I was pleased on my first fishing trip with this reel, but My second fishing trip left me dissapointed. It seemed like every time I casted my line, it just stopped in mid air and plumetted straight down. The line would only go a few feet in front of me. It made it impossible for me to place it in the right spot. Finally I got tired of dealing with the piece of junk and I bought a new reel. I'll be honest, the new reel that I bought is an Abu Garcia (Ambassadeur 6500). I've used Abu Garcia reels for a long time and I know that they are great, but the abumatic is complete junk. This is the only reel from Abu Garcia that I've had trouble with. I strongly reccomend that Abu Garcia fix the problem or stop selling this reel. It may look nice, but it doesn't preform to my standards.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Response from Abu GarciaAbu GarciaMay 28, 2013
Hello and thanks for reaching out to us. All Abu Garcia reels carry a one year warranty and we will be happy to help. Our customer service representatives can be reached at 1.800.228.4272 if you need further assistance. One of our customer service representatives has already been notified of your case and will reach out to you at the email address that you provided with this review. We will work hard to get your issue resolved and get you back to fishing. Have a great week.
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yiclung
handle side
Posted March 9, 2014
how can i change the handle from right to left?
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I purchased a 276i at Bass Pro Shops recently and had to bring it back the next day...only positive thing I can say about this reel is that it reels in smooth. I rigged the reel and did a couple of practice casts...the "plastic" thumb release mechanism broke at the pivot point on my 3rd cast. I had to drive 30 miles back to the store to return it...wasted a lot of time and gas. I was extremely disappointed.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Response from Abu GarciaAbu GarciaMarch 12, 2013
Good afternoon. Sorry to hear you had an issue with your Abumatic 276i reel. We are glad that Bass Pro was able to refund your reel without issue. All of our reels carry a 1 year warranty so if you ever have an issue in the future, we are here to help and can save you a drive. From what you describe about the thumb release button, it sounds as though this part was damaged at some point during shipping or stocking and ultimately failed. We understand your frustration and just wanted to let you know that we are always here to help. One of our customer service representatives will reach out to you at the email address that you submitted with this review for a follow up to ensure that your issue has been resolved and to learn more about your case. If you ever need to get in touch with us directly, our customer service department can be reached at Tel: 1.800.228.4272. Thanks for reaching out to us.
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Carrie
Northeast PA
DEFINITE THUMB RELEASE DEFECT 2-IN-A-ROW!
Posted July 22, 2013
Ok, so I purchased this and I loved it on the 1st trip – casted beautifully for the initial 4 hours (maybe 80 casts?) then the thumb release broke. Being that it was less than one-day old, I returned it, got another brand new one and on the second trip, it too broke within a couple of hours at the thumb release! The housing and gears seem to be all plastic. It does not seem to be well made at all. Also, as a previous user stated, I know that this is a “value” reel, but wow, the kiddie combo I got my 11 yr son has totally out lasted this unit – and my son casts every other minute.
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I purchased one of these fine reels a few months ago. One of my first spincast reels ever. (grew up a dock rat and young dock rats were always given old broken cheap spincasts to use, so I developed a bad attitude towards them until recently)
I have a 1950s Shakespeare Wondercast in perfect shape which worked well for bank fishing. Fished for 50 years using spinning tackle, which can be finicky.
I replaced the line on the fine reel with Spiderwire EZ Mono 8lb, and in doing so found the reel did have a problem as described in a couple of posts. The problem was me not putting the line on correctly, or not enough which was the problem. This was causing the short cast problem. Too much line can be bad too. In any reel, and reel type. One must find the perfect line fill for each reel.
My advice and experience taught me to double check any rod or reel before using. I have expensive rigs which a screw, or spring sometimes needs adjusting.
In short I know of no reel, or tackle for this matter which works 100 percent of the time 100 percent. Great reel!
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Overall rating
1/ 5
this is not a good reel
PostedJune 20, 2012
redhawke222
from Milford, KS
Age:45-54
Favorite type of fishing:Freshwater
Number of times fishing per month:5+
Owns a boat:Yes
Experience:Intermediate
this is my 3rd season using this reel and this year I cast and it stops short and drops in the water 12ft from me. it has a catch when you reel it in. this is the worst reel I have ever used. I have had it taken apart and restring it 3x now and it doesn't change anything the first fish I catch it acts a fool again.
Response from Abu GarciaAbu GarciaJune 22, 2012
Sorry to hear you are having issues with your Abumatic 276i reel in your 3rd season of use. All Abu Garcia reels come with a 1 year warranty and although it sounds like your reel may be past that timeframe, we do have a service and repair program. One of our customer service representatives will be contacting you at the email address provided for this review to learn more about your issue and help you get back to fishing. Have a great weekend.
