Hiya Ken, so as far as I can tell the difference between the two is that the Beast has a pair of larger knobs, a different, supposedly stronger drag arrangement, a slightly deeper spool, and a 5.8:1 gear ratio vs the 5.4:1 of the Winch. It includes a second, single-knob, counter-balanced "power" handle in the box, but its exactly the same length as the double handle, so I don't know what's more "powerful" about it. Oh, plus its got a "SW-friendly" finish. That's all I see for approx. $80 more. I did that same eval and decided on the Winch.
Oh and one advantage of the Winch over the Beast (in my opinion) is that the right side plate is permanently attached to the frame, and just swivels down and out of the way when you need to remove the spool, or access the right side spool bearing. On the Beast that same side plate comes completely off the reel when its time to perform those same procedures. I didn't want that, as there have been reports of owners losing their side plates overboard if they accidentally hit that side plate release tab during fishing. Yeah, that wouldn't be good . . . though in a season of use, I've never came close to hitting that tab, so take this one Winch "advantage" for what its worth. It is important to me, but that 's just me.
What Abu did with these Gen4 Revos is to ditch the delicate aluminum main gear and went back to brass for their gearset, and also they re-did the entire free spool clutch system. Both of those are big welcome changes from the problematic Gen3 series.
Here is Tackle Tour's write up on the Gen4 Beast:
The anglers source for tackle news and reviews. 100% independent review site.
www.tackletour.com
And here's their write-up of the Gen4 Winch:
The anglers source for tackle news and reviews. 100% independent review site.
www.tackletour.com
I have to assume that you saw this thread, immediately above?:
My new Abu Gen 4 Revo Winch arrived a short time ago. And what a beauty it is! What follows is a fairly comprehensive review of how I prepare my or anyone's new reel for salt water usage. This is not a tear down/rebuild of a well-used reel - that would entail many more steps and much more...
nyangler.com
While you're thinking this through - though I love my Winch, for me it would be a tough decision to pick it over the new Shimano Tranx 150 in the 6.3:1 version. If it were available at the time, I might have gone in that direction, vs the Gen4 Winch, even with the un-needed (and unwanted) faster gear ratio. It would have been a hard choice to make.
In any case, here's what my Winch looks like now - its on my cherished DNY Impact H by Capt. Neil (middle setup):
