Florida Fishing Products Reel Review [Osprey 3000 Analysis]
- By: Luke Simonds
- on
- Found In: Fishing Tips, Product Reviews, Saltwater Fishing Reels
I just tested a Florida Fishing Product spinning reel called the Osprey 3000 so that you can see how it compares to some of the most established spinning reels on the market.
Just like all reviews, I’ll cover the pros and cons and have zero financial interest on the line if you do or do not decide to get one.
My goal in the post is to simply show you the core decision points that I use when selecting a new reel along with the respective performance facts that I uncovered once I actually got this new reel called the “Osprey” from Florida Fishing Products.
Florida Fishing Products Reel Review
When choosing a new reel, the top features in my opinion are:
- Smoothness in retrieving line
- Weight of reel
- Drag capacity and performance
- Price
So these are 4 core sections that you’ll see in this product review of the Florida Fishing Products’ spinning reel called the Osprey 3000.
And to give some insight into how this new reel (Florida Fishing Products itself is under 1 year old) compares to others, I brought in the following two very popular spinning reels for some comparison analysis:
- Shimano Stradic Ci4
- Penn Battle II
Let’s get started…
Osprey 3000 Smoothness Review
Of all the factors, smoothness is the most difficult to review with hard facts.
Because it is next to impossible to measure the precise smoothness of a reel for comparison to others… the difference is most often hardly noticeable in most cases.
And this one fell in line with the others with a nice smooth feeling retrieve as you can watch at the 1:20 mark in the review video below.
With the 10 ball bearings that they placed in this reel, the impressive smoothness should last a long time.
Smoothness Conclusion: The Osprey 3000 is a smooth reel.
Osprey 3000 Weight Review
As an inshore angler who uses artificial lures 99% of the time, I do a lot of casting when out fishing. So the weight of a reel is very important to me because a few ounces of savings in a reel can actually mean a lot after a full day of slinging and retrieving lures.
In order to test out the weight, I first weighed the reel without line in it so that I could see how accurate their online specs are.
Here’s what I found:
- Osprey 3000 Weight = 10.1 oz
And this matches what they show for this reel’s specs online (10.0 oz… within error margin).
Weight Of Osprey 3000 vs. Other Reels
In general, a 10 oz reel is on the light side for 3000 reels that have high drag capacity (next section).
So I loaded up some line on it, and then compared it’s weight with line (10.4 oz) to the loaded Penn Battle II as well as Shimano’ Ci4 Stradic to get some direct comparisons:
- Penn Battle II logged in at 10.4 oz too (but that was just a 2500 series… their 3000 would be more
- Shimano Stradic Ci4 logged in at 7.3 oz
Weight Conclusion: The Osprey 3000 is a light reel given its strength, but there are some reel options like the Ci4 that are lighter.
Florida Fishing Products Drag Strength
As an inshore angler who most often using light line for maximizing casting distance, I don’t consider drag strength a huge factor since I technically only need just a few pounds of drag strength with the line I typically use based on the 20% to 30% of line strength drag guideline.
But having a reel with a large drag strength is a big advantage because it’ll enable the use of heavier line if targeting a larger species whenever needed.
And seeing the listed drag strength at a whopping 22 lbs made me very curious to see it that was legit.
So as soon as I loaded the line one, I tied it off to a scale and had my brother Joe hold onto it.
And the result shocked me… not only did it go up to the full 22 lbs, it may have even gone higher because the line (15 lb PowerPro braid) I was using broke before the drag gave way.
Drag Conclusion: This reel has a very impressive drag strength!
Osprey 3000 Price
Like everything, price matters.
So we of course can’t forget to consider prices along with the pros and cons of any product.
Here’s where the Osprey compares to the others in terms of price:
- Osprey 3000: $179.99
- Penn Battle II: $99.95
- Shimano Stradic Ci4: $229.99
Price Conclusion: The Osprey is priced closer to that of the Stradic vs. the Battle II.
