New Quantum Saltwater Gear: Florida-Tested to the Max 

This summer I hopped on a few boats with the Quantum development team at the tail end of a two-year torture test. Two brand-new series of saltwater spinning reels, the Strive and Benchmark, had been run through the gauntlet.

What kind of stuff goes on before reels are boxed and shipped to tackle shops?

Here’s one example.

Midweek in late June, I watched Quantum Sales Manager Gary Zeidman wrestle magnum inlet snook on the soon-to-be-released Strive SV6000 reel. I could find no apparent fault in the reel nor in Gary’s casting stroke, which smoothly put live croakers upcurrent in just the right spot. He was fishing a 7-foot, 9-inch, 20-40 pound class Myth rod, also a new Quantum product.

I wasn’t the only one observing: As Gary worked on another snook, a goliath grouper of 300 pounds or so inhaled it under the boat. It left a huge boil in the water, like some kind of freakish tidal whorl. Captain Alex Hughey, a Merritt Island guide, had warned us.

The fat speckled thief steamed downtide with Gary’s snook, unspooling 50-pound braid. To be clear, this was not something we wanted to happen. Losing snook to a goliath is a good signal to leave a spot. But with a giant fish on, I saw it offered an informal test. Gary casually began tightening the drag knob. Something was going to break. Safe money was not on 300 pounds of goliath grouper—though now and then the big guys will let go of fish.

The rod curved deeper and deeper into the butt section with each turn of the knob, but it didn’t bounce or pulse. It maintained a smooth arc as drag pressure increased. Yes, the goliath kept going, displaying the momentum of a Bertram, but Gary’s rod-and-reel showed no signs of suffering. Gary himself, maybe a little.

In the literature, Quantum prides itself on class-leading max drag—the 6000 is rated for 35 pounds of pressure. The Strive and Benchmark reels both feature carbon fiber washers.

In my experience, 35 pounds is a lot more drag pressure than anyone is likely to put on a spinning reel—let alone a practical rod. However, high drag ratings like this often suggest smoothness under pressure, a highly welcome characteristic. If you ever need to crank down the drag, jerkiness or stickiness are undesirable, to say the least. When you’re pushing the limits of line, leaders, or knots, you want steady pressure.

When Gary’s rod finally straightened, we had our answer. Gary reeled up to find the uni-knot connecting a 30-pound-test wind-on leader to a footlong 50-pound shock leader had parted. Reel was fine, rod didn’t break, main line didn’t break, Gary didn’t break. It was a happy ending. The goliath grouper was left with a small carbon hook and a tiny piece of line in its jaw. Less happy for the snook--and of course time for us to move along to a new spot.

I took the reel from Gary and exerted quite a bit of force pulling line off it—he’d put an unbelievable amount of pressure on that fish. Gary and Quantum Senior Vice President Mike Rice related similar tales of endurance–many with fish, others with mechanical systems.  I was impressed. The Strive 6000 retails for $129.

Removing the spool to inspect the drag washers, I noticed they showed no sign of distortion. They’d been put through a goliath squeeze and shrugged it off.

Over a few days of fishing, I noticed a uniform drag curve across a range of the Quantum reels—from light settings for kingfish, to amberjack-stopping maxes, to “Hail Mary and G’bye Goliath.” Later, I asked Mike Rice for insights.

“Three things contribute to that,” he explained. “Number one, our CFX200 carbon fiber drag washers, a high grade carbon fiber. But also there’s a specific spring we use in the drag knob. It’s a wave spring, not a coil spring, and that compresses the drag washers evenly. Also we use Quantum Hot Sauce grease on the drag washers; the grease is applied at the assembly line to the three carbon and three stainless steel washers.”

The drag systems are the same in both the Strive and Benchmark reel series. The Benchmark reels are slightly more expensive, reflecting a machined drive gear—brass in the 6000 and 8000 models, aluminum in the others--and an additional ball bearing (under the spool). Both feature machined brass pinion gears.

Evident under the drag knob is the blue rubber skirt of Quantum’s proprietary SeaLoq 6 sealing. Equivalent to IPX6 waterproofing standards, SeaLoq protection gives a measure of confidence to coastal anglers. Spray from waves, spray from end-of-day washdown, won’t penetrate and compromise bearings and other internal components. SeaLoq seals are positioned in multiple points on the reels—including at the ever-important main shaft bearing.

The new Quantum reels are available in six sizes, from 2500 to 8000. The nomenclature and respective capacities match up pretty well with standards for high-end spinning reels offered by other makers. For example, many of us would fish 10-pound braid on a 2500-size reel, a great Florida combo for long casts with light lures or unweighted naturals in sight-fishing situations. We can put 275 yards of it on either the Benchmark BK2500 or Strive SV2500, more than enough to handle bonefish, top-slot redfish or even snook. It’s common, too, for us to step up to 15- or 20-pound braid on 3000 or 4000 reels, for structure fishing or throwing plugs or swimbaits. On reels destined for bluewater use, 400 yards of line is a safe minimum, and Quantum provides for that handily in the heaviest of the three.

On the subject of sizing, one thing that distinguishes the new Quantum reels from others is that each reel class is built on a unique tooling. This offers some subtle advantages.

Rice, an industry veteran, pointed out that some manufacturers develop reels based on some shared body platforms. A 5000 model, for instance, might have the same body as a 6000. Within that range, a customer’s needs and expectations may differ—but he may be stuck--whether he’s aware of it or not--with the weight of a larger reel, or the gearing of a smaller.

“It was a fundamental decision we made as a development team when we started down this new path with Quantum,” said Rice. “We’d do it better. We’d develop specific tooling sets for each reel. If you see the sizes and weights of our reels, by comparison to competition, we’re typically lighter because we’ve spent the extra money to develop unique tooling.”

The Strive and Benchmark reels are both full aluminum frame and side plate. Styling differs a little, but same-size models share oscillation stroke, spool capacities, and some componentry—handles, for instance--are interchangeable.

Equipment like this is of great interest to Florida anglers. For the saltwater fisherman, one of the great things about modern spinning tackle is that it represents a uniform, easily mastered platform for catching just about any conceivable fish in any conceivable scenario. 

With the continuing evolution in center console boat design, and options for electric motors for shallow navigation or deepwater spot-holding, it’s common nowadays to fish inshore one day, offshore the next, or even both in the same day.

Start the day casting lightweight lures or baits and find yourself needing a heavier outfit, you can pick up a spinning rod that’ll get the job done.

The Quantum brand has long been associated with this kind of multitasking. The company’s re-entry into the saltwater market, in summer of 2024, puts a nice range of gear into the hands of anglers at very competitive prices.

The Quantum Strive and Benchmark reels will be available this fall. Pricing will run $99 to $139.99 in the Strive series, $149.99 to $189.99 in the Benchmark. Rod-and-reel combos, as well, will be in shops.

Also coming soon are Quantum’s new Myth rods, ranging from 7-foot light action rods to 7-foot, 9-inch tarpon/grouper sticks. They’re built on 30-ton carbon blanks with AAA cork grips, zirconia guides and Fuji reel seats, with prices starting at $129.99.

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