Combos
Zebco 33 combo against the Ugly Stik GX2 combo: same money, different ceiling
These are the two outfits on every beginner list, and they cost almost exactly the same. One of them you will replace in a year.
By Sawyer V. · Last updated · How we pick
The short answer
The Zebco publishes 5 ft 6 in, 6–12 lb, a 3.6:1 reel at 20 in per turn and one bearing. The Ugly Stik publishes 6 ft 6 in, 6–15 lb, a 5.2:1 reel with three bearings and 12 lb of drag. Buy the Zebco if nobody in the house can cast yet. Buy the Ugly Stik if you intend to keep fishing.
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Quick picks
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Best combo to keep Ugly Stik GX2 Spinning Combo (6'6" Medium / size 35) 6 ft 6 in medium, published 6-15 lb and 1/8-5/8 oz, size 35 reel at 5.2:1 with 12 lb of drag. | An adult beginner who expects to still be fishing next season | $79.95 · Check price on Amazon #ad how this is funded · price as of October 12, 2026 |
| 2 |  Best combo to learn on Zebco 33 Classic Spincast Rod and Reel Combo (5 ft 6 in) 5 ft 6 in medium light, published 6-12 lb and 1/8-1/2 oz, 3.6:1 spincast at 20 in per turn. | Children, complete beginners, and a spare rod that lives in the truck | $74.99 · Check price on Amazon #ad how this is funded · price as of October 12, 2026 |
The published figures
| Figure | Zebco 33 Classic combo | Ugly Stik GX2 combo |
|---|---|---|
| Rod length | 5 ft 6 in, 2-piece | 6 ft 6 in |
| Power | Medium Light | Medium |
| Line rating | 6-12 lb | 6-15 lb |
| Lure rating | 1/8-1/2 oz | 1/8-5/8 oz |
| Reel type | Spincast, closed face | Spinning, size 35 |
| Gear ratio | 3.6:1 | 5.2:1 |
| Retrieve per turn | 20 in | Not published |
| Max drag | Not published | 12 lb |
| Bearings | 1 | 3 ball + anti-reverse |
| Rod material | Fiberglass, 4 + tip guides | Ugly Tech composite |
The Ugly Stik wins seven of those rows. It also costs a few dollars more, which makes the real question not “which is better” but “is the learning curve worth it”.
The one question that decides this
Can the person using it already cast a spinning reel?
If yes, buy the Ugly Stik. It is better on almost every published figure, the price difference is small, and there is no reason to accept a slower reel and a shorter rod.
If no, and they are a child or someone who will be frustrated by a wind knot on their third cast, buy the Zebco. A rod that gets used beats a rod that is better on paper, and our kids combos page is built entirely around that principle.
Everything below is detail on that one decision.
Why 20 inches per turn matters more than it sounds
The Zebco publishes 20 in per turn. A typical size 2500 spinning reel publishes 25 to 27 in.
Say you cast 70 ft, which is 840 in. At 20 in per turn that is 42 turns of the handle to get the lure back. At 27 in it is 31. Over a hundred casts in an afternoon that is roughly eleven hundred extra turns of a handle.
For an adult that is a mild annoyance. For a nine-year-old it is the reason they put the rod down and go and throw stones instead, and it is the single most useful thing to understand about slow reels. Our gear ratio page works through the same arithmetic in more detail.
The published drag figure, and why only one of them has it
Ugly Stik publishes 12 lb of maximum drag on the GX2 combo’s size 35 reel. Zebco publishes no figure for the 33.
For bluegill and small bass this is academic — nothing you catch will test either. It becomes real the first time something unexpected takes the bait, which on most public water means a carp or a channel catfish, and at that point the difference between a reel with a known ceiling and one without is the difference between a plan and a hope.
Our drag page covers setting it against a scale, which is only possible on a reel that states a number.
What you actually outgrow
The honest case against the Zebco is not that it is bad. It is that the ceiling is low and you reach it quickly.
The limits arrive in a predictable order: casting distance with light lures, then retrieve speed, then the inability to fish braid properly, then drag when a real fish runs. Most people meet the first two inside a season.
The Ugly Stik combo has a higher ceiling but it is not the last outfit you will buy either. Our upgrade page argues which half to replace first when you get there, and the answer surprises people.
The third option nobody mentions
If the reason you are looking at a spincast combo is that a child will be using it, consider the 5 ft light GX2 combo instead: published 4–10 lb, 1/8–1/2 oz and 8 lb of drag on a size 25 reel.
It is short and light enough for small hands, it is a spinning reel so nothing is outgrown, and the drag is published. The trade is that it still has a bail to flip, so the learning curve is the spinning one.
So what do I actually buy?
Decide on the caster, not the specification. A spinning combo is better on almost every published figure and worse in the hands of someone who cannot yet use one.
Ugly Stik GX2 Spinning Combo (6'6" Medium / size 35)
$79.956 ft 6 in medium, 12 lb published drag, 6-15 lb line. The one you keep.
#ad how this is funded · price as of October 12, 2026
Zebco 33 Classic Spincast Rod and Reel Combo (5 ft 6 in)
$74.99Closed face, nothing to tangle, 20 in per turn. The one that gets used on day one.
#ad how this is funded · price as of October 12, 2026
Ugly Stik GX2 Spinning Combo (5' Light / size 25)
$79.955 ft light with 8 lb of drag. A spinning middle ground for smaller hands.