Florida Fishing Products’ Osprey 3000 Video Review
Here’s a video that I made which shows their impressive packaging as well as how the reel performed in the review testing:
Overall Conclusion
The quality of the Osprey reel surpassed my personal expectations when I heard that it was made by a company that was so young.
It was great to see that Florida Fishing Products puts so much pride in their products as seen in the fact that they go the extra mile in packaging the reels in nice padded material.
And it’s compounded by the fact that they are very responsive to customer feedback in social media.
Although the price of the Osprey is higher than others like the Battle II, I found that its performance was much more impressive.
So it really all depends on personal preferences to determine which one is the top value.
To learn more about this reel and the new fishing reel company based in Tampa, FL, visit their website: http://floridafishingproducts.com.
If you have any questions about this spinning reel review, feel free to leave a comment below.
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Hey Luke any update? How does the reel perform?
I am not to happy with the 2500 I purchased, I am on my second reel because of the scraping or grinding noise in the reel when I start to retrieve a lure. It worked nice and smooth for the first 2 times out no noise now it makes a grinding sound tried to lube it but noise comes back. if you look on the handle it has the origin of the reel made in China.
Sorry to hear about your reel. Be sure to let them know about your issues because they stand behind their products.
BTW I just want to be clear, I am not trying to say that Florida Fishing Products is trying to lie about where these reels are made. They have been very open about the fact these reels are made overseas. I am merely trying to inform potential buyers of their options.
Check out this article by Alan Hawk. Good read….It appears these Osprey reels are similar in design/components to the one in the review, from what I can tell. Despite the impressive specs, which are truly impressive for a 3000 series reel, these reels may not be comprised of quality components. On the outside they look pretty badass. For the price point, I believe you could buy one of the reels mentioned in the review by AH and save some money and still get similar experience. Im not saying Osprey is overpriced, but I am saying you can get a similar made reel for less money that doesn’t have the gimmicky Florida appeal. If gimmicks are your thing….well then have at it.
http://www.alanhawk.com/reviews/cny65.html
PS would like to challenge Florida Fishing products to send some reels to Alan Hawk for a review. Not that Lukes review wasnt good, but a breakdown of the reel components usually reveals the true quality of a reel.
It appears as if the reels shown in this post are much larger than this Osprey from Florida Fishing Products, so I’ll be completely shocked if they are related in any way.
If you find a reel that matches the specs of this one but for a lower price, then please let me know and I’ll do a deep dive analysis similar to what Alan did when comparing the reels in the post you linked.
Tight Lines!
Any idea as to what the warranty is on the Osprey reel? I haven’t found a direct way to communicate with FFP.
Here’s the warranty info the from Florida Fishing Products website:
The Osprey is backed by our One Year Manufacturers Warranty. This warranty covers manufacturing defects. It does not cover and is not limited to damage of normal wear and tear, salt-water damage, and any other damage caused by lack of care or negligence.
Your article says “based in Tampa”. Where are they actually made? Maybe wishful thinking; but, I’d be all over a reel made in the USA.
Florida Fishing Products’ HQ is in Tampa, but the reels they sell are currently manufactured overseas.
Luke, thanks for the quick reply. I guess it’s too much to ask for a sub $200 reel to be made here. And thanks for a great product review!
Hopefully it’ll happen soon. When an affordable Made in the USA reel comes out, I’ll most certainly buy some quickly to test them out.
Thank you for your review. When I posted the pic on facebook asking for info on the reel, I never expected you to jump on it that quick. You guys really do an amazing job keeping anglers informed and up to date and in constant conversation. You have truly made the the fishing community closer, and made it feel like we are all family.
Tight lines my friends
Michael Clark
Thanks for making time to leave the nice comment Michael. It has been cool to see the great feedback from product reviews, so I’ll be sure to make new ones consistently. I have a lot of products that I personally want to review, but do not be shy to recommend products at any time because we’re always open to new ideas. Tight Lines!