Having fished reels with these brakes for so long, there's really nothing out of the ordinary to report in this section other than the reels behaved as expected. The IVCB-6 was touchy if I didn't pay attention and use a smooth casting motion while the Infini Brake System was very reliable. Note, I fish the later relying mostly upon the centrifugal brakes, but many big bait aficionados like having the additional support of magnetic brakes during the cast to help smooth things out after the initial cast (where centrifugal brakes have most effect).

Brakes on the 300 and 400 are Abu's Infini Brake System

The Infini Brake System is a hybrid magnet and centrifugal system

Retrieve: This is where things got interesting for me. I was really dreading fishing those large, pop pom-like knobs thinking why couldn't Abu use smaller knobs on the 200 size and save the oversized knobs for the equally oversized 300 and 400 reels? Nevertheless, the oversized 400 reel is actually the first out of the family I took out for a spin. An opportunity arose for Zander and I to fish a canal fed from San Francisco Bay frequented by bat rays and leopard sharks. This was a perfect opportunity to test the new BEAST against fish that would probably literally eat a black bass.

Knobs on the 400 (left) are larger than that of the 200 and 300 (right)

Either way, these oversized knobs are surprisingly comfortable to fish, maybe there is something to these giant knobs when ergonomically done right

What I found with the oversized knob design was, in actual fishing conditions, these grips actually make a lot of sense and are far more comfortable than I had assumed. The bulb portion of these knobs nestle comfortably in your palm while your fingers wrap around and grasp the narrow section that extends into the handle.

These aren't meant to be held between your fingertips but rather, grasped by your entire hand giving you a better, for lack of a better term, handle. I was easily won over the first time I spun the handle to retrieve my line. Maybe there is something to these oversized knobs that Zander is fond of.

There is a trend for larger round knobs coming stock on reels like the Bates Goat SWM. This is especially so on reels geared towards big bait applications

Zander loves changing out his handles and knobs on swimbait setups for more leverage and to suit his ergonomic preferences. Here is a Antares Monster Drive with a DRT Varial handle outfitted with WCZ flat knobs

It seems no knob is too big, as seen on Zander's DRT x Bass Espionage EVA Kill Knobs

The giants knobs don't look that big at all next to Zander's Illude Rad Rat Triple Double XL

Anglers who plan on using these reels for more intentional, vertical jigging applications will be happy to know Abu Garcia has not abandoned the single knob jigging handle. The single knob handles are available as after market upgrades for $39.99. There's one for the 400 (PJHA-B400) and another for the 200 and 300 (PJHA-B200/300).

Slinging an Illude Baby Gerbil with the BEAST 200

Abu Garcia has upsized the gears in their new BEAST reels

Power: Connected to those surprisingly comfortable knobs, and handle, nestled within the BEAST's frame is an upsized brass gear designed to give these reels better power and longevity over previous models. The 400's main gear, specifically, is listed as 21% larger than the previous, comparable model (Toro Beast 60).

The reel's drag clicker is firmly housed within the main gear

Technical specs and marketing promises aside, I can comfortably say the BEAST 400 had little difficulty helping me wrestle what we estimated to be a thirty pound bat ray. These fish pull hard and are unrelenting, but the BEAST 400 didn't flinch. From my early angling days on the piers of San Francisco, I have memories of the long battles with these fish's ancestors. I was actually quite surprised and pleased at the same time, how quickly I was able to wrangle in my catch with the BEAST 400's help.

The 200's drag stack looks familiar

Turning things around, I fished the BEAST 300 slinging one of my precious Gan Craft Jointed Claw 230 Magnums targeting striper on the California Delta with Zander one lazy morning when I was jolted awake by that familiar ferocious strike of a maniacal lineside. For those who have not had the pleasure, think spotted bass on Captain America super serum. Unlike bat rays that have a slow, methodical, unrelenting pull, striper surge backward, forward, side to side like a trapped animal, only with the power to break something in your delicate chain of tackle. To be honest, this situation felt like even a greater test, but the 300 held fast helping me control that crazy fish to the boat for its obligatory photo op.

However, the drag stack within the 300 and 400 is almost like a cartridge

The drag housing clicks into the main gear via the tabs on its underside

Drag: Abu Garcia has fine tuned their impressive Power Stack Carbon Matrix drag system in the BEAST LP reels. The drag stack now inserts into the main gear like almost like cartridge (300 & 400). Instead of keying the metal washers, the new system in these BEAST reels features carbon washers that are keyed into a main gear insert. At the bottom of the entire stack is a new clicker system for audible drag. The entire assembly is so intricate, it's almost like having a complicated mechanical timepiece movement inside your reel.

Nestled within that housing his the latest Power Stack Carbon Matrix assembly

The result is a smooth, powerful counter to the pull proper game fish can provide. Additionally, in the 400 reel specifically, Abu has engineered a drag reduction system that enables more sure adjustment during battle to reduce drag pressure when you're close to landing a fish helping you mitigate against last minute lunges at the boat.

Rated at up to 31lbs in pressure, the 400's drag performed well during this battle

The reward? a 33lb bat ray

The greatest challenge drag-wise, provided to my collection of BEAST reels during these tests was with the 400 against that bat ray. However, I did not have the drag set to the point where backing off close to landing would have helped. Instead, I had it set intentionally light to begin with favoring the method of tiring out the fish with a slow, steady resistance, and stopping the spool with my thumb when I felt it appropriate to really pull back. The fight with that maniacal striper was so frantic, I don't recall much beyond the fact Zander and I were jumping around the boat trying to get an angle with the net to land the fish between runs.

Anglers should have little issue with the 200's size

Next: BEAST Design, Ergonomics and Ratings