$45 Reels to $200 PLUS Reels - What's THE BEST Reel For YOU? A Full Evaluation After Extensive Use
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- Опубликовано: 11 фев 2019
- Here's my take on some of the most popular reels out there for both performance and budget. It's what I own, what I like and some of my expectations.
▬▬Gear Used/Discussed▬▬
Spinners
Okuma Epixor 40 - amzn.to/2GFhQoX
Daiwa BG 3000 - bit.ly/2HZ4SkH
Penn Spinfisher VI - bit.ly/2GE9DBC
Shimano Stradic 3000 - bit.ly/2EaLwWj
Penn Slammer III 4500 - amzn.to/2E5a5XA
Conventionals
Daiwa Saltist 20H - amzn.to/2E5Se2S
Abu 6500 Striper Special - amzn.to/2E6wtA0
Newell 235 - Discontinued Long Ago
Shimano Charter Special - amzn.to/2WTPjSd
I use Power Pro Braid - bit.ly/2prBg9Z and Finatic Braid - bit.ly/2GzLGeC on all of my reels. Generally 15lb & 30lb
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Receive 10% off at checkout for performance gear from www.SetTheHook.us - use code EliasV at check out
▬▬Social Media▬▬
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#okumaepixor #pennspinfishervi #shimanostradic 
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*Bought a 500 for an ultralight rod. It's very smooth **enjoyable.fishing** recommend casts great. One odd thing- the bale wire is a bit heavy diameter in my opinion for a reel of this size. But a great purchase.*
For the price and quality you get that Daiwa BG is the best all around reel.
I have two and must agree.The better drag parts are in 2500 series and up.For 50 bucks more you get sealed bearings in the saltist.
You can find other daiwa reels like the fuego, eliminator, or regal for steep discounts here or there, so if you're in saltwater id say bg, but anything in their lineup works very well for freshwater. Ive beaten the hell out of a revros without any issues, wish i could say the same about any shimano reel ive ever had...
Good advice, and well timed since I'm currently in the market for a new reel. Thanks for the upload, Eli.
Good info. I'm always amazed by individual preference when it comes to reels. I'm a huge Penn fan, never had one let me down. Everyone has their own preference. Well done sir!
I love all my diawa reels at ever price range! Great video and siick collection
Definitely enjoy your content going to pick up the Okuma and try it out. Have a good day and stay safe Jimmy from Massachusetts
I agree with your opinions! My Penn spinners I use for chunking bunker heads and body chunks from piers. They handle stripers and blues all day long. I have that Stradic in a 5000 because I like that football handle. I have that same issue with the grinding sound. Now I know what it is lmao thanks
Once again some really awesome stuff, thanks man! Tight lines 🎣
I needed this video 2 months ago to decide on 2 $50 reels for my sabiki/small game fish combos. I ended up getting a couple Kast King Sharky iii baitfeeders. They seem to be pretty nice for the price point. I am on the northern OBX, so I haven't used them here yet. They did great on little grunts and pin fish in Florida when I was there for a week. We will see what happens with the blow toads this spring lol. Hopefuily they can land a keeper trout or puppy using a live bait without falling apart. Being broke and trying to have decent gear is a struggle. Thanks for the good video.
I picked up a Slammer III 4500 for $125 and after hundreds of bluefish and stripers up to 35lbs, the reel hasn't skipped a beat. Used it jigging, popping, plugging, trolling, off the jettied, wading, on the beach, boat, dunked it hard, went down on the rocks a few times...basically knocked the snot out of it and mechanically, it still feels new. For what I paid for it, best money I ever spent. Wound up buying the 5500 and 6500 too. I have two BGs(4000/5000) I'll sell cheap if anyone wants them. They haven't stood up like the Slammers(IMO).
slammer 3 is the way to go
Have a slammer 3500, 4500, 5500, 7500, and 8500hs. Yeah I like them too. 2500 clash and 3500 slammer are my go too boat reels 5500 for the surf and 7500/8500hs for off shore.
@click here huh? sounds believable to me. There are days the blues dont stop and you can easily catch 15-20. Stretch that out since the slammer came out 2 years ago... But hey you just might not be a very good fisherman? HA.
click here, You must be a googan. I lost count of the number of trophies caught on my Penn reels. Such an ignorant statement.
@click here I agree all fish are in decline. I fish from may 1st to late november and try to get out every weekend. I'll only target blues if there are big ones around but can easily catch 100 if i set that goal. In May the spring run of big gator blues move into the bays and 15 plus fish days are common. I can probably catch 100 blues in that spring run if I really try hard. Fish two tides 15 fish a tide maybe more, two days a week. thats 60 fish a week lol. June/July/August the bay is infested with cocktail blues but i dont bother with those.
