Been using Abu reels for the past 15 years and decided to give this one a try. I was really pleased with the overall feel and light weight. It casts smooth and has decent drag although mire drag option would be nice. I like the look and design of the reel and hoping it holds up well over time.

The only complaint I have is the brake system dial can be hard to adjust as its very shallow and hard to get finger tips to get a good grip. I’ve had to use pliers to adjust it and try to see if its just tight being new .. might get easier over time but it would be nice if the dial design was deeper as it would make it easier to adjust.

That being said, I like everything else so much that I bought 15 of these reels to replace some of my oldest Abu reels.

I like the handles although there is a slight edge that should wear down in time.

I was hesitant when deciding to order one of these because the “old” model President XT was one of my favorites of all time. Built solid. Smooth as can be. Reliable 100%. I love the old model so much I bought 6 of them. Paired them with Fenwick HMX rods and spooled 30# Suffix 832 on each one. Then I gave 3 away as gifts. So, my expectations were VERY high. This new reel meets those expectations and then some. I now own 2. One in 7.9:1 and one arrived today in 6.5:1. The 6.5 sits on my Fenwick Aetos 7’ rod. The 7.9 will be paired with the new Pflueger President XT casting rod. Probably 7’ as well. I find it very hard to see in comparison how my 10 year old Patriarch XT feels and functions better than this new President XT. The only real difference is the spool pin brakes on my Patriarch XT. That’s saying a lot. In short, I love Pflueger bait cast reels. I have for the better part of a decade. I see nothing that will change that in the future. Go buy one. They’re worth it.