The abu 6500 high speed mag reel

Has anyone had any problems with these reels mine seem kinda stiff and rough compared to my old sports mags and the green mag seem more user friendly sometimes I find its an effort to reel in a lead and 2 baits lol

well the higher gearing gives lower torque so thats the resulting loss of power when you're winding in a bit of weight, roughness could be worn gears of lack of good servicing!

Or it could be some dirt after getting in between the main gear shaft and gear cog carrier causing it to bind up, if it is this best to sort it out asap before it locks up completly...

or maybe the old ones are just nicer

locking up under a load is a common fault with this model..one of the poorest reels from ABU/PENN/PURE FISHING /SHAKESPEARE K2 or who ever owns them now,built in Malaysia as distinct from Sweden,cant beat green/sunset orange mags or chrome rockets if your casting technique is ok.

Had the same problem with my one just gave it a good service and found rust build up on the mags witch was rubbing off the spool just gave it a light sanding and works great now hope this helps