# H2O Express Baitcast Reels



## RedRaider98 (Jan 21, 2009)

Now that these reels have been out for a couple of years, I am interested in some reel opinions from those who have been using them. I am really not interested in the opinions of those who have not used them and only swear by "XYZ" brand.

Do they hold up to the salt water? 
For the price you can buy 3-4 of them for what an average upper end real costs. I usually only get 2 years out of my shimanos. So if the H2O express reels will last a year then they are well worth it. What are y'alls opinions?


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## Blk Jck 224 (Oct 16, 2009)

I picked up a half dozen H20 Mettles when they went on sale in November of 2009. The reel performed as well as my 200E7 out of the box. I was skeptical as to the durability at first, & figured it would deteriorate as well. I gave all but one away for Christmas presents & kept one extra. I gave it the Pepsi challenge & used it all year as my primary reel. After each trip I popped the side cover off & put one drop of Rem-Oil on each bearing & the level wind. Towards the end of October it finally started not wanting to throw as far. For $24.95 they are disposable. All I throw are artis & fish often...My reels get a workout. The reels are awesome. Never did the drag slip or have any part failures. I picked another half dozen when they went on sale last November. If you want to get a little fancier, the next up the line is the H2O Manic. It is black with gold fluting on the handle & spool tension knob. I highly recommend these reels.


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## saltwatersensations (Aug 30, 2004)

Go ahead and send one of those to my house Robert. I have a naked rod.


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## V-Bottom (Jun 16, 2007)

good reels for the $$$ I got 6 myself!! Mettles tho..


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## Rob S (Jan 8, 2007)

I used the mettle as my primary reel last year. It took a beating and kept on catching. I bought a new one for this year to add to my arsenal. They hold up in saltwater!!! I think they are comparable to other high end reels on the market today. Great reel and only being $50 makes them even better.

Rob


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## bhdrummer2011 (Nov 15, 2010)

H20 best reel you can buy for $50. mine outcast my friends brand new revo stx. Academy has a combo going on now with the H20 and a castaway rod for $99.


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## WVNative (Sep 16, 2010)

I bought 2 this past Nov. when they were on sale. I gave one to a friend. Wish I'd kept it or bought more of them. So far it has worked flawlessly. I'm only a weekend fisherman so it doesn't get the workout some may get. I did drop it and it hit flush on a concrete floor. I cringed but picked it up and checked it and it was fine. I dropped my 30 year old ambassador 5500C last year and it did not fair so well. I rinse mine after every use. I don't know what the long term is going to be but I like others figure If I can get a year or two out of it then it was money well spent. I will buy again when they come on sale.


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## podnuh (May 26, 2004)

I bought a couple of them last year and gave one to my next door neighbor. It is my primary reel, don't do much wading anymore, so it doesn't get dunked...works very well, seems to hold up to coastal weather.
Bought 4 more this past November.
For the money, best value out there.


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## paymerick (May 19, 2010)

Might buy a couple myself... One for the girl, one for a backup for me...


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## smooth move (Dec 10, 2007)

*mettle reels*

been using them since they came out, good enough if you clean and care for them, the negatives are that they have little line capacity and the drag system is weak, but for the buck you can't beat 'em. we've been giving them out as prizes at the bayou vista kids tourny for 5-6 years now, we use the spin cast also, but i haven't seen them on the shelf for awhile. great kids reels.


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## Blk Jck 224 (Oct 16, 2009)

smooth move said:


> been using them since they came out, good enough if you clean and care for them, the negatives are that they have little line capacity and the drag system is weak, but for the buck you can't beat 'em. we've been giving them out as prizes at the bayou vista kids tourny for 5-6 years now, we use the spin cast also, but i haven't seen them on the shelf for awhile. great kids reels.


You are wrong. The spool capacity is the same as my 200E7. They both hold 150 yards of 10lb, & 120 yards of 12lb. I wore down a 25lb jack last summer after a 40 minute fight & was cranking down on that drag hard to keep from getting spooled & it never missed a lick. Go ahead & speculate all you want, I know for a fact they are bulletproof.


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## WVNative (Sep 16, 2010)

X2 I have a citica 201E and have same spool capacity. Casting distance is about the same. Unless you just want a high dollar reel I honestly don't see why. I have both so over time we'll see.


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## saltwatersensations (Aug 30, 2004)

I will trade someone my E7 for 3 new H2O mettile reels. Thats less than half of what I paid for my E7


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## CAPSIZED (Aug 10, 2004)

I purchased a few last year when they were 25$ I used one all year for trout then during the flounder run I probably caught at least a hundred flounder with it. It worked flawless until a couple of weeks ago. We were thick in the reds and after about 20 fish the drag locked up. When I took the reel apart I noticed that the drag grease was clumped up and drag washer was dry. That was an easy fix. The reel sounds a little rough when I cast now but I still feel like I got my $25 out of it. I think it's perfect for charters or a good throw down. Im using it to teach my 6 yr old how to cast an open face also.


