New Quantum Cabo: Great Value in Top-Tier Saltwater Spinning Reels

It’s clear the evolution of spinning reels, rods and lines has put lighter, more compact fish-catching tools into the hands of saltwater anglers. At the same time, we’re seeing more and more viable crossover systems suitable for technical casting—think sight-fishing for tarpon or redfish—and same-day offshore duty, such as grouper jigging or kite-fishing for tunas.

The new Cabo series reels introduced this year by Quantum represent a natural next step. Where have these reels been?

Where are they going?

The short answer is, everywhere. Field testing in Southeast Florida, for instance, Capt. Peter Deeks spooled the largest in the Cabo lineup—an 8000 series—with 130-pound-test braided line, setting it up for Volkswagen-sized goliath grouper. At the same time, offshore captains Nick Cremasco and Justin Rieger put kites up 12 miles offshore, in storm-tossed seas, with that same reel using 20-pound mono for mahi, tunas and sailfish. Imagine anything in between.

Certain vulnerabilities beset spinning tackle put to the gnarliest saltwater uses. Florida Sportsman staff testing and inspection of the Cabo reels, along with discussions with the design team, indicate serious attention has been granted to those details.

Florida Sportsman recently caught up with Mike Rice, Senior Vice President for Lew’s and Quantum, to talk about the release of the third-generation Cabo reel series. The reels, priced attractively at $249.95-$299.95, are due out on shelves in December.

Florida Sportsman: Mike, for veteran Florida anglers, the obvious first question is, what relationship do these reels have to the original Cabo? From back in the early 2000s. Those were popular reels for their time. I liked them!

Mike Rice: The Cabo Gen 3 shares a legacy of dependability with previous generations, but with some major upgrades. They are lighter, tougher and better sealed than previous generations.

FS: What are some specific differences?

MR: An aluminum frame and sideplate houses our machined drive and pinion gearing … which gives these reels extreme cranking power in addition to a smooth gear feel. Carbon fiber drags with best-in-class max drag pressure, body and spool sealed to IPX8 standards with our Sealoq 8 design … the reels can handle any splash, spray, or dunk. There is nothing on the market sealed to these standards at the Cabo price points.

FS: Tell us about the development process. How long did it take?  At what point did your design team say, “We need to bring THIS to the market.”

MR: Our team has been in place for just over 2 years, and let’s just say we knew we needed something to continue the Cabo legacy as soon as we started. At one point we debated calling it something different, a new name, a fresh start. Thankfully customers talked some sense into us and told us the Cabo name has a large following with avid anglers, don’t leave them hanging. That’s one of the benefits of working in a small team like we have, we listen to our customers and aren’t too proud to admit when we’re wrong.

FS: Let’s step back a little and talk about spinning reels in general. Over the years, where have been the biggest failure points in saltwater spinning reels? Any vulnerabilities of the designs, use patterns of consumers, other issues?

MR: Bearings seem to go first when reels are not built to handle the salt, or when poor quality bearings are used. Non-sealed reels let saltwater inside the body/housing, and eventually that salt works its way into the bearings causing noise, roughness, and eventually failure.

That’s why we are sealing all of the new Quantum salt spinning reels… and the Cabo just happens to be sealed to IPX8 which is our highest standard.

FS: What kinds of research did your team do to address any potential weak points?

MR: We have close to 150 years of experience on our team … sales, development, engineering, guiding and retail, so we knew coming into this project where most spinning reels fail, it’s not a secret. Then we ran a bunch of competitive reels through our lab facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to prove what we already knew. The competition doesn’t seal their reels like we do, they don’t use the same quality components that we do, and they don’t have the same quality control at the manufacturing facility like we do.

FS: Flipping the script, what are some of the inherent benefits of spinning reels, in general, and what kinds of research did your team do to enhance some of these?

MR: Ask 10 anglers and you’ll get 10 different answers, but to me the biggest benefit to spinning reels is the ability to throw light lures/baits without backlash … and you can also freeline baits with no resistance.

