Abu Garcia Ambassadeur C3 Casting Reels Review

The C3 is super sweet!, 2007-07-25
Reviewer: sobrace

Abu's C3 is a great reel. very smooth! instant anti reverse is a real plus.. Mine has the thumb bar.. very quick easy operation.. I've used it for bass, trout, salmon, steelhead, and all kinds of surf fishing.

the best bang for your buck reels!!!, 2007-07-03
Reviewer: Michael Ingao

An excellent reel for the surf up to light action tuna and yellow tail. Easy to maintain and quick to repair. Aluminum spool good for braided lines. A must buy for any angler!!! Just remember to fresh water rinse often and oil liberally.

Excellent reels, 2007-03-08
Reviewer: Shane Mullins

I have three of the C3 series. Great reels. You can easily upgrade them to a C5 or C6 if you can find the idler gear.

6500c3, 2007-02-28
Reviewer: hjake

had one of these reels for years good reel.but had a side plate come loose were the roller bering is crimped onto the side cover had to buy a knew side plate with roller bearing.other then that it is a good reel should have a one pice side plate were the roller bearing slides into like a daiwa millionaure or riveted like a calcutta

Best Bang For Your Buck!, 2005-03-17
Reviewer: Rob Gray

I own three of the C3 series reels and love them all! Cast after cast after cast, they remain true. Who needs bells and whistles when trying to fight a fish? If you want to keep it simple, tough and don't mind a little grind, these are the ONLY reels you'll ever need. Oh yeah, and the price is right!

The Winner and Still Champ. . ., 2005-02-27
Reviewer: MB

I have the cheapie 5000 version of this reel. I paid only $40 for it new, but it was made in Sweden. It came with only one BB, but I was able to locate another one for a measly $6, and in it went. This cheap version has no fancy IAR, and only has a plastic handle bushing, but I have thrown multiple hundreds of casts with it and it never falters. It's just the right size, and it eats sand almost as well as it eats fat, rowdy surf pearch. The only gripe I have is that the stock drag is nearly useless, and very hard to fine tune during a fight, but that is easily corrected with Smoothie-type silicon washers, and I shall one day make this adjustment.
It's the only baitcaster you will ever really need, and it will probably last longer than you yourself.

Best Price/Performance Baitcaster Overall, 2005-02-21
Reviewer: James -Gyozadude- Liu

At around $70 or less, the Abu Garcia Ambassadeur C3 series is perhaps the best baitcaster in this reviewer's opinion for med-hvy freshwater to light saltwater. Its current design hasn't changed much in two decades. Not faddish like other famous-name import brands, these smooth Swedish made reels outcast, out fight, and out last many costing over twice their price.

Some unique features include: bearings that support the spool, not the axle; precision Swedish machined gearing; special pinch-friction mechanical cast control system under the screw cap; and synchro-non-disengaging levelwind which aligns especially well for use with braid. The 4600c3 and 5500c3 reels are great for plugging. While the wider 6500C3 sports a fairly stiff and robust clicker and larger capacity for still baitfishing.

When I pack for trips to other places, this is the first reel into the luggage. These reels work well for many species of fish and for a wide variety of fishing styles, whether you fish from bank, shore, or pier, or mooch, troll or jig from a boat. And when it comes time for repairs or modifications, parts are widely available.

I can't tell you about service for Abu's beyond parts because these reels are simple enough for me to maintain on my own. I've owned or bought as gifts a dozen of these reels and have never had to send them in for replacement, recall, or repair.

As for castability - I fish a lot of river banks and shore spots; I'm impressed by its castability. For a reel with no mags, it casts so smoothly and far that it outperforms 99% of reels. Next to Penn GS reels, the Abu C-series of reels are known for their distance casting abilities.

Abu C3s have engineered 'slop'. This is good. The 2 ball bearings and 1 roller bearing may not seem like much these days. But I find it casts better than Abu's C4 or even C5MagX because too many bearings enforce a tighter tolerance, increasing casting friction.

Use the C3 anywhere. It keeps working.