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## ATE_UP_FISHERMAN (Jun 25, 2004)

Wish they made them for leftys.


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## fuzzbuzzeng (Jun 20, 2006)

like a lot of other fine products, these H20 mettle reels work just fine but dont carry
the prestige of the well known name brands. Some people are not happy unless they 
pay a lot of money for something.


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## reeltimer (Feb 5, 2010)

RedRaider98 said:


> Now that these reels have been out for a couple of years, I am interested in some reel opinions from those who have been using them. I am really not interested in the opinions of those who have not used them and only swear by "XYZ" brand.
> 
> Do they hold up to the salt water?
> For the price you can buy 3-4 of them for what an average upper end real costs. I usually only get 2 years out of my shimanos. So if the H2O express reels will last a year then they are well worth it. What are y'alls opinions?


Ben go out and get you one and abuse it and you will be impressed with what it will do.


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## Mullet (May 21, 2004)

*The only flaw*

I am brutal on just about everything I own. Several of us have been using the Mettle.
The only flaw I have found is the Kick lever. It re-engages the cast lever by way of the star gear.
One of mine got a groove wore into it by the star gear and no longer resets the casting lever. I only had it for 2 months.
*You can not get replacement parts for them.* 
So if any one has any spare kick levers I'll take them.
I have been doing web searches to find out who manufactures the real for Academy, but have had no luck. The academy I go to didn't even know.

The only remedy I can see for this problem is to be gentle when re-engaging the level wind.

As far as maitenance:
I use braid so a lot of salt water intrudes into the real.
Be sure and do periodic cleanings. I take the spool with the bearing that is captured onto the spool and hit it with some card cleaner to get the salt out then after letting it dry, add oil.


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## davidluster (Sep 16, 2008)

Mullet said:


> I am brutal on just about everything I own. Several of us have been using the Mettle.
> 
> So if any one has any spare kick levers I'll take them.
> I have been doing web searches to find out who manufactures the real for Academy, but have had no luck. The academy I go to didn't even know.
> .


The academy in Lake Jackson will give you a brand new one, no questions asked. The guy told me it was Academy's policy with the H20 reels...


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## smooth move (Dec 10, 2007)

*line*



Blk Jck 224 said:


> You are wrong. The spool capacity is the same as my 200E7. They both hold 150 yards of 10lb, & 120 yards of 12lb. I wore down a 25lb jack last summer after a 40 minute fight & was cranking down on that drag hard to keep from getting spooled & it never missed a lick. Go ahead & speculate all you want, I know for a fact they are bulletproof.


your right about the e7 and mettle line capacity,they're the same, which surprises me. i've had drag problems with 3 of them that my grandkids use, everytime it happens i tear it down and clean,grease and reassymble. they hold up for about a year and the drag starts hopping or grabbing again. i heard that some of the curado bearings are interchangable, don't know if this is true.


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## draker3 (Jun 30, 2004)

Mullet said:


> I am brutal on just about everything I own. Several of us have been using the Mettle.
> The only flaw I have found is the Kick lever. It re-engages the cast lever by way of the star gear.
> One of mine got a groove wore into it by the star gear and no longer resets the casting lever. I only had it for 2 months.
> *You can not get replacement parts for them.*
> ...


The academy in humble told me they are made by pflueger.:rotfl:


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## redfish91 (Jan 27, 2011)

*h20 reels*

Had 2 of the mettle ones and 1 menace one they all seized up after about 6 months of using them almost every weekend wading with them just took all 3 of them back to academy yesterday they let me exchange for 3 new ones so apparently they stand behind them pretty good. They work good as back ups or for topwater rod.


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## BustinTops (Aug 31, 2010)

:texasflag


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## juanpescado (Dec 22, 2006)

The drag sux but it casts good and is smooth, if you know how to thumb the drag your in good shape on a real fish (no BS), I bought em on sale for my bass boat and have had them in saltwater, the reel is actually a nice reel other than the drag sux, i'm a shimano man but for the price you cant go wrong, especially for bass fishing, lol.....


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## Outearly (Nov 17, 2009)

I bought a couple of Mettles and a couple of All-Star Shrimptail Specials when the reels and rods were on sale for $24.99 each at Academy. The whole shooting match was $100.00. We've fished them fairly hard and have had no issues. Would do that deal again any time.


