Has anyone ever used/seen an AVET reel

[fishweewee]

I had a chance to examine (but obviously not fish) a few at one of my favorite NY tackle shops recently.

They look and handle SWEET - FOR THE BOAT ANGLERS!

I'm not quite sure how they would be in the surf for a number of reasons.

The spool just spins and spins and spins and spins, longer than just about any reel I have ever seen! BUT...I would caution that it would probably be hard to control a cast on these reels with your thumb (short of burning your thumb on the line) as the spool flanges are very narrow, if not non-existent.

They are fairly hefty reels - if weight is an issue for all-night casting then there's another slight drawback.

Also, even the smallest one has a strange "feel." I can't quite put my finger on the quality - the dimensions on the reel give me that uneasy je ne sais quois feeling.

In past years I would have pulled the trigger and bought the reel, but I have enough surf and boat conventionals to keep me happy for the moment.

-WW