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Been fishing Avet reels for 3 years now and I love them. In my opinion they are a great reel for the money. Ive only had one issue and Avet handled it at no cost to me on a reel that was 2 years old. They even paid shipping. Great company as far as im concerned.
I think a lot will depend on how much line you want/need. The Avet will hold a lot more, especially the Pro 30W. Also, if you will only fish it as a 60lb class setup. If you want more flexibility to go to an 80lb or 100lb setup, then the Avet can do that with still good capacity.
I have Avet Pro 30Ws and absolutely love them. I would highly recommend them. I also think they are much easier to work on then the Penns. I hate those Penn drag wascher covers and I hate the fact that you cannot pull the right main side bearing in the Penns without removing the entire gear assembly. The Avet you can remove the right side bearing without removing everything.
The only complaint I had with the Avet was the clicker lever, but they redesigned that and now I don't have any complaints. Plus I love the choice of colors of the Avets. I like the silvers which hide boat rash better.
The Penn 16VSX's are some pretty bad a$$ reels that we mostly use to deep drop with for Grouper and Amberjack and I must say I am very impressed with them. They also do double well as stand up rods and are much lighter than 30's and 50's and have an impressive amount of power! If you are looking to fish a reel with braid, then this is the reel you want!
__________________ Grady White 305 Express
"Southern Hunter"
We have 3 of the 16vsx and have had good luck with them. They are a bit tough to work on like Keith said, but was only my third big reel I took apart and was still able to put it back together. :-)
I agree with Southern Hunter and also pdog. The new VSX series are very nice reels. The Hoo-X is also a very nice reel. The big advantage the 16VSX has over the HOO-X is that the handle is better. I wish they would offer a bigger handle on the Hoo-X. But I do prefer the handles on the Avet 30s over the Penn VSXs due to the offset.
I think the type of fishing you will be doing, your price range, as well as your reel preference (Penn vs. Shimano vs. Avet vs. etc.) will determine which one is better for you. If you plan on trolling these for decent size fish, then capacity is a big consideration. If you are going to be using them for jigging, then you can get away with less capacity.
From a cost standpoint, if it is not an issue, then get an Accurate. Between the Penn and Avet, you can't beat Avet. The VSX is $500 at 2 sponsors here. I know that you can get an Avet 30 for $30 less than that. And the Hoo-X is almost $100 less.
If you are using these standup and want the lightest reel, then that is another consideration that may be important especially if you will be trolling or jigging or something else. They are all good reels.....your preferences will determine which is better for you.
The narrow 30 Avet compares to the 16vsx in size Much better bearings in the Avet uch better handle in the Avet and the Narrow is a better retail price If your getting the prodeal I still feel that the Avet is better Because by the time you add a handle and class 5 bearings you still have a less durable finish on the penn reel You do not want to spend the money for that upgrade The other thing the penn has a chessy plastic cover over the drag washer n plate you need a special wrench to upgrade or risk buying a new one once you screw it up Look at the handles of both reels side by side and then tell me they are even close in quailty
Now that I think about it, the one thing that is annoying about the 16vsx is the stops for the lever drag. They are almost non functional on these reels. We have had people on the boat pickup the reel with a fish on and slide it all the way up to full drag... big mistake!
Now that I think about it, the one thing that is annoying about the 16vsx is the stops for the lever drag. They are almost non functional on these reels. We have had people on the boat pickup the reel with a fish on and slide it all the way up to full drag... big mistake!
Anyone aware of an upgrade for them?
you sure your talking about the right reel?
the stop works dam well on mine
That is another thing I like on the Avets.....they have a push button built into the drag lever that will push the strike button down for you. My dad's VSWs don't have that. Don't know if the VSXs do or not. Not a big deal, but a nice feature I find easier to use in the heat of battle.
__________________ don't try this at home....i'm a profesional......
i know it's misspelled-it's a joke...get it???
jim anderson jimmy's marine service llc
a 5 star wrenchin' whore !!!
i love all 8 of my vsx's dearly. i have plenty of smaller avets (MXLs, HXs) and after working on those and my buddies 30ex's every season i have bought my last avet. penn really nailed it with their VSX line im suprised more people dont use them
avet pro ex 30 vs penn 16vsx? 
Please explain. 
