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Abu Garcia Cardinal X 1000 review

A properly specified 1000 for light lure work, with an aluminium spool and crank.

The bottom line A properly specified 1000 with an aluminium spool and crank — the light-lure reel on this shelf, and it is specified like one.

What the maker puts in writing

  • Size: 1000 · Weight: 240 g
  • Drag: 4 kg · Gear ratio: 5,2:1
  • Bearings: 4
  • Capacity: 120 m of 0,20 mm
  • Retrieve: 72 cm per turn

Six figures at 25,99 €. Two reels on this shelf cost more and publish fewer.

Reading the size against a rod

A 1000 holds 120 m of 0,20 mm. That is a light-lure spool: a 3–14 g rod, a 5 g spinner, a small shad. Put 0,30 mm on it and the capacity collapses, which is why the pairing is published rather than the size alone.

Where it can be bought

France 24,99 €, Germany 25,99 €, Britain 29,39 €, United States 55,34 €. The Italian and Spanish stores returned no price.

Availability

Read on the day this page was built: 25 € to 26 € at the German and French Amazon shops.

Priced in another currency: the American and British Amazon shops sell it outside the euro, so the range above excludes it.

Catalogued and unsold: the Italian and Spanish Amazon shops list the reference with nobody behind it.

Read from Keepa on the day this page was last revised; stock and price both move without notice.

Any price inside this text was read on 29 September 2026; the live one sits at the top of the page.

What sets this model apart

Compared with the median of its own aisle on this site — not with the market at large.

  • Size1000-75 % vs the aisle median
  • Line capacity120 m of 0,20 mm-33 % vs the aisle median

The declared figures, and the point they run out

Strengths

  • Publishes six figures on a reel at 25,99 €, which is unusual at that price
  • An aluminium spool and crank rather than plastic
  • A size 1000 that states its capacity, so it can be matched to a light rod properly

Compromises

  • 4 kg of drag is the lowest on this shelf, which suits the size and limits the use
  • 120 m of 0,20 mm is a small spool — fill it with anything thicker and it holds much less
  • Priced in four stores and absent from two, with the American price at 55,34 €

Specifications

Size1000
Weight240 g
Drag4 kg
Gear ratio5,2:1
Bearings4
Line capacity120 m of 0,20 mm
Retrieve per turn72 cm
Spool and crankAluminium spool, sturdy aluminium crank
Amazon referenceDE B09DGPVG3F · US B09DGPVG3F · GB B09DGPVG3F · FR B09DGPVG3F · IT B00D4B0M2S · ES B00D4B0M2S
EAN0036282081666

Questions that come in about this one

What rod suits a 1000?

A light lure rod: the 2–7 g and 3–14 g rods on the spinning shelf. On a 20–60 g rod it is out of balance and its 120 m of 0,20 mm is not enough line.

Is 4 kg of drag enough?

For trout and perch on a light rod, yes — a drag heavier than the line is pointless. On this shelf the 4000-size reels publish 8 and 12 kg, which is the size difference showing in a figure.

Does an aluminium spool matter?

It resists the deformation a braid under load causes in a plastic spool, and it is unusual at this price. The listing names both spool and crank as aluminium.

Who this one is for

Light lure rods at 2–14 g, on a trout stream or for perch

Guides that feature it

Price and availability

A reference exists on these Amazon stores: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, United States. Listed is not the same as in stock — availability changes daily.

Details checked on September 29, 2026.

Sources

Specifications: manufacturer sheet and Amazon product page. Prices and availability: Keepa. No product on this site has been physically tested.

How we assess products