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Guys i need some much needed info -- i am going nuts trying to make this decision all by myself. I am between the Avets and Alutecno reels. I know Penn and Shimano are options but i have narrowed it down to Avet or Alutecno. I am getting a great deal on Alutecno so price between them aren't a factor. The simplicity of the Avets are really nice and from what i hear they are a very rugged reel. Alutecno on the other hand has all the bells and whistles and the drag is very very smooth. What do you think ?
Unless your paying less than $130 per reel, I don't see a reason for not getting Shimano TLD25's. Maybe those reels look fancier but I can't imagine them being any better. In my area, I would not purchase either of those reels because I think I would have a hard time getting them serviced. Sorry, no real advice on the choice between the two. Good luck.
We have been using 10 Alutecnos reels for the past three years and cant say enough good things about them. The new Alutecnos reels come with a greased carbon drag system. I have not even cracked mine open since I bought them and we use them hard Tuna and Blue Marlin. I still prefer my 6 Shimano TLD 25s for sail's and white marlin fishing the Alutecnos are over kill for that type of fishing. The TLDs are a perfect match for sails and whites and the Alutecnos are the perfect match for Tuna and Blue Marlin....Mark
I would go with the Alutecnos simply because they are the fastest reels out of what you are looking at. For sailfishing you need at least a 6:1 reel ratio to make up the surplus of line you have from using a kite. You never know what you are going to catch on a kite bait. Nice to have 6:1 ratio when a 80# wahoo hits your kite line. Your arms will fall off with a TLD, and then you will lose the fish. Been there done that, I now fish Alutecnos.
If you are fairly new to live bait sailfishing, I'd go with the TLD's (either 15 or 20). They are super user freindly and perform great. A great "bang for the buck". 2 yrs ago, I "upgraded" my livebait reels. I had been using TLD 15's for many years. I went with Avet's. I also went with the "kingfish drags" for livebating as I was losing way too many fish at hook up moving form livebait to strike. After the drag modification, really like using my Avets. Avets are really easy to service. But have to say the TLD's will always be my first love. Now from a purely asthetic point of view- hard to beat the look of the Avet line.
If $500 reels are w/in your budget & even though you say you have 'ruled out Shimano', you need to take a look at the new Shimano Talica 8II or 10II... Looks like the greatest Sailfish reel (although overkill) on the market...
the avet lx 6.0 is a great reel, can pack it with braid to mono topshot and have alot of line capacity not to mention very light weight, the guys down in central america love those shimano tyronos (spelling). and alutecnous are very nice reels as well just depends on your budget and what you like
Not enough info to give you an informed opinion....
1. You don't say how you plan on fishing for sailfish: trolling deadbait or lures/comb's, live bait, ... ?
2. Are you going to spool the reels with mono or braid? What lbs test?
3. What specific Avet or Alutecnos?
Your answers make a difference. Frankly, I wouldn't use either Avet or Alutecnos for sailfish. For sailfish I'd use a Shimano TLD 20 and spool a conventional reel with 20lbs (30lbs if I was trolling deadbaits) mono (Spinning reels 20lbs or maybe 16lbs or even 12lbs).
You will need the mono because it'll stretch and absorb the shock with all the jumping sailfish do -- braid doesn't stretch and the hook will pull.
If I had to use a "gold reel", I'd go with either a Shimano Tiagra 12 or 16, or a Penn Torque with the Versa Drag set for the low range. The Alutecnos is a beautiful reel -- but you don't say which reel and the drag curve makes all the difference in how you use it . If the drag curve is too aggressive and you spool the reel with 20lbs, the line will break halfway to the strike position.
I would go with the Alutecnos. These reels are in a completely different league from the Avets. As far as getting them serviced goes....well, you won't have any problems with them, so it doesn't really matter (by the way, parts are readily available here in the US).
unless you're fishing for pacific sails, i don't see any need to go bigger than a TLD20 or something of equivalent size like maybe the Avet LX or JX. In fact, one of my favorite sailfish reels is my Avet MXL spooled with 300 yards of 30lb braid and about 100 yards of 20lb Ande mono on top. Put that on a custom built rod to your specifications and it makes an awesome live bait setup. But honestly, it's hard to argue with the TLD20. Proven design, proven reliability.
