Product Review: Sabiki 500...Friendships Aside

[Deamon]

I had been eagerly awaiting the day to use my custom made Sabiki 500 manufactured by Park Enterprises, Inc. I'd heard about it for two years..."whoa...ha ha ha...man this thing works!". Roby, Greg, Jorge...they all had one and seemed to be killing it week after week after week. Even StinkyMatt's been successfully using a Sabiki 500 in Vermont for Perch. But not me...It's always..."Hey Jim, how are you doing on making bait, We're killing it over here!", blah, blah, blah.

The clouds parted...the sun appeared...and out of the blue I'm gifted my very own Sabiki 500! I felt very fortunate to have the originator (Tony Park) hand make a rig for me with custom packaging! I see there are several shrimp like creatures with very sharp hooks attached along with the required glow beads. Looking very fishy. So I waited two months for the perfect time to try it. When conditions and bait making were at their hardest.

I proceed to remove the pink shrimp rig from its custom packaging. Being very careful...BAM, felt like it was spring loaded...instant tangled mess. Just not as user friendly as a Hayabasu package, no biggie though. Strangely, I notice the hooks are tied in random spacing..., okay whatever...And the rig is very...I mean very long. Hmmm...this was created by a kayak guy? Okay, get over it.

On the first drop, I'm instant bendo...a double on the Spanish...NICE! I then make another, yes! Greenies, oh yeah!!! Snag some kelp, rip it out, cool, no problem. Immediately after, I begin to notice I'm whiffing on a few bites...Missed on a few more...hmmm...What the? Reel in my Sabiki 500 and I find two hooks are bent. Say what? Okay no problem, bend them back because this thing's MONEY!

On the next drop down...kelp...rip...BOINK. Huh? Oh no it didn't...oh yes it did. Rig down to two hooks.

Review Ratings:
Product Appearance: A
Product Effectiveness: A+
Packaging: D
Quality of Line: F
Quality of Hooks: D-
Durability: F
Price- N/A
Overall rating: D

In summary, I think this product could be a game changer. But the materials and manufacturing should move from its Korean origination. Proven engineers can suggest upgrades to the quality of materials while protecting the price point...I suggest everyone hold on purchasing this product until the Sabiki 500 is labeled...Made in Japan. Jim