Avet raptor vs Torque 2 speed

[elimadrigal]

which reels are better made? Avet raptors 2 speeds with cast control or penn torque lever drag 2 speed reels? looking to throw down some serious money...Thank you in advance for your feedback.

[Rivverrat]

They are both great reels over all. The Penn Torque is a newer design & a more refined piece. You will be able to fish higher drag with the Torques than than the Raptor unless your looking at the 4/0 size being the Torque 40 & HX Raptor. The HX Raptor can put out a little not much but more fishable drag  than the Torque 40.

The HX raptor can be fished well with 80 some use 100 lb. line I think it's asking to much from this reel especially if used on a weekly bases. The Torque 25N & 30 are probably the best reels for 40 -50 line made today when considering weight, capacity & durability of it's drive & over all performance. However the JX Raptor is really liked a lot by many.

Used within their design perimeters both the Avet Raptor & Torque are great reels. But if push comes to shove the Penn Torque I believe is & has been the benchmark for this class of reels. If I were to take off & fish away from civilization for a time & was set on having a lever drag ( God Forbid ) it would be a reel made by one of these two  ... Jeff

[SoCalAngler]

which reels are better made? Avet raptors 2 speeds with cast control or penn torque lever drag 2 speed reels? looking to throw down some serious money...Thank you in advance for your feedback.

This is really hard to say unless we know what lb test your looking to fish, yardage of line your looking for, many times the spices of fish targeted and how you will fish, like live bait or trolling ect., and price point.

IMO anyone that says one reel is better than another without knowing the above is just guessing.

[elimadrigal]

im looking to cast 3oz jigs Salas, line would be 25-30 lb, targeting yellow tail, barracuda,Bonita and perhaps 25lb tuna.
line needed - about 280 yards , willing to work with 200yards of 60lb braid and 70 yards 30lb mono as a top shot. I feel the cast control helps. reel needed for Ensenada waters...this would be my light set up ,,ive decided on my heavier set up being the hxj raptor for jig casting and deep yoyo im begining to think the jx raptor may be the way to go vs the torque 25n 2 speed. I actually tried the raptor SX and thought it was too small and the jig came back to slow when i would cast and retrieve.

[akfish]

If you are planning to fish 25# or 30# line, you don't need a Raptor. Go with a JX 2-speed. And if you are still learning to cast -- as we all are!! -- the Magic Cast on the JX is sweet. It works. The JX Raptor is a better reel with more drag and come with the Magic Cast but does cost more.

[johndtuttle]

I wouldn't recommend either for a surface iron reel (actual casting) but a "3/0" star drag.

For yo-yo off the bottom, then 2-speed for sure. Avet Raptor is very good and nothing to sniff at. However, Penn Torque is the best 2-speed LD reel made, imo.

This does leave plenty of room for other reels that are very fun to fish below it.

[Swami805]

If you're chucking iron a star drag is better. Don't know why anyone needs a 2 speed for 30lb,just more stuff to break. just  my opinion

[elimadrigal]

2 speed for 30lb you just never know when ill need if for heavier duty, i don't want to be limited in the future with the reel.

[MarkT]

I have 2-speeds for 30#. A 2-speed with a 4:1 low and a 6:1 high is a 2-in-one bait/jig reel, not a standard 2-speed reel. A 4:1 low isn't a low gear winch like it is in a bigger tuna reel. I use a SX Raptor as my 30 bait reel. I don't throw iron with it but it would do fine. These days I use larger bait casting reels for surface iron.

[SoCalAngler]

elimadrigal,

I think there have been good points made about reels by the others but let me try to put some things in prospective.

Is a two speed reel needed for 30 lb test? IMO no unless you have some physical limitations like age, bad back or what ever.

Is the Raptor or Torque a better reel for what your looking to do. If money is not an issue I'd lean toward the Torque. Since the Raptors are two speeds you must compare the Torque two speeds it be in more of a apples to apples match up. Here again you may be spending more money on either reel than is needed to fish 30 lb test.

For more of a dedicated surface iron reel or to fish bait on 30 lb test a single speed star drag reel will keep costs down no matter which manufacture you select.

Now for a yoyo iron reel I like a reel that has 6:1 gears so you don't have to crank like a mad man to get speed when fishing the iron. For surface iron speed is not a issue as you don't have to crank as fast to get the action out of those jigs. Not all 6:1 reels are the built the same. Some reels that are 6:1 have a small main gear making them harder to crank under heavy load. Both the Penn Torque 25N star and and the Avet JX 6:1 have a large main gear making them easier to crank. I like these sized reels for 30 lb.

