Abel SDX Review - Big Game Saltwater Fly Reel Review of the SDX 9/11 and 12/14wt - Sealed Drag for Big Game Performance
Abel SDX Reels
I am very familiar with Abel saltwater reels, having sold the related Abel SDS for many years now. This is in essence a scaled-up version of that reel, with some tweaks and improvements to beef it up for bigger game. That is normal for most fly reels that are available in larger sizes (Hatch, Shilton, etc) they all scale up the design. This new SDX actually is somewhat different from the SDS to handle even higher stress and more powerful fish, but the concept is certainly familiar as are the colors and finishes since those are the same as on other Abel reels.
SDS means "Sealed Drag Saltwater" Reels. SDX is the new "Sealed Drag EXTREME"
Two sizes: 9/11 and 12/14+ are it for the lineup of the SDX. Presumably the main target of the 9/11 would be Roosterfish or smaller Trevally, and of course the 12-14+ is mainly for offshore/pelagic species like Mahi and Striped Marlin. It could be used for Giant Trevally of course but there is already the 11/12 SDS and plenty of other reels from other brands up to the 12wt size. Beyond that 11/12 size, there are really not that many options actually.
Sealed drag, big game fly reels exceeding 12wt are not that common. They are also usually pretty heavy. The Tibor Pacific and Shilton SL14 are not sealed, they are classic cork drag reels (they both still work fine but I'm listing sealed drag competitors here). So there are really very few other sealed reels for big game even technically competing with the SDX. I am very familiar with most of them, particularly the Hatch Iconic 11+ Mid Arbor, which is the deeper spool version. I don't sell Mako but some of you may be familiar with those reels (according to the specs, heavier and more expensive than this new SDX but they are certainly well-made). Orvis recently discontinued their current deep-spool big game reels (the Mirage). We'll have to wait and see if anything else replaces it in their lineup. The Hardy Fortuna Regent maxes out at a 12wt as far as I know, so it would compete with the smaller of these two SDX reel models but not the larger one. Nautilus has their GTX reel which, it should be noted, was really the first company to do a proper lightweight sealed drag reel larger than 12wt. It's very close to these new reels in price (and name - SDX/GTX...) but in fairness to Abel they already used this naming scheme for many years anyway with SDF and SDS reels. That's pretty much it for high-end, big game fly reels. If I missed something let me know.
This new Abel SDX does not suffer from being too heavy, fortunately. The only real criticism is that they are maybe on the expensive side but to be fair, their target customers will not be overly concerned about price tag. This new reel series comes in just above Hatch Iconic reels in price, and well below Mako. Nautilus at around $1,300 base for the GTX is right there with this one.
Abel is well-known for making some of the most beautiful reels. I think it's fair to say the most beautiful color options and finishes. Only a few reel companies have comparable fit and finish such as Hatch. And that's really the key to Abel's success, the SDS and all other Abel reels are so nice to look at and to use. Nobody "needs" to buy an Abel reel but everyone wants one.
There are new "standard" finish options for 2026 (thank you, Abel) so you don't have to pay extra to get a silver reel anymore. I have wished for this for many years as I prefer silver as a base color option for my setups. Also joining the standard colors this year are Deep Blue and Deep Green! Deep Blue is one of my favorites of course. We usually keep them in stock since they go so well with Thomas & Thomas rods.
There are companies that build a product to hit a certain price point and there are those that build to make something as nice as possible and then figure out what it needs to cost. And Abel is the latter. I am not going easy on them, there are plenty of other reels that will do the job equally well, but the key question is: Will you look as cool?
In many years of selling Abel reels, I have always had excellent experiences with their team in Colorado, they are extremely helpful and friendly to me (and I hear the same from my customers who have interacted with them for repairs and so on).
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*All tech specs and photos via Abel / Mayfly Outdoors