#ad how this is funded · price as of October 12, 2026
The picks, in full
Every card below lists the specs we could read off a published page, the URL they came from, and one honest reason you might not want it.
1. Best combo to keep
Ugly Stik GX2 Spinning Combo (6'6" Medium / size 35)
Ugly Stik
6 ft 6 in medium, published 6-15 lb and 1/8-5/8 oz, size 35 reel at 5.2:1 with 12 lb of drag.
12 lb of published maximum drag is the specification that separates these two outfits more than any other. It is a number you can plan around, and it is enough to handle a carp, a channel catfish or a decent pike without the reel being the weak point.
6 ft 6 in against 5 ft 6 in is a foot of rod, and a foot of rod is real casting distance. Our rod length page makes the case that length is chosen by where you stand, and from a bank you want the longer one.
The published lure rating runs to 5/8 oz against the Zebco’s 1/2 oz, and the line rating to 15 lb against 12. Neither gap is dramatic on its own; together they mean this outfit copes with a wider range of fishing.
Three ball bearings plus instant anti-reverse is modest, and it is three times what the Zebco publishes. Instant anti-reverse in particular is what makes a hookset immediate rather than mushy.
The drawback
An open-face spinning reel is genuinely harder to learn. The bail has to be flipped by hand, the line has to be trapped under a finger, and getting that sequence wrong produces a wind knot that takes ten minutes to pick out. For a child or an adult who has never cast, that is a real barrier, and three bearings is a low count that you will feel as roughness on light line.
Published specs
- Model
- USGXSP662M/35CBO
- Rod length
- 6 ft 6 in
- Power
- Medium
- Line rating
- 6-15 lb
- Lure rating
- 1/8-5/8 oz
- Reel size
- 35
- Gear ratio
- 5.2:1
- Max drag
- 12 lb
- Bearings
- 3 ball + instant anti-reverse
Specs read from Ugly Stik GX2 Spinning Combo product page.
#ad how this is funded · price as of October 12, 2026
2. Best combo to learn on
Zebco 33 Classic Spincast Rod and Reel Combo (5 ft 6 in)
Zebco
5 ft 6 in medium light, published 6-12 lb and 1/8-1/2 oz, 3.6:1 spincast at 20 in per turn.
The closed face is the entire product. Press a button, swing, let go. There is no bail to flip, no line to trap under a finger, and nothing loops off the spool when you get the timing wrong. Our spincast against spinning page is honest about where that stops being an advantage.
6–12 lb published line rating on a fiberglass blank is a surprisingly capable combination for bluegill, small bass and stocked trout, which is the fishing most beginners actually do.
Fiberglass and a moderate fast action means it bends rather than snaps. It tolerates being trodden on, closed in a car door and left in a shed, which for a rod that gets handed to whoever turns up is worth more than sensitivity.
Zebco publishes 20 in per turn, which is one of the few retrieve figures published anywhere in this class. Credit where it is due — most makers at this price publish nothing.
The drawback
20 in per turn is slow, and 3.6:1 is the slowest ratio on this site. Reeling a lure back from a long cast takes noticeably more winding, which tires a young arm faster than the fishing does. One bearing is the minimum. No maximum drag figure is published, so a fish that runs is an unknown. And the closed face limits casting distance with light lures, which is exactly what you throw for panfish.
Published specs
- Rod length
- 5 ft 6 in
- Pieces
- 2
- Power
- Medium Light
- Action
- Moderate Fast
- Line rating
- 6-12 lb
- Lure rating
- 1/8-1/2 oz
- Rod material
- Fiberglass
- Guides
- 4 + tip
- Handle
- EVA
- Gear ratio
- 3.6:1
- Retrieve rate
- 20 in per turn
- Bearings
- 1
Specs read from Rogers Sporting Goods - Zebco 33 Classic Spincast Rod and Reel Combo.
#ad how this is funded · price as of October 12, 2026
Questions people actually ask
Is a Zebco 33 combo or an Ugly Stik GX2 combo better?
The Ugly Stik is better on published figures: a foot more rod, 6-15 lb line, 12 lb of stated drag and a 5.2:1 reel. The Zebco is easier to learn on because the closed face cannot produce a wind knot.
Is a spincast reel good for an adult beginner?
It works, but you will outgrow it quickly. The published 3.6:1 ratio and 20 in per turn is slow, casting distance with light lures is limited, and no maximum drag figure is published.
What drag does the Ugly Stik GX2 combo have?
Ugly Stik publishes 12 lb of maximum drag on the size 35 reel in the 6 ft 6 in medium combo, and 8 lb on the size 25 reel in the 5 ft light version.
How slow is a 3.6:1 gear ratio?
Zebco publishes 20 in per turn on the 33, against 25 to 27 in for a typical 2500 spinning reel. On a 70 ft cast that is about 42 handle turns instead of 31, which adds up quickly over an afternoon.
Which combo is best for a child?
The Zebco 33 for a child who has never cast, because the closed face removes the step that causes tangles. For an older child who can already cast, the 5 ft light GX2 combo is a spinning outfit they will not outgrow.
Read next
Sources
Prices on this page come from the retailer at request time and change without notice. If we cannot get a live one we say “check price” rather than show you a number that has gone stale. How we pick.