What this review covers
This hands-on review covers the 2019-era Redington BEHEMOTH 5-5506 family. Redington still sells the same technical family, but the original test did not record a size or color. Current sizes and colors should therefore be chosen on their own merits rather than treated as the tested configuration.
BEHEMOTH design and handling
The BEHEMOTH combines a die-cast frame with a large-arbor, deep-V spool and an adjustable carbon-fiber drag. Its interlocking spool ribs give the reel a distinctive look and help keep the spool rigid. The deep profile provides useful backing capacity, while the large arbor speeds line pickup and reduces line pileup.
In our test of the article-era reel, the oversized drag knob was easy to reach and quick to adjust. The drag started with little inertia and ran smoothly for most of its range, although we felt a few slight hesitations. That is a more useful description than an unsupported model-wide drag-force number: the exact test size was not recorded, so the result should not be applied to every BEHEMOTH configuration.
Construction and maintenance
The die-cast construction feels substantial, and the spool design is the feature that separates this reel from many plain cast frames. The tradeoff is that a cast reel can be less forgiving of a hard impact than a machined frame. The drag is not presented here as sealed. Sand and grit deserve attention, especially around beaches, and owners should follow Redington's instructions for the exact reel rather than rely on a universal cleaning routine.
The retrieve can be converted between right- and left-hand use, and the spool is straightforward to change. Those practical details, together with the quick pickup and accessible drag control, make the BEHEMOTH easy to understand on the water.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Accessible drag knob and mostly smooth startup in our article-era test
- Deep-V, large-arbor spool with quick line pickup
- Distinctive, rigid spool design
- Current exact-family continuity supports a defensible buying option
Cons
- The original test did not identify its size or color
- The drag is not treated as sealed
- Die-cast construction calls for care around hard impacts
Verdict
The BEHEMOTH remains a sensible choice for anglers who prioritize an easy-to-reach drag, rapid line pickup and a sturdy-feeling spool over a refined machined-frame finish. Our test supports the handling verdict for the unnamed article-era unit, while the manufacturer evidence supports continuity of the wider 5-5506 family. It does not prove that every size feels identical. Choose the current configuration for your setup, and treat the original drag impressions as family context rather than a guarantee for a particular reel.