Now we get to price point. I have not looked at the cost of these reels is a while so take that for what it is. Let's say a Torque 25N star or Trq25NLD single speed is around the cost of a non-Raptor Avet JX two speed. I would lean toward the Avet because like Mark said it will give your more flexibility in one reel with speed and power. I fish a standard JX 6/3 with 40 lb topshots in Baja waters for bait and yoyo and love it for that. Would a Torque 25N LD two speed be better? Maybe, but I will never know because my JX two speed fishes great and I see no need to change.

Tophots, I would lean more toward 50 lb braid on which ever reel you choose. Why? Because those reels can handle 40 lb topshots if you ever decide to bump them up a line class but may not be my first choice for 50 lb toppers. With 50 lb braid your covered if you choose to do this. When I say this I'm talking about a single speed JX, non-Raptor 6/3 or either Torque single speeds. The Raptor JX and Torque 25N 2 speeds could handle 50 lb topshots if needed so 60 lb braid may be a better choice for these.

The JX and 25N are very close in size and feel. Like I said I have JX, I also have a Fathom 25N. The Fathom is the same size as the Torque and I like that size reel. I use my Fathom 25N star for 30 lb and with it's large main gear it offers a lot of power. I use this reel for surface iron and bait on a 8' rod. I have also put this reel on a 7' rod and used it for bait and yoyo iron. Either way I have setup this reel it worked just the way I wanted it to.

[elimadrigal]

Thank you for taking the time to share, You are right a torque or raptor is far beyond would a 30lb line needs and in the eyes of many money over spent. However i usually like to get the higher grade reels just because if i one day choose to use it for anything heavier I will be able too.And yes the jx is very similar to the penn fathom or torque 25n in size. The size has a great feel and i love the narrow. I chose the Raptor jx with cast control as i still have issues casting after years of trying. I guess i just have stiff hands and hold the spool down to hard causing short cast. I had the chance to use a penn sx raptor and fell in love with the cast control, i could not believe how well i did casting. Sx was just to small. I don't mind using braid but i need a long enough top shot. I hate the braid knot hitting the guides when i cast long distances.Im planning to spool the jx with 65lb braid and topping it off with 30lb mono. I should be able to fit plenty mono if i do 200 yards of 65lb braid. Perhaps one day i can attach 40lb mono to it if the fish are running large. Thanks again for you tips!

[elimadrigal]

Ok guys , so my raptor jx showed up. To be honest i expected more. it feels like a cheap version of a penn 30 torque 2 speed lever drag reel, slightly better than a penn fathom 2 speed.The drag on the torque feels smother for sure. The engraving the torque has is something that sure makes it look nicer, there is a difference in price by about 100 dollars but in my opinion well worth it. HOWEVER I love the cast control on the Raptor.Penn Craftsmanship is better in my opinion.

[Rivverrat]

At least bring some fish in with it.
Unless of course your just completely put off by it ?

The Avets Raptors are fine reels.

I dont do the fishing that you & SoCal do. However I have a strong appreciation for reels with simple mechanics, long term durability, while being easy to service.

The Avet Raptor does all of this easily when fished within its range.

What your finding in comparison with the Torque is what I described in my first post. You are the only one who can decide what reel you'll be happiest using.

After looking at all reels from the better makers in the JX & Torque 30 size I decided on the Okuma Andros 12.
  The smoothness of their drag is closely matched but not surrpassed in any reel I've worked on or tested.

 They are cheaper which was important because I needed 3 reels in this size. One of the reason I went with them was I believe they combine some of the best performance qualities of Penn, Avet & Acurrate reels. They still are not any where near pefect.

 Until some one makes a better mouse trap the Penn Torque is the best over all, in its class & in hand performing reel, with long term durability... Jeff

 
 

[Jim Fujitani]

The other thing that you can do, rather than use a long top shot of mono or fluoro, is to learn how to cast with braid.  Use a shorter than rod length topshot/leader to avoid the knot going through the guides.  Just remember to wet down your spool (fresh water spray bottle) before your first cast, so you don't burn your thumb.  I had an Accurate BX870N for casting iron.  I only snapped off one jig (at night on a seven day), and I never heard the jig land (LOL).  But I did have to spend some time picking out the overrun (the braid snapped at the spool).

[Rivverrat]

Had to edit my prior post. Because of my prior statement. I was answering a friend by text regarding a similar topic while at the same time posting here. Which I blame for posting info that was misleading & not true.

I have not at any time done a model to model comparison with the Okuma Andros & Penn Torques regarding bearing load & the level of handle bind this can bring.  Of the few models from these two makes I have fished & serviced I can say handle resistance from bearing load is a non factor with both of them.  Not so much with the Andros 5.

  I do not have any desire to come here & state things that either arent true or I'm not satisfied are fact. Just wanted to be clear with this being an important issue with 2 speed reels in general. Also with people coming here to get information on reels prior to spending their money on something they have expectation or desire to perform in a certain manner... Jeff