# Zebco 33 - Not what they used to be?



## duckbill

I'm getting my kids into fishing and the silly SpiderMan & Barbie Rod n Reels are just junk.  I grew up on Zebco 202's, 404's, 808's, and the holy grail - 33.  I remember the 33's being really good spincasters.  I used them for catfishing well into my adult years.
Sadly, I've heard the post 1999 versions of the Zebco 33 just aren't what they used to be.  I guess that is when they became china's finest.
I noticed that Ebay still has some of the older ones available, so I might pick up a couple.

I'd like to hear from some of you folks that may have used the modern version.

Also, if anybody has some old 33's they'd like to part with, shoot me a PM.  I'd rather buy them from the good folks on Woody's than Fleabay.


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## Arrow3

Hard to beat the old 33's


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## Sultan of Slime

The old 33's with the all metal housings and dual pick ups are the good ones.Also they had star drags and big double handles.The zebco 1's are good too,just a bigger spool but they stopped them in 1993.


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## Bob Shaw

I've given up on them. They cast well at first and then tear-up on you. My latest "Classic 33" pushes the bearing out of the spool, and then won't release the line. I think it was the "Anniversary Edition". Now I'm looking for a good substitute with out spending a bunch of money.


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## Mako22

The Zebco 33 has always been a poor reel you just never noticed when you were 10 years old. That said I bought 4 33's for my kids about 5 years ago and they still work fine, I myself use them for Bream and Specs.


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## duckbill

carters93 said:


> The Zebco 33 has always been a poor reel you just never noticed when you were 10 years old. That said I bought 4 33's for my kids about 5 years ago and they still work fine, I myself use them for Bream and Specs.



Well, we are speaking in "relative" terms.  It's for the kids and compared to other spincasting reels, the 33's were just better.


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## outdoorsman52

newer 33s are junk still using my old ones thre at least 35 years old  still work great and i do use them on a reagular basis


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## stasher1

The 33 Platinum is much nicer than the "standard" 33, but at $25 it's also roughly twice the price of the "standard" 33.


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## whitetailgitr

i believe i have 3 or 4 sitting around here somewhere i can cast almost anything on a baitcaster now but back in the good ole days when i night fished the docklights on sinclair i threw a white howfly on the old 33s and caught numerous 4 and 5s on em and drag still works fine and reels in like new


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## packrat

*33*

Go With The 733 Platinums, Well Worth The Price Difference.


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## mesocollins

Go with a rhino. It sounds cheesy, but I've heard that they work a little better than the newer 33's which are terrible. I know someone who got a platinum and it broke well within the first year.


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## SouthPaw Draw

Bought a 33 at Walmart the other day, the one with the plastic housing. What a piece of junk. Malfunctioned after about three hours of use.


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## moore0661

The regular 33's are junk.  If you want a good reel get the ZO3 Omega.  It cost about $55 but it reel's like a baitcaster.  I've had both the ZO2 and ZO3 for a year now and love them.


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## Cletus T.

Well...I just bought my 5-yr old son the "Platitum" 33 about a month ago and it has been holding up pretty good.....he's caught a good many bass on it and no problems yet.....I guess time will tell!!!


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## sboat

I bass fished withh 33's in the 1970's, they were OK. I bought some for my kids to bream fish with & not one of them lasted past the 1st spring. Forget about them.


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## diamondback

grew up fishing with the old 33s when I was young up until around 1980.When the started putting plastic gears in em the went down pretty fast after that.The old ones would last years without a problem and I was pretty rough on em.The last few I bought my kids wouldnt last through the summer.I never did like the 404s but the older 808s were ok for catfishing.


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## Corey

Hit your local Pawn Shops and find you some old ones. Rest are junk. 

Corey


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## smackthatforhead

Zebco's are about all that Dad and I use for bream and catfish. They have definitely gone down hill when it comes to durability, and the more plastic the particular model has, the faster it breaks. I bet we go through at least 2 per year, but for the money it seems to work out. Not to mention I just can't zing a true baitcaster nor spinning reel under those tree limbs. I'm sure some of you pros can, but not this weekend warrior.

