What are the differences between
The C4 & 54 made in Sweden
Both are excellent reels, James —-
However, there are major differences.
The main being that the C4 has the exceptional and excellent "fulcrum drag" system, just like the green or tan ones from Sweden. It is a smooth and nearly bullet-proof reel.
The 54 is also a full metal body, but with a multiple straight rear drag system.
I fish the original Cardinal green & tan reels in 3 & 4 sizes.
Plus, I also have a 54 that is a personal favorite when lake fishing. Excellently engineered and a smooth performer. It is in my personal arsenal.
Graphite spool on the 54 just popped in half without any impact or accident. Ordered a new skirted aluminum spool from JimmyDaiwa in Singapore —- now a bullet-proof keeper.
Tommy will be along shortly —- and will have more information then I could possibly offer. He is the expert on these.
After working on any/every reel that came across the bench for 40+ years —- I transitioned 5 years ago to just working on what I consider to be the finest spinning reels readily available in the world today —- ABU/Zebco greens (also the tans), and the ABU C series from Japan —- Penn —- D.A.M. Quick —- and Mitchells. This is because I know these to be of solid quality, but also since I stock hundreds of thousands of parts for these that are not easily or generally available anymore without a lot of searching and opening wallets pretty seriously.
Best, Fred
Fred covered the general basic differences well.
They're both quality made reels! I'm a fulcrum drag guy so they're my exclusive go-to spinning reel. I fish with the black 3s & 4s quite a lot. They have the skirted spool and also the ability to easily manually flip the bail closed if you like that feature. Personally, I don't use it. They have one newer two leg scissor type bail spring rather than the two coil springs. The 50 & 150 series black rear drag reels have two coil bail springs just like the original ABU & Zebco Cardinals.
The 50 & 150 series black rear drag reels are basically the same reel except the 50 series reels have the ability to be ambidextrous, i.e. right or left hand retrieve. The 150 series reels are right hand/left hand retrieve only. Something most people aren't aware of is that the tan Zebco Cardinal 550 series reels are the exact same reel as the black ABU Cardinal 50 series reels, just a different color & name logo.
The drive train in the 50 & 150 series reels is a little different from that of fulcrum drag reels. The A/R still works against pinion teeth but is a little more of a complicated design. They're worm gear driven but they also have a nylon oscillation gear, which I'm not fond of.
I have received a couple the the 50, 150 & 550 rear drag reels that have had the fronts of the spools popped of, as Fred mentioned. Mainly I think because they had been fully lined with mono for a long period of time with no backing or arbor. I have 15 black fulcrum drag 3 & 4 Cardinals that my wife & I regularly use (probably 250 days a year on average) and have never had one of their graphite spool split or break.
Hope some of that info helps.
My only Black Cardinal is a 652
What about this fella? It was my grandfather's. Just got hold of it recently and I plan to give it a once over.
Quote from: JasonGotaProblem on August 05, 2025, 03:53:24 AMWhat about this fella? It was my grandfather's. Just got hold of it recently and I plan to give it a once over.
Quality, etc. will be obvious once you open it up. Not a terrible reel, but not a top quality one, either.
That's good I guess. I was expecting it to be a C.I.N.O. (cardinal in name only). I probably won't fish with it much if at all. But I wanna restore it in his memory.
He had it on a Kunnan 30# offshore conventional rod. In retrospect he didn't know much about tackle. My uncle went thru his tackle and decided this would be the only one I'd think was worthwhile. He had a lot of old Walmart stuff that he didn't maintain at all. I think of him as a hardcore hunter who also fished. His guns were meticulous and pristine.