Just had to show this little Cardinal. My wife and I looked in a lot of vintage and second hand shops on our trip round Australia in our caravan recently.
In a shop in a little place in outback Victoria I found the fishing tackle section where all the spin reels were in a bucket.
At the bottom of the bucket was this little ABU.
The reels were all $25.00 each. All except this one were probably that price when new.
Couldn`t believe my luck.
Basto
(http://i1286.photobucket.com/albums/a601/george8322/P1050008_zpsnovdvugy.jpg)
(http://i1286.photobucket.com/albums/a601/george8322/abu%205_zps30whqaqp.jpg)
Doesn't get any better than that, Greg!
Best,
Fred
Nice find! Those "Green Line" Cardinal 5s are really tough to come by. They were mainly distributed through western Europe & UK affiliations. Lots of green line 3s & 4s out there but not many 5s were manufactured until the next version came out. I've only seen 8 or 10 sell on eBay over the last 12 years. I wouldn't fish it if it were mine since it's so rare, but then I kind of weird about hard to find quality reels. ;D
Hi Fred and Tommy
One odd thing I found on the foot of this reel was a "made in Japan" sticker. Is that legitimate?
Greg
Yes, Greg --
Production was transferred to Japan --
Quality was the same as Swedish -- just maybe the nostalgia of being from Sweden was different.
Quality is equal, IMO -- at least on this first run.
Got to remember -- this was before reels were sourced to China or other Asian countries.
Not all Japanese reels are good -- just as all US, or European reels are not good -- but these are top drawer.
Best,
Fred
Thanks Fred. The other info on the foot is a moulded 84-0
Greg
That is a nice one Basto.
I didn't even know there was a Green line #5.
I have a Black C5 NIB that I paid a lot more for.
You have some nice ABU reels Daron. I had a Cardinal 54 and a 55 when I was younger, but after reading Mr Hawk`s review of the 57, I don`t think it was a good model series.
cheers
Greg
Nice 'un, Basto, and looks like in pretty good shape.
Frank
Yes Frank, it is in very good condition. I tossed a few lures around with it when I got home, but after what Tommy said, I think I will take the line off it. I have other reels to fish.
Greg
Wow, what a great find and price too!
Congrats!
I have been fishing the 3 version for the past several months based on recommendations by Tommy. Best reel I've ever owned. Can't really imagine anything any better exists out there other than maybe a Suveran but I can't cough up the money for one of those just to find out!
Quote from: The Fishing Hobby on December 24, 2017, 02:54:02 AM
Wow, what a great find and price too!
Congrats!
I have been fishing the 3 version for the past several months based on recommendations by Tommy. Best reel I've ever owned. Can't really imagine anything any better exists out there other than maybe a Suveran but I can't cough up the money for one of those just to find out!
Glad you two meshed, Kevin. I love those reels, all 3 sizes, but especially the 3 & 4! I can't imagine a better quality reel in that class for the money.
Thanks, you certainly were accurate in your comments about it. I agree with you, it is top notch. I really like the new to me Daiwa 8600 I picked up but it is older and lacks the ability to close the bail manually, silent anti-reverse and the drag is just a notch below the Cardinal as well. For a live or cut bait reel the Daiwa will work out great and I can't wait to use it. I would like to find a smaller one from the same Daiwa series of reels for live bait fishing too. For lures with casting and reeling constantly the Cardinals will work much better and have a higher gear ratio. I now have 2 green line 3's and a C3 and a green line 4 😀
The green line 3's look like they were used a whole lot...I'd even go as far to say they were abused by my standards but after cleaning and lubing they work absolutely perfectly. I'd say that is a pretty good testament to their durability. I think the paint may be the only drawback.on them. It either isn't the most durable paint or it is just an extremely thin coat.