The Revo Winch delivered the smoothest feeling retrieve

Coming in a close second in smoothness is the Shimano Curado E5. The Curado E5 feels powerful during retrieves even though it doesn't have the lowest gear ratio. We really noticed how powerful the Curado E5 was when fishing deep diving crankbaits like the Norman DD22. It is possible to crank aggressively for much longer periods without fatigue, and though small in form-factor the Curado E5 still finds room to accommodate the polished HEG gearing design.

Though it has the lowest bearing count the Curado E5 was surprisingly smooth, the HEG gearing packs plenty of fish fighting power into a very small package

On the other end of the spectrum the Daiwa Zillion Crazy Cranker is by far the most refined feeling and gives you the feeling that the gears mesh together perfectly and each turn of the handle is instantly translated into picking up line, and with even large lipped lures in tow the reel never felt like it was straining.

The Crazy Cranker felt like a traditional Daiwa reel, refined and very connected

The Quantum Energy PT is relatively smooth but exhibits a good amount of backplay in the handle and this is a bit distracting at times. While not an issue during constant retrieves, stop and go cranking results in knocking between the axle and the gearing. The fight cranks on and the Revo Winch continues to put the hurt on the competition in this round. It looks like that big bearing count is paying dividends, and when it comes to smooth retrieve and plenty of power to back it up the Winch delivers a powerful one two combination.

The Abu Garcia Winch and Shimano Curado E5 tied in this category