All the comments are interesting. I have fished the 12 and 20 6:1 altecnos reels in Guatemala for sailfish. Drags are as good as any other, not better. Gears inside are another thing. My reels are the older style but I also own a tackle shop in Guatemala and repair the newer style reels as much as the older style. I replace the main shaft and main gear all the times.
As for Drag curves, the 20 altecnos reels are designed for 30 to 50lb line. to troll with enough drag to keep the line from spooling off it is 1/2 way to strike and then from there it goes up fast, with strike at 7lbs. to go to full drag from strike at 7lbs it may go to 9lbs.
Freespool is better than most. the 6:1 reels grind gears. They feel like an eggbeater, not a problem inside, just the way it is. The new style handles are a great improvement. old style was crap. the clicker is in a horrible place and can get in a position half way that is annoying.
All in All I have seen better reels for less money.
I also haven't been impressed with what I've seen of the Alutecnos reels. The old TLD20 or 20/2speed will still serve you well and if you desire something faster the Tyrnos 20. Big spinners eg Penn 8500SS or 9500SS also have their place.
I also haven't been impressed with what I've seen of the Alutecnos reels. The old TLD20 or 20/2speed will still serve you well and if you desire something faster the Tyrnos 20. Big spinners eg Penn 8500SS or 9500SS also have their place.
What havent you been impressed with? Which Models have you used? The trolling outfits I have been using for the past 3 years have been flawless and the drags have held up superbly. The 30w2s,50w2s,and80ws have been the best reels I have ever used and I have used them all. The only thing I haven't liked was the handles but they have changed that since I bought mine. I havent used any of there smaller reels so I am just curious to what you dont like. I dont have a clue where sanchoco got the eggbeater comment but the larger reels are smooth as silk and the infinite antireverse is superior to Shimano or Penn reels....Mark
I've used an Alutecnos 50w that was a charter boat reel in Cape Verde. It wasn't that old but the exterior was already showing wear, the overall smoothness had deteriorated from what they are like when new and the drag was bumpy. The guy whom I was a guest of that day wanted to run five rods and stuck the Alutecnos outfit on the right corner because he had fished on that boat a lot in the past and "that spot never gets bit"... well we caught, if I remember right, four or five blues out of 15-18 bites and maybe 10-12 hookups, of which quite a few were hooked on the Alutecnos outfit. After missing a few bites with the drag set the way the crew wanted, I decided to try a different approach and ended up sitting beside the reel most of the day so I was able to handle it a good bit. We lost our biggest fish of the day on it - got cut off by another boat. The other reels on board were Tiagra 50W and 80W and I definitely felt the Alutecnos was not comparable. They are fine when new - possibly being Italian they require more TLC than a Tiagra.
Patudo It is strange that our comparisons are so far apart. We have fished our 10 trolling reels every trip for offshore trolling (Except for Whites and Sails we use TLds) for three years straight with none of the problems you mentioned. Like I mentioned above I have not even had to crack them open yet but this winter I will put the new carbon drag plates in them. Funny mine still look brand new as well......I guess different strokes for different folks......Mark
Patudo It is strange that our comparisons are so far apart. We have fished our 10 trolling reels every trip for offshore trolling (Except for Whites and Sails we use TLds) for three years straight with none of the problems you mentioned. Like I mentioned above I have not even had to crack them open yet but this winter I will put the new carbon drag plates in them. Funny mine still look brand new as well......I guess different strokes for different folks......Mark
look at the amount of use your reels get compared to those on the Charter boat. Patudo was talking about 15+ blue marlin bites on 1 trip. I know you don't see that in NC. I know the charter boats in Guatemala using the altecnos reels replace the main shafts, drags and gears every year. on the other hand I have 4 30 Tiagra reels that we used 4 seasons in Mag bay and released over 1200 Marlin in that time. the 5th year we put drags in them. no other maintenance. Now that is a lot of marlin on each reel.
Sailfish reels ? 
. If the drag curve is too aggressive and you spool the reel with 20lbs, the line will break halfway to the strike position.