The only design that we tweaked was the oscillation (how fast the spool moves up and down) of the Cabo 2500 to 5000 reels. We built these reels with slow oscillation so that the line wraps more parallel (versus in an X pattern) which gives you a more even line lay, and enhances casting distance when using lighter braided lines.

FS: What kind of material or design element constitutes Sealoq sealing? Does it require maintenance? If someone services the reel, do they need to use special tools or practices to open it?

MR: Our Sealoq 8 design means we use 13 seals (15 seals on the 6000 and 8000 sizes) to prevent water, salt, and sand from getting inside the gear box and drag system. These seals are made out of a rubber like material so it’s durable, and should not require any type of servicing if handled correctly. Unlike some other brands, no special tools are needed to service our reels; you service them like you would any other spinning reel…but…the benefit of our Sealoq design means that you won’t need to service your reel as often as you would other non-sealed reels.

FS: Speaking of which, talk to me about components. Are any of them interchangeable among different size class Cabo reels?

MR: Many components are interchangeable between our reels, and that’s not a coincidence. We want to make it easy for dealers and warranty centers to stock our parts, and fewer parts/common parts helps save space and inventory cost.

Speaking about interchangeable parts, one of the things we did that resonates with anglers is we made sure our handle arms between the 2500, 3000, and 4000 size reels could be swapped.

You want a paddle knob on your 4000 reel? Just swap it out with a 3000 size handle. You want a power knob on your 3000, swap it with a 4000.

FS: That’s cool! Where can we find parts and service advice for these reels?  Or schematics?

MR: Check the QR codes on our packaging--everything related to service, parts, schematics, and warranty can be found by using your phone and hovering the camera over the QR Code, which will take you directly to this page on our website: Parts, Repair & Warranty Service | Quality Fishing Gear | Quantum Fishing.

FS: Let’s talk specifically about ball bearings: What types are in the Cabo reels?  Do they differ from bearings used in your other saltwater reels, such as the Benchmark and Merit?

MR: We use the same high-quality bearings in all of our reels, we don’t cheap out based on price point. Stainless steel is all we use, and they also have light contact seals on them; that helps keep the lubrication inside the bearings where you want it.

Another important point about bearings is that we don’t play the ball bearing game. We only put high-quality bearings where they are needed (gear support, spool support) ... we’re not trying to add bearings to handle knobs and other places where they tend to fail, just to hit a higher bearing count. For example, only six ball bearings in the Cabo, in all the right places.

FS: How about drags? Are the sizes and numbers of fiber elements different among the same size (i.e. 4000) series from Cabo down thru Merit?

MR: We use a similar drag design in all of our reels from Merit, to Strive, to Benchmark, and up to the Cabo. This is our CFX200 drag system; it’s not your average drag system, and it gives us best-in-class max drags. The carbon fiber washers are soaked in our Quantum Hot Sauce grease, which is a superior drag grease, keeps things smooth even when things get hot. We also use a wave spring in our drag knob on all four reels mentioned; this is an expensive spring (not your average coil spring) and it costs more because it compresses evenly … and it allows us to use more of the drag curve. Most competitive reels, which use coil springs, bottom out at heavier drags which means broken lines and lost fish. We decided that wasn’t acceptable, so we designed our reels differently.

FS: What is Gearteq? What kinds of gears are used in the Cabo reels? How would a consumer feel the difference?

MR: We use our Gearteq design in both the Benchmark and Cabo reels. Premium metals, aluminum and brass, cut on high end machinery to tight tolerances. What that gives you is gearing (drive and pinion gears) that mesh perfectly together with no room for error.

At the reel counter you get a smooth gear feel, but what really matters is longevity and cranking power, and that’s what we design our reels to do.

FS: Any final thoughts?

MR: Our tag line is “Test Beyond Limits” and team doesn’t take that lightly… Tested Beyond Limits means the team the designs the equipment also tests the equipment, its one of the perks of the job. We have one of the best field test teams in the business, and if there was a failure point in our reels we would find it.

To find the nearest Quantum dealer, check out the dealer locator at quantumfishing.com