I purchased a TR1, Xtream(TR2 varient) and TR3 roughly 15-20 years ago. I was hoping to find a TR2 spool on eBay and am stunned by the prices. Is Abel's discontinuation of the reel short term or is this it?

A couple of months ago I wanted a new spool for the Ross Cimarron I bought back in the early 2000's but Ross doesn't stock those so they literally machined one for me and I had it in hand in 2 days.

I didn't know until just now but Abel must be part of the same company with Ross because their addresses are the same down in Montrose, Co so I would ring up Ross and ask if they can machine you a spool. If you go through their website the shipping is a little ridiculous so I ordered through my local shop and just paid the price listed for the extra spool easy peasy.

Give em a call! The worst that can happen is your eyes bug out of your head at the price.

Ouch, I was just looking at their site earlier this week after one was posted in the for sale section and they were still available but now it's gone. Stillwater still has green ones for $445 new if anybody wants one.

I have quite a few TRs. they are excellent reels, well built with a classic look, dependable and they have that wonderful click. I just don't like silent reels. But Islander IRs are every bit as good, many (including me) say better, classic looks and a nice clicking sound and thin feet. Unlike the TRs, the IRs fit a double ring or ring and cap quite snugly. I bought one for my Scott F1 cap and ring and have been hooked since. The price of these reels is much more reasonable now that the Canadian company Islander has an on line presence based here in the states. The IR3 that once cost $360 is now $280. IMO it's a steal.

I've been looking for one, only caveat being I'm partial to the non-ported frame versions...of which I have yet to locate on the auction site or anywhere else.

Like Mr Frogmorton, I too have an IR2 paired with a Scott F1, 764. Perfect pairing for sure. I also had an IR1 that's now on my "should've saved It to sell for big money later" list. It must be me but as much as I like it and the thin foot, I don't like the ported body. I figure the water will get in more readily and the grease will start swimming around. As I said, that's some crazy thing in my head.
I would think a new incarnation of the the TR reels would benefit from having more cap & ring friendly feet. It's the reason I considered selling my TR1. Let's hope Cameron is hearing more than just rumors. I looked at Abel's site. It's downright sparse. I'm hoping for a new and improved TR series.
BTW Frogmorton; do you still have your Captain Beefheart album?

Trout Mask Replica
Of course. The original vinyl and on CD.

“Like almost all of Beefheart's recorded work, it was not even "ahead" of its time in 1969. Then and now, it stands outside time, trends, fads, hypes, the rise and fall of whole genres eclectic as walking Christmas trees, constituting a genre unto itself: truly, a musical Monolith if ever there was one.”
― Lester Bangs

hey scud,
i picked up a few used TR2 spools several years back from a local fly shop for
cheap. they had old hammered parking lot lines on them, but the spools were in good shape. i only ended up using one of them. if i can find the other one, i'd be happy to part with it. i'll let you know.