Zebco 33's

[chrispbrown27]

I grew up using nothing but Zebco 33's. In fact, some of the 33's we used were probably built in the 60's. Last year for Father's day I got a new 33 combo and that reel feels like crap! It's no where near as smooth or heavy duty as they were just 10-20 years ago....what happened?!? Now, I ask that but sadly I know the answer....cheaper parts to make more profit, probably assembled in China by people that barely know what they are used for, and a lack of pride in what they, the assemblers, do for a living. In the past 10-15 years the quality of products coming from companies like Remington, Zebco, Federal, Winchester, Carhart, and many others that I used when I was much younger have just gone into the crapper. Many times the things I used when I was younger were hand-me-downs from Uncles and Grandparents that had been around for 20 plus years and they were still rock solid and some I still use today. My new Zebco 33....I wonder if it will last more than a couple of years as it is. When will these companies realize that people want quality products that they can count on for years to come? I love the great outdoors. Hunting and fishing, to me, are more then just hobbies. They are a family tradition and a passion that I am passing on to the next generation. In the past, people could pass along their equipment along with the knowledge they have gained from using it over the years. With the junk these once great companies are producing I wonder how much use the next generation will get out of the equipment I pass along to them.
Sorry for the rant. I don't expect much out of most of the cheap Chinese junk you buy at wal-mart, but Remington and Zebco are two companies I thought I could always count on for quality and dependability.
Chris

[Lonestar Proud]

You are correct, the new Zebco 33's are junk. You mentioned that you wondered if the new one will last more than a couple of years...no need to wonder, it won't last anywhere near that long if used much.

The Zebco Omega reels are good quality, but you pay for it. I brought three of the Omega Z03 reels for my wife and two daughters three years ago to use while slabbing for white bass, haven't had any issues at all with them and they have boated literally hundreds of whites with them.

[geojag]

The new zebco reels are pretty rough and mostly plastic. That said, they will work to catch fish, and they are better than nothing. I am lucky to have collected several zebco classics, I have a 202, 404, and 33 that all have the metal reel seats and metal gears. The 33 and 404 have bait clickers on them. They are probably 60's or 70's vintage. I haven't used them in years, but when I have kids, those reels will be there for them to start on.

[Locator79]

Can't think of anything made like it used to be. They are just keeping up with the times.

[Fatman]

Yeah the new 33's suck!!!!!!!! Having looked at one for a buddy who bought it the angle of the inside of the top cap and the spindle cap inside appear to be angled differently from the old ones. I too have 202, 404, 606, 33's, a 1 classic which I love!!!! I also have an original Johnson Century reel like the one Virgil Ward used - It was the first reel I ever bought myself - and Mr. Billy who owned the Western Auto Store held it for 3 weeks till I earned the last $3 dollars.

I still own that reel - and it works as good as the day I bought it. !!!!!!!!!!!!

[wademaster]

I agree, the new 33's aren't worth the plastic they're wrapped in. The older ones were bulletproof. I bought 2 different combos when I was helping my girlfriend get into fishing, both were nonfunctional after a few uses, POJ.

[deathb4disco]

I also have an original Johnson Century reel like the one Virgil Ward used - It was the first reel I ever bought myself - and Mr. Billy who owned the Western Auto Store held it for 3 weeks till I earned the last $3 dollars.

I still own that reel - and it works as good as the day I bought it. !!!!!!!!!!!!

I have four myself. They were built like tanks and are better than almost any spincast reel on the market today.

[SlabPappi]

A Couple Of Years Ago I Bought 5 - 33's For My Daughter In Law And Wife And Sister To Use When I Took Them To Canada. They Dont Fish And I Thought The 33's Would Be Perfect For Them. None Of Those Reels Lasted The Whole Trip oF 4 Days. Junk Is A Kind Description IMHO

[Lonestar Proud]

Yes the old 33's are bulletproof, my dad has 4 or 5 of them, 1960's and very early 70's models, and he still uses them to this day for catfish, bluegill, and crappie with no problems on any of them.

Back in the winter of 1972 (12 years old) my dad and I were slipping through some river bottom timber to an old backwater slough to jump some mallards. On the way out, I noticed the end of a fishin pole sticking out of a pile of driftwood, I pulled it out and there was a Zebco 33 on it. The rod wasn't any good, rats and mice had ate the cork handle away, the reel was full of silt, but when we got it home dad tore that old 33 apart and cleaned it all up, all parts worked fine after he cleaned it up, and this is one of the reels he uses for drappie fishin today, 40 years later!

My dad came down from Kansas to crappie fish with me in March of 2011, while we were out in the boat I asked if he still had that old 33, he held it up and said "you're taking about this one right here!".
It's funny the things you remember when you were a kid, but I can still see the end of that old fishin pole poking out of that driftwood pile and me laying down my Remington 870 and a handful of fat mallard drakes and digging that fishin pole out of that pile. The really cool thing about it was that dad remembered it too!!

[mervin]

I just picked up two of the old model 33's mounted on 6 ft pistol grip rods. I found them in an estate sale...five bucks each combo. They will need some serious cleaning but they will be perfect for my up and coming 4 year old daughter fisherman to be. She already loves to go out on the boat.