Interesting overview and comparison. Will watch to see what Nick finds inside the Epixor. If drag durability is the main issue, it should be easy to fix. Carbon Fiber drag discs are available on E-Bay for less that $10. Will probably install them on two Okuma reels that are used for inshore Salt.
Man you’ve definitely inspired me with this reel review, Well done review and it’s teaches me a ton for my Surf Fishing Channel! I’ll steer people your way for reel reviews!
To make it short i just happen To agree with you, I always in end up with my stradic from the old days Japan stradic fe fg fi fj fk , especially mgfa , but I’m I also have a fleet of shimano Stellas fa fband fe That I always carry too , In term Spinning reels it’s very hard to beat stradic for the price and quality! I’m surprised you don’t carry few Stella-s... it’s true after meeting her everything else seem inferior :)
Nice review. I fish almost exclusively from a kayak, so I demand a lot from my reels. Durability and ease of maintenance are at the top of my checklist.
Elias thank you for your honest opinion on the reels you have been using. I have been looking for a inexpensive spinning reel for fresh and light salt water use and will be sure to check out the Ocuma Expior. As for Penn reels I absolutely agree with you. Not fancy, not light and not the smoothest but nothing else out there takes the beating and abuse they do and lasts the way they do. I have an original Penn 450SS purchased new in the late 80's and it is still one of my go to reels. Thanks again for your honest, no hype, no click bait videos.
PS is that a subway map behind you?
Interesting how different kayak fishing is from my boat fishing. I love the extra ruggedness over the smooth and light so I fish my Slammer III a lot. I also use conventional reels quite often for vertical jigs. Great video.
I've had good luck with the Cabelas Salt Striker reels. Have them in every size and granted I only use them for 6 weeks in saltwater and the rest of the year in freshwater. Think they're made by someone like Okuma (not sure) . they are in the $50 to $70 range depending on sale or not. Have been using for four years and they are all still functioning flawlessly. I have a dozen of them now.
Well, I agree with your point of view.
It rarely happens to me, everybody has his own experience.
Good upcoming catches.
And let us know about your guiding plans as soon as you figured it out!
Good video.
Regards.
Fred.
Great review and video.
We are all looking forward to seeing them all in action in 2019.
Cool vid very informative
Elias, how come you stopped using the daiwa fuego?
Yesss, an Elias upload. I'm excited to see how the BG holds up to your fishing. I plan on buying the 3000 for sheepshead/drum for bridge fishing and maybe larger versions for other applications
I have a BG and I love it. It's a little heavy, like most daiwa reels, but the drag is smooth as hell. I use it for everything. Easily my favorite spinning reel.
I use the BG for yanking stuff off the bottom or out if rocks. Great reel.
@@johntessieri1898 yeah it definitely has some power.
So i got the daiwa bg 3000 for a lighter medium heavy rod for 1/2-3/4oz bucktails 7ft rod and a 3500 of same reel on a 7 ft medium heavy rod thats more or less of a lighter style heavy action rod and use 1oz to 1.5 ounce max for the surf fishing for those bucktails in the 1 to 1.5ounce bucktails. And honestly reels are spooled with 20lb braid and leader is from 20-40 lb leader. What u thinking on that? 3500 is on a star rod 7ft medium heavy rated 12-20lb i think .5-2 ounce and the 3000 is on a rod similar but is called i believe the gold cup spinning rod by offshore angler
Off the subject, but wondering how you transport your kayak? I think I have seen the Thule Hullavator on your truck? Do you like if for the Hobie and long distances? Why no trailor?
Great run down of those reels you use. How about a look at the rods you use and what reel matches best?
Hey Elias im wondering what pole you matched with that okuma 40. I'm looking at getting one soon just can't decide on the 30 or 40.
I feel the same I have a Stradic 4000 fk on a st croix mojo inshore that is the first rod I grab and use 90% of the time...the other 10% is slammer 3 4500 and Saragosa 6000 strictly for surf fishing
I am a big shimano saros guy. I am sad they were discontinued. How does the stadic hold up vs that one? I have neve had to perform replacements.
Thanks for your candor...!
Great video.. I've been eyeballing the spin fisher and the stradic
I love the penn slammer 3 and daiwa bg. I used to own the stradic fk before but the line roller bearing is death on me after third using it.
Hi Elias, wondering if your opinion has changed on your prefered reels for kayak since 2019! Thanks!