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## RedRaider98 (Jan 21, 2009)

Several have mentioned getting the reel for $25. How often does academy have that sale? If it is soon I may hold off until then cause I need a few reels.


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## FISHUNTER (Dec 4, 2007)

draker3 said:


> The academy in humble told me they are made by pflueger.:rotfl:


They are in no way what so ever made by pflueger, diawa, pinnacle etc... They were designed and tooled to Academy's specs. The employee was ill informed.

If your H20 reel malfunctions....just take it back to the store and explain what is wrong with the reel. They will take care of you.


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## SargentfishR (Apr 23, 2007)

H2O Mettle is the best deal out there.

*Great for Kids 
*Great for Moms
*Great for a guest
*Wish is had a left handed retrieve for me.


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## B-Rizzle (Mar 10, 2010)

ive purchased one a year ago to try out and its held up fine in saltwater


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## Blk Jck 224 (Oct 16, 2009)

RedRaider98 said:


> Several have mentioned getting the reel for $25. How often does academy have that sale? If it is soon I may hold off until then cause I need a few reels.


The sale has been the week before Thanksgiving for the last two years.


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## Blk Jck 224 (Oct 16, 2009)

Here's a few pics of the H20 Manic that retails for $70. I absolutely love this reel.


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## jewfish (Feb 16, 2005)

I picked up 4 of them when they were 25$ each, gave two away and use one of them. Its a great reel, but I havnt used t enough to tell if its long lasting


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## impulse (Mar 17, 2010)

Mullet said:


> I have been doing web searches to find out who manufactures the real for Academy, but have had no luck. The academy I go to didn't even know.


Mullet, if you catch them on sale, replacing one is cheaper than even having a Shimano opened up.

Who makes them? To be honest, I don't know but I've visited about 20 of the 200+ factories (that I know of) who could be making them in China. Even if you knew the name of the factory, it would be something like "Weihai Wonder Excellent Fishing Implements Factory" and that's not very useful info when you're looking for parts. FYI, Wehai alone has over 250 fishing rod factories and it's not even considered a big city by Chinese standards.

There's also the real possibility that they have them contracted to several different factories, or that they put the contract out to bid each year as many tackle companies do. Fun stuff I've learned bopping around China.


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## RedRaider98 (Jan 21, 2009)

I picked up 2 of the Mettle reels. If they can last till the next time they are on sale I will buy several more of em. If they don't last then I am out 2 cheapass reels.


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## reeltimer (Feb 5, 2010)

impulse said:


> Mullet, if you catch them on sale, replacing one is cheaper than even having a Shimano opened up.
> 
> Who makes them? To be honest, I don't know but I've visited about 20 of the 200+ factories (that I know of) who could be making them in China. Even if you knew the name of the factory, it would be something like "Weihai Wonder Excellent Fishing Implements Factory" and that's not very useful info when you're looking for parts. FYI, Wehai alone has over 250 fishing rod factories and it's not even considered a big city by Chinese standards.
> 
> There's also the real possibility that they have them contracted to several different factories, or that they put the contract out to bid each year as many tackle companies do. Fun stuff I've learned bopping around China.


Your in the wrong country there made in Korea.


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## impulse (Mar 17, 2010)

My bad- though most of the guys I buy fishing gear from in China are Koreans operating factories in China. 

And a lot of the stuff that leaves those factories (in China) say "Made in Korea". I think they touch the port in Incheon or Busan on their way to the USA. Look for Weihai on a map of China and then measure over to Korea and you'll see why that's so common.

I'd give Academy the benefit of the doubt though, because they seem to be on top of their international supply chain.


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## C.Hern5972 (Jul 17, 2009)

I asked the manager of academy to hold to as i was leaving work and on my way. WWhen i got there they were gone and he said he would give me the manic for the same price. So i picked up to Manics for 50.00 ........The thing ast great and i have fished the heck out of one of them.. I have not had any issues at all. I was fishing a white/ red SS around the jetties one day... Had some good luck and was wrapping the day up when SJ hit it and blew it up. After 40 min of fight i finally landed him and i saay the reel is [email protected] good for the money


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## FISHUNTER (Dec 4, 2007)

impulse said:


> My bad- though most of the guys I buy fishing gear from in China are Koreans operating factories in China.
> 
> And a lot of the stuff that leaves those factories (in China) say "Made in Korea". I think they touch the port in Incheon or Busan on their way to the USA. Look for Weihai on a map of China and then measure over to Korea and you'll see why that's so common.
> 
> I'd give Academy the benefit of the doubt though, because they seem to be on top of their international supply chain.


They are made in Korea....out of just one solitary factory.


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