DLST Fooler and Abu Revo S - Long term review

I've owned the Fooler for about 2 years and the Revo S for around 3 years, this combination has become the setup I now use for the majority of my lure fishing.

Details

Rod

Brand: Dave Lumb Specialist Tackle (DLST)
Model: Fooler
Length: 6' 6" (one piece)
Casting range: 1-2.5oz / 28-70g
Price at time of purchase: £120

Reel

Brand: Abu Garcia
Model: Revo S
Weight: 380g
No of Bearings: 9
Ratio: 6.4:1
Capacity: approx 150 yards of 65lb braid.
Price at time of purchase: $99 (approx £60)

Initial impressions

Rod

I received the Fooler as a birthday present from my girlfriend, previous to this I was using a DLST Sledgehammer 2 for the majority of my lure fishing. Although I was more than happy with the Sledgehammer rod it is designed for quiet large lures (up to 5oz/140g) and the majority of my lure fishing is with more medium lures, shads etc... After a bit of online research I decided that the Fooler was the rod I needed. As I already owned a DLST rod I knew what to expect, a rod made of very high quality components and hand built to very high standards, I wasn't disappointed. A nice touch is having the rod customised/personalised with my name on the blank.

Reel

I ordered this reel from the States as it was around £35 cheaper than the UK retail price. This was the first modern style multiplier I had used/bought. My initial impressions of the reel were very good, the reel appears to be made from good quality parts and seems to be good value for money.

Thoughts during use

I initially bought the Revo S to be used with my DLST Sledgehammer 2 lure rod. The reel was used on this rod with large lures ( 10" Replicants, Bulldogs etc...) with no problems at all, since getting the Fooler the reel has been permanently attached. I have been impressed with both rod and reel during use, I have had no issues with either so far... I have used this outfit for most types of lure fishing upto around the 100g mark, the rod handles this with ease and I would feel confident in going beyond this if needed.

Verdict

Overall I am very happy with this setup, I have been using it with 65lb braid and it feels well balanced. Although I haven't caught anything to push the setup to its limit I have had mid doubles on it and it has handled these with ease. Currently this is my go to lure outfit and I would recommend either item.