2 years ago I tried to buy a "Fancier" reel from BPS which was about $40 just for the reel. I think its called a Pro-Caster but not sure of the exact manufacturer. Man has it been the most frustrating hunk of junk. It will cast a mile for the first 20 casts after replacing the line, then after that it seizes up and won't cast more than 5 feet before sticking. Seems like it just doesn't re-spool the line properly. Or something, who knows? But definitely not worth the money.  

I think I'll add the 733 Platinum, Z02/Z03 to my wish list....
Any other spincasters that folks recommend?


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## hevishot

the newer ones are absolute JUNK....Imo


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## XDATLANTA

Teach your kids to use a real spinning real/rod.  My Dad taught me at a very young age and I have never used anything else.  You can use one for every type of fishing.


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## SnowHunter

XDATLANTA said:


> Teach your kids to use a real spinning real/rod.  My Dad taught me at a very young age and I have never used anything else.  You can use one for every type of fishing.



oh yeah, that what we were raised on, good spinners!! Although I got one a few months ago n went to use it, only to find I'd lost all coordination with one


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## redneckcamo

*33s*

caught many a fish on an older 33 ..!!! an on older open face reels .... most cheaper new stuff ya buy is junk an aint worth the plastic its made from ......the old 33s were good ole reels an kept clean an oiled up were like an energize bunny ..... althogh i have been known too dunk em fer lubrication as well


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## stasher1

mesocollins said:


> Go with a rhino. It sounds cheesy, but I've heard that they work a little better than the newer 33's which are terrible. I know someone who got a platinum and it broke well within the first year.



I had trouble with my 33 Plat., but a quick email to Zebco and I had repair parts in less than a week. Whan I took it apart to repair it I discovered a spring had slipped off its post so I put it back on and stuck the repair parts in the tool box. They may come in handy some day, I suppose.




moore0661 said:


> The regular 33's are junk.  If you want a good reel get the ZO3 Omega.  It cost about $55 but it reel's like a baitcaster.  I've had both the ZO2 and ZO3 for a year now and love them.



While I was waiting on the repair parts for my 33 Plat., I picked up a Omega Z03. That's probably the nicest spincast reel available. It's smoother than some of the baitcast reels I've owned.


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## TROY13

I learned to fish with the ole Mitchell 300 spinning reel. That was a real reel in the day.


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## Doc_Holliday23

The Rhino is a pretty good spincast from what I remember.  havent actually used a spincast in 10 years, though.


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## Workin2Hunt

TROY13 said:


> I learned to fish with the ole Mitchell 300 spinning reel. That was a real reel in the day.



I still have my Mitchell 300A.

Also in response to the Zebco 33, I don't really care for the new ones, they feel real bulky. I guess I will have to go the same route. I was looking to get one for my son but the new ones are not it. I am going to try to find a couple on ebay as well.


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## AU Bassman

Bought a brand new 33 and it lasted 1 trip. What junk! If you are lucky you can find the old ones at yard sales ect. Take the cover and old line off and boil the reel in water, let dry  regrease and respool. The older models are virtually indestructable. I have a few that were made in the late 70's and they work perfectly with a little care and maintenance. Zebco should be ashamed!


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## thunderfoot

TROY13 said:


> I learned to fish with the ole Mitchell 300 spinning reel. That was a real reel in the day.



Yep I agree I had to save for two summers to get my first mitchell 300 back in 1974 I believe it was. I still have it and another one. Both still work well, but I don't  use them much anymore. That reel and a pair of Converse All-Star shoes was all I dreamed about back then. $12.95 for the reel and $10.00 for the shoes.


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## Lostoutlaw

I have Three Rhino's and they are the Best I have ever used and I have used a ton o Zeb's

But now I use my baitcaster's more n anything else...


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## jmb27

XDATLANTA said:


> Teach your kids to use a real spinning real/rod.  My Dad taught me at a very young age and I have never used anything else.  You can use one for every type of fishing.



Another vote for this approach.  Sure, it will cost more $ initially, but will save you a lot more in the long run.  Not too mention, that you and your kids will spend more time fishing and less trying to get crappy stuff to work.

If you pay $20 for a Zebco 33 combo for the kids and it is done after a few trips, you have to pay $20 again and again.  Isn't it worth it to spend a little more initially and save lot more later?


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