Great review ! You pretty much nailed it. For my inshore yak fishing I can't beat the Okuma reels for feel and balance. The Penn reels are tanks, not smooth at all, I have a few I don't use, just unacceptable at that price range. I have been using the BG 2500 and for inshore, it's the perfect balance of tough and smooth. Also using a Spheros SW Inshore, a step up from the sub $100 throw away. I also like the Fin nor lethal and mega lites. And Tica's Dynaspins. I have not fished my Shimano and BG's as much as my Okuma Inspira (Alumina), old models w metal bodys. Funny someone mentioned Cabelas Salt Striker reels. I had every size and they were great. But some whore at Cabela's sold out and now they no longer make them. I had a cheap Diawa LT $60 reel. thought it was the cats meyow till it got dunked a seized in short time. Like every else here, buying and trying rods and reels is my hobby now I don't golf.
Ps I have replaced a bail roller on the original one cause I’m getting a lol old now and forgot to maintain proper cleaning and lubricants on it lol but the parts are easy to get and come within a few days
Hey Elias. Isn’t the Stradic a freshwater reel ?
No problems using in salt ?
I bought one of the daiwa BG’s this past July for my back bay fishing at night and so far I’m pleased with it although I haven’t caught any real beasts on it yet. But those Stradics are a very dependable reel and can take abuse from heavy surf
On the Saltist why do you prefer no level wind instead of with level wind?
Have you tried a aftermarket bearing in the line roller of the Stradic?
The one I like the best is SHAKESPEARE 2540 BALL BEARING SPINNING REEL. I have 4 of them and they hold up for decades. Bought my fist one in the late 1970s.
I have the bg and me and my buddy has issues with the anti reverse failing. Not sure why. Apparently it's a common problem.
i see that spinfisher vi in alot of your newer videos did using this more change your mind about this reel?
Right on with that LR bearing on the Stradic. On I'm my 3rd one. Other than that, great spinning reel for sw yak use
The BG is actually one hell of a workhorse and is extremely durable,. I use a 3500 for bridge fishing and have vertically cranked up hundreds of schoolie stripers up to 5 lbs without using a bridge net. Still relatively smooth and the wear rate on the gear train is exceptional. But all that being said, I'm not sure how well it'll hold up to saltwater as I rarely use it from my kayak.
Love mine too and you can use them for Saltwater with no problem but you just can`t dunk them.
Wow I watched this 3 years ago. How did your Okuma last? What are you liking these days?
You should class them by drag then quilty ,then gear ratio ,?
I go with the work horse over the show pony every time ,
Setthehook link isn't active. Seems the site is down/gone...
Is it just the camera? That Stradic 3000 looks a WAY bigger than my new Ci4 3000. Color scheme is different too but mainly the size for a 3000 class reel.
Good, fair comparison.
Hi Elias could you do a ROD review, would love to see your take on them. Budget to pricey
Although not an actual saltwater reel, the shimano Sahara is hands down the best reel for the money. I've used it in saltwater for years and simply hose it off with a light mist when I'm done fishing. It still feels brand new.
You need to grease the BG, mine was bone dry. After that it felt great.
Hey Elias, greetings from Galveston TX. How do you feel about the Spinfisher VI now? I'm in between that and a Diawa Saltist in the 2500 size. I already have the BG and 2500 and 4000 and love em. Just wanted a Penn.
The spinfisher is probably the better between those two reels it has more sealing and better drag imo
@@mattc6015 went with another Diawa and got the Saltist (2500). Very happy with it. Started with Diawa and so far happy with their product. Appreciate the input though.
I love this
Do you plan on getting back into guiding once you figure things out in NC?
John Tessieri unlikely
Why don't you try a baitcast reel for jigging. I tried one out for certain techniques and they are hard to beat
Are you doing a 2021 reel review .
I love the Diawa BG series. I'm thought it was very smooth compared to my Penn Battle II or Spinfisher V. I think it's the best value reel you can get. I don't doubt that some reels might be smoother or have better drag, but not even close to the BG's price point. I tamed some big stripers on the BG 8500. I'm tempted to try to the new Spinfisher VI, although after your review, I'm not so sure. For $150 more than the BG, it doesn't make sense.
I agree 100%!...I have all 3 reels also and as much as I like my Penn reels for the price I paid it really doesn`t compare to the quality and the price of the BGs ...It`s actually an embarrassment...I`m really starting to feel like the BGs are under priced or maybe the Battles and Spin Fishers are over priced?...As for the BGs, they can be used for not only taming big Stripers but also for taming Tuna, Jacks, Permit, Tarpon and so much more down in Florida as well...The drags are sufficient, durable and smooth.
