really dissatisfied with it.
I looking for some advice. Send it Back or try to fix it?
Thanks in advance for your comments.

http://reviews.abugarcia.com/1202-en_us/305/abu-garcia-abumatic-1276sli-reviews/reviews.htm

Abu Garcia was quality, nowadays not so much.
Spincast reels are typically entry level, so
quality is probably not a prime concern.

you bet I'd send it back. or get my money back

Is better to send back the reel and buy one DAIWA WHISKER SS TOURNAMENT 1300 and you have one good reel for many years.

I have a ambassadeur 6600CB reel it very smooth and casts great, but when you catch a fish its a different story. you can't reel the fish in with the reel. You have to pull the fish with the rod then reel in the slack. I'm very dissipointed with this 6600CB (made in Sweden

I have 6000c's and 5500c's that work great.

The original Swedish made Abu's are the way to go, forget about the chinese ones. They will not last. I use the 5 and 6000 series when I guide. Reliable, take abuse and keep on catching fish. Also when its time to rebuild them, they are easy to clean and obtain parts for.
Rob

i have the abu garcia stx soron and it works great! i am an abu garcia fan and i will keep buying their rod and reels as long as the reels suit my fishing environment!

Veritas Rod w/ STX Soron

Pure Fishing bought Abu Garcia a while back. I have yet to see the quality of equipment stay the same or get better after being bought by this conglomerate.

All Star Rods is an excellent example. Abu may be the next to be ran into the ground by them.

Bought a Vendetta rod from walmart last week on clearance. $64.00 or so... Reviews were good and said to be better than some $200 rods at an $80 price point. Broke the tip on the first fish, 2 pound bass at that. Might have been a bad batch, or possibly because I like to use braid, but my $120ish Kistler and St. Croix rods have held up to similar fishing and 4 pound bass. Walmart took it back yesterday, so I'm not furious. Needless to say, I don't have a ton of confidence in their rods, but I hear the Veritas rods are awesome. So who knows...

Vendetta rods are great!.... only con I can say is.... HEAVY. that thing is awesome! i am chunking 3/8 rattle traps and spinner bait with ease.

the action on my Medium is better than my Veritas in my opinion.

I found this to be true. From this article:

http://www.wired2fish.com/bass-vendetta-p17337


Jason has been testing a 7-foot medium power, and I have been testing Abu Garcia�s 7-foot, medium-heavy power Vendetta Casting Rod, and listen closely when I say this�these things are sweet. The very first thing I noticed when I laid my hands on the Vendetta was the sheer weightlessness of the rod. I�ve played around with a lot of rods, and this one is honestly one of the lightest that I�ve felt. Before I even put a reel on the rod, I tested its balance in my hands, and was able to easily balance it with just my pinky finger on the reel seat. The 30-ton graphite blank construction makes this rod one of the most well-balanced, lightweight rods you can find.

not going to lie. the abumatic....... not so great. stick to zebco if its not a spinning or baitcaster.