Hello everyone. Now that the Okuma Cortez reels have been out for years, I was wondering if anyone can give a review on their performance/reliability? Has anyone used these reels for a few years? Good, bad...? I usually stick to PENN/Daiwa/Shimano, but these reels look and feel nice, especially at the price range..
I think they're great value for money. Excellent drag out of the box, instant anti-reverse, reasonably smooth. They are less "precise" than, say, a Shimano Torium, especially the new "A" series, but they cost a whole lot less.
I have a CZ5, love it. Light, fast and strong smooth drags. Great free spool and ergonomics. I'd say the smoothness and drags are on par with most other reels. The graphite frame may be a weak point but I haven't seen it in over 2 years of fishing with 30-40 lb test fished hard.
Thanks, guys. I just placed an order for the Cortez 5..