@@MrGb4ever Very impressed with the 2500 series for light inshore.
Elias, you ever ordered the upgraded bearings for the Stradic FK?? It’s makes the reel tougher and smoother man :)
Which bearings?
You should get the Tsunami TSEVT Evict reel and do a review on it.
Any information about Quantum reels? They have a bunch of reels to offer. Not much information though.
Yes the Cabo’s pts 40 is better the any he has talked about I’ve had mine since it first came out and it’ll handle big stripers and 20+# blues all day long I also have ci4 and penn battle and shimano sustain 5000 the Cabo out lasts and the drag is as smooth as it was new and I fish 200+ days a year
Loved the comparisons just a maintenance question how often do you rinse out your reels and relube the bearings and gears
I buy mid range for fixed spools these reels will not last when hard core fishing its just the design of them. I buy several mid range and just switch out as they break. Multipliers mid to high as they are like winches good design. Good ones will last many years.
If you ever have line roller bearing issues just replace them with some good ceramic hybrid ball bearings, like boca bearings or whatever, or even high grade rc bearings, as long as they are hard stainless steel, and ceramic hybrids and not the cheaper chrome, stainless steel, and ceramic hybrids. The chrome will fail quickly with saltwater usage and they just aren’t as durable as stainless steel. It’s more expensive that a stainless steel bearing by a little bit but it saves you money by not having to replace them hardly ever. Then use some tsi321 oil for that bearing and the line roller assembly, it works a lot better than standard oils. If you don’t wanna buy tsi321 then some good reel oil mixed with a toothpick tip of Cala drag grease or something is fine too. But ever since I switched to the ceramic bearing it’s been great, it’s a tiny bit louder than a SS bearing due to the nature of ceramic but it’s much smoother and more efficient. Hope this helps someone.
I only get to saltwater about 6 times a year. Off Barnegat Light , and the Chesapeake Bay. Still using Mitchell 300s from the 60s. If I was closer to NJ I would perhaps get better reels for the saltwater.
Because I'm always budget minded, I ordered the Epixor 30. Looking forward to seeing how it does
You know you're a true fisherman when the reels on your counter cost more than everything in your living room.
🤣🤣🤣
20 dollar walmart rod vs blues till it breaks?
He's done a similar video in the past, look up "$25 fishing rods vs Big Bluefish challenge"
I mean a rod and reel
I wana see the plastic gears fall right out the side
He still have that pink rod, saw it in the past video.
Couldn't agree more about the Penn Spinfisher. On a whim, I bought a spinfisher 5500/11ft. Penn combo (not cheap) surf setup for my wife to use so she didn't have to sit on the tailgate and watch me fish - she complained about the reel, which I thought was just her being a wuss, but when I gave up my Lami/VanStaal setup to quiet her down, the penn reel felt like an unrefined piece of garbage. I actually went back to Dick's to try to see if it was defective, but then I discovered they all felt that way. Not a knock on Penn reels at all, I've been using them all my life, but the Spinfisher was a complete letdown - I'll leave it on the bottom while casting with the Z or VanStaal. One of the best low-budget reels I've ever come across is the Okuma Trio.
Cadence cs10?
Can you give me your old reel? I'm a big fan of yrs here in the Philippines.. And I alsa really want to go fishing..
Thanks for a quick and cut to the point review. I am curious about the reason you retired Fuego. I have the Fuego 3000 reel for reds mostly and noticed that if you reel in under pressure, it'll flex. Is that the reason? But you kept the Epixor which is also graphite body, so it should flex somewhat as well under pressure. Granted, unless it's a big fish and you had to wrench it in quick for some reason, these reels will work and not suffer too much flexing (reasons for solid metal body reels like slammer, fin nor, bg etc.)
The Stradic is a sweet reel, but I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with the BG for the money.
@Sea Break19 true. But no problem.
Nice wall art, that NYC Subway poster looks great. Hope you're enjoying the funky NC weather I warned you about when you first got here. Those near 80 degree days last week were fun.
Is it the camera or is this guys head long af? Agree on the okuna
I never ever bought reels over $150 just because I always fresh water fished. I decided 2 years ago to just get a nicer set up. Went and messed with about 30 reels, didn’t look at prices and decided on the Stradic 3000. Best reel I’ve ever used. Expensive but absolutely worth the money. Casting, drag, smoothness, sensitivity. Literally everything about it. So now all my cheaper reels I hate lol And can’t afford more of them🤣
Mitchell 300 best reel ever made had mine since 1968 still works like a champ have caught everything from 6 oz. native brook trout to 20 lb+ strippers nothing near as good old French engineering thousands of fish and 50 + years still going strong.
