For anglers looking to rip some crankbaits or spinnerbaits through open water, the Abu Garcia Revo SX Rocket low-profile reel puts you at the top of the food chain. It's one of the lightest and fastest casting reels I've ever had the pleasure of putting a grip on, weighing less than 8 ounces and with a smoking 9.0:1 gear ratio and nine stainless steel ball bearings. And being that it is made by Abu Garcia, one of the leaders in high-speed casting reel technology, you'll know you have the right reel as soon as the first cast.
Revo SX Rocket Technical Specs
- Fast 9.0:1 gear ratio, which translates to about 39 inches of line retrieved per revolution of the handle
- IVCB-6 brake system for controlled casts
- 9 stainless-steel bearings and one roller bearing for smooth action
- Maximum drag tension of about 18 pounds of pressure
- Lightweight, low-profile aluminum frame weighing 7.87 ounces
- Holds 130 yards of 12-pound mono or 125 yards of 30-pound braid
- Smooth PowerStack Carbon drag system
- 90mm handle with rubberized grips that won't slip
How the Revo SX Rocket Performed
Craig Raleigh for Wide Open Spaces
What I Like About It
The lightweight, low-profile Abu Garcia Revo SX Rocket looked great right out of the box and into my hand. One small but noteworthy thing that I loved is that the reel isn't stuffed with extra packaging to throw away (or recycle)—just a fact sheet with the exploded view of the reel and the parts description. If you need the stuff that's usually printed, it's simple enough to get the warranty information—the reel is covered for one year from purchase—and the manual on Abu Garcia's website.
Because it was so easy to set up, I couldn't wait to get to the water and try it out. One of the first things I like to do is to throw a white spinnerbait, just to see what's lurking in the water around me, but I don't like to feel like I'm reeling as fast as I can. The same goes for those deep-diving crankbaits, as they can feel like they're dragging through the water column, so having a reel that allows you to slow down the retrieve while not losing the speed is a pleasure. The Revo SX Rocket is that reel.
The large, main inside gear that gives the Rocket such a great retrieve ratio (and carries the PowerStack drag system) is made of brass, which is like having a high-end tool in your toolbox instead of some knock-off.
The handle is easy to get a good grip on every time I want to stop the cast with my thumb and start the retrieve. Some brands—and even past Abu Garcia models—have handles that are so thick, they make it hard to have a feel for the reel.
I'll go ahead and give big kudos (again) to the genius who came up with the instant-stop, anti-reverse system for fishing reels, because it works extraordinarily well on the SX Rocket as well.
What I Don't Like About It
I have a hard time finding much that I don't like about SX Rocket, but as my mom used to say, "If you're looking for trouble, you can always find it." It feels great in the palm of my hand, and while it's not terribly symmetrical looking, it performs admirably.
As good as the IVCB-6 brake system is, it makes it a little more difficult to make those quick, side-arm, snap-of-the-wrist type of casts, especially into the wind without adjusting it on the fly. Like any good casting reel, the SX Rocket needs to be broken in a little before you get it exactly tuned in.
I launched a double-bladed spinnerbait with the Rocket almost as far as I could with my spinning reel, but I had to learn to slow the pace of my reeling so that the bait didn't act like a surface lure all the way back in. I had the same issue with a crankbait I was using, because even normal winding of the line would make the lure go way too fast and just spin in the water column.
There's only one review of this reel on the Abu Garcia website, and it's not a good one, with the user saying that the drag was screwed up right out of the box. I didn't have that problem, but I broke the line I was using by testing out the drag: I tied on a lure and draped the hooks over a tree branch on the shoreline, then took off on a dead run just to see what the SX Rocket drag could handle. I either did something wrong, or it stuck on its own the first time I tried it—breaking the line—but it never did it again and peeled off of the reel every single time after that.
Is Revo SX Rocket Better Than Competitors?
Nobody wants to pay (nearly) $200 for a fishing reel, but that's the sporting world that we live in now. It wasn't all that long ago that I stopped in at a Bass Pro Shops store north of the border in St. Catharine's, Ontario and bought a Shimano Citica 201 HG for about $239 (less the exchange for my U.S dollars), and as an avowed Shimano user, I'd say the SX Rocket stacks up with it just fine.
With that crazy-fast 9.0:1 gear ratio, the SX Rocket doesn't work all that well for torque or power, but that's why Abu Garcia makes the Revo XW at 5.4:1 and the Revo XHS at 7.3:1, both of which provide plenty of power for deep-running crankbaits.
It's a cinch to put line on the spool, but it wasn't all that long ago that I reviewed the Zenon MG-LTX reel from Abu Garcia, and I prefer that spool to work with, because you can thread the line through the openings in the spool's center, a feature that the SX Rocket doesn't have.
That said, With the ultralight MG-LTX, I had to do a little more work to get the spool tension, and even more to get the brake system set the way I wanted it to avoid an immediate backlash, but with the SX Rocket, it was easy to get it right the first time and start casting.
Pro tip: Always wind on the first spool of line on your baitcaster gently but firmly, then take it outside—somewhere with space—hook the line to a tree, fence post, or other solid object, let out almost all of the line, then reel it back in with the drag set tightly to really wind your line on taut.
Should You Buy the Abu Garcia Revo SX Rocket?
Craig Raleigh for Wide Open Spaces
Sure, at nearly $200, it's easy to get a little jaded about the price—and you can get casting reels for less—but not every reel can boast of the absolute certainty of the Abu Garcia name and warranty that comes with it.
Anglers everywhere have long put their trust in the Revo series of reels, and this next generation doesn't disappoint.
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