Big thumbs up for the 300 Mitch. It's an iconic reel.
Eli,
Pay once, cry once.
Buy the reel that will out last all others.
For me that's Shimano for life
words not to live by
You mean Van Staal..I have the vr125 now that's a real built to last, not shitmano with pot metal gears
Chunky Father I went with the Slammer, liked it so much I bought the next two sizes up. I now have 3 Slammers and two Torques(made in USA) and looking for another big Torque. The only Shimano I own is a Nasci and it gives me nothing but problems.
I ve been using heavily shimano since 2001. Thunus, bait runner D and 2 Stella's.
They have been in saltwater from Montauk down to Isla islamorada.
Take care of your reel with proper wash down and lube and it will last a lifetime.
Go ahead and try to find parts for that Stella(or any of your Shimanos) in 5 or 10 years, then talk about "will last a lifetime". That's why I went with the Penn Torques. 20 or 30 less parts and way overbuilt, plus, 20 years from now, Penn will still have parts for them. Why buy a $1,000+ reel that Shimano stops making replacement parts for after 5 years? I say "no, thank you," to planned obsolescence.
Can u make a surf fishing video
My Gosa and Spheros have held up to my 6 to 7 days a week hard bass and blue fishing. Shimano wins with me.
The Okuma has gone up about $10 for the size you use.
Do a video on all your rods now
make a 2021 update :)
I think you are comparing different reels created for different purposes. E.g. stradic is not sealed reel, comparing Spinfisher to Saragosa would be more fair.
In my opinion, Penn reels are absolutely the best. I caught a big tuna on pursuit 2, sailfish on spinfisher 5500. Spinfisher is absolutely the best universal reel. It is sealed, it can handle a very big fish, it is very reliable. It is not very smooth because it is sealed. You can target sailfish, tarpon, tuna, big kings without any doubt. It withstands salt water, sand and abuse. Daiwa BG and Penn Battle are great reels, but not sealed. I caught a huge rooster fish on Battle 6000. I've never had any issues with Penn reels and Penn does not pay me anything. Just my 2c.
I recommend a quantum Cabo pts 40 for $189- give or take its the best reel I’ve ever used I have a few from the original when they cam out to a newer one and they don’t give up I worked on a party boat North Star out of OC and caught big stripers and blues to sharks on it and it’s still going strong oh and I do have a few Penns and a couple shimanos
Wow, the North Star. I haven't been out on that boat in years. How she running these days. Agree with you on the Quantum. The line lay isn't the best but that is one tough reel. I have the 50 that I landed a 60LB AJ on, down in the Gulf.
I fished the Boca 50 for 3 years in the NE and literally did everything I could to kill it. Couldn’t do it though. Countless days of following bluefish one after another for hours on end, year after year, it never missed a beat. Fished from the rocks in between boat sessions and still, it never game me a reason to put it on the shelf. Love that thing for sure. The only reason I put it aside, the vr50 came out and I’m not looking back. I landed 25 striped bass in heavy current within a 60 minute window and would have caught more if it wasn’t for trebles on my mag darter. Since I broke it in that night I will never set it down. Officially a VS fan boy..
Josh Mangle give the Cabo a try the next time as the boca is a cheaper model it’s well worth it
jay cube North Star is no longer his wife took it in a nasty big D
@@edwardegnor8812 That's too bad about the NS. I had some great times out there on that boat.
penn for live
Magsealed BG would be the best. Get it on eBay.
Daiwa Saltist.
40 to 60$ Kastking sharky 3 baitfeeder works salt water fresh water big fish and small fish hasn’t failed me yet
I roll with Penn. For the money I kick the spit out of em and they keep spinning. Rebuild able, but if one bites the dust. Snag another
I’ve had penns my whole life . Currently on my 6th season with penn fathoms on my ugly stik conventionals . 40lb power pro. Mostly drifting on structure from back bays with 1-2oz to reefs 10-20miled out with 12oz lead . Never had a single issue
Do some cod videos please
Just save yourself a few headaches and get the vr50 mayn
Your voice helps me move my bowels
I stoped paying attention after he got pass 45$
i got 3 zebco reels for the dislike crowd and romaine lettuce
Lmao best comment!
@@dseafishingx3 hahhahahah that was funny hahhah
Pardon me for being uninformed but WTF is an equivalent pixar. No help from google. Guess that I am not sophisticated enough to follow your evaluation. No problem as I just unsubscribed.
Okuma Epixor...definitely too sophisticated for you.
Hi can I get some of your old reel