2025, I just ordered the 2 spool model for 3 reasons. 1. The gear ratio 2. The TWO spools 3. Your review I think I’ll be happy because my first 3 reels were based on 200 sz platforms, I changed the spool the bearings and the drag washers. I also had to put carbon fiber handles on. They actually cast “smaller” lures nicely. Like the Kast Master and phoebe. Those lures are known for taking big trout on ultralight spinning tackle, so why would they not work as well if not better on casting equipment ? This would have been fun when I was younger, I’m 70 and disabled but I’ve been fishing most of my life. I remember stepping out into the trout streams with my Fenwick ultralight and Dreaming of hooking The levitation 🙂 It never happened but I have caught many large Bass, Trout, steelhead, stripers, walleye, crappie, salmon, musky, wipers and a whole bunch of others. I’m hoping to have fun with this.
Dude because of this video I researched this reel. Just pulled the trigger (Ali today had a seller for around 43 USD) and bought one. Gave your name to my wife for any complaints, this purchase of a third BFS reel is on you! Concerned if will cast
Hey Aaron, nice review... I agree with all of what you said. I did install Roro BFS hybrid bearings in all 4 of my reels. I have both gear ratios in the Micro Monster and both gear ratios in the old version Acura HICC-50's. They work great albeit the Acura's are a bit smoother , so I usually gravitate towards them first. I'm typically tossing 2.5 grams to 10 grams on my gear, as I have standard gear for the heavier stuff (Daiwa Tatula's). I haven't tried any of the high end stuff (Aldebaren, Air TW, Gekkabijin, etc) due to budget restraints. But I will say that these "budget" reels have done everything I've asked them to do without disappointment . I'm 2 years into this whole BFS thing, and loving it !! My BFS gear is just part of my arsenal in the the great pursuit of small/largemouth bass !!
Awesome info - thanks for sharing. My experience was my MM's were smoother than the Accura - but it's probably just tolerances. Great reels - nice to hear they benefitted from the upgraded bearings!
I know I said i was going to run the clock down and wait for more soloking stock on aliexpress after not being able to secure a correct version in your other video, but in the end I gave up and went ahead and ordered the Micro Monster rather than waiting. Rather get it out of the way then having to constantly check stock levels on the website. I just hope they send me the correct reel (1.1.7) as there are are unboxing videos on YT where they unbox it and they either get the wrong reel or the extra spool is missing from the order - I think you suffered a similar issue. Great to hear that the seller is easy to work with should that happen. I'm from Europe so i'll mainly be dealing with pike, perch, Zander, chub and maybe even catfish. It would be crazy if i scored a catfish on 6lb braid
I told you a year ago that the MM-7.1 free spooled better than my Aldebaran. The 8.1 is good, the 7.1 is much better. Both ratios can come with both spools available. I have a new one in a box if you want to test it. Let me know
I thought the review was about the GKA200 purple. After watching your review, I wanted to replace GKA200 with Micro Monster. Read this comment, purchased pink Micro Monster.! I’m so excited hahaha
Nice review! I just ordered this reel. I’m going to pair it with the Acehawk Venom. My question is, what line should I spool it with for casting EPF soft plastics? Application will be for lake blue gills and bass with occasional sand trout at the coast. Thanks Alex
Pick your favorite light braid. use some 6" fluro as a leader. I've been partial to Seaguar for the last 8 months or so for my lines. Varivas is also awesome.
I think the reason why the acura is more discussed is due to the fact that the spool is rated as a gram lower or that the deep spool is lower in weight also, if I remember correctly. The price point is also nothing to scoff at with an initial sale price of $23 and constantly being able to fond it for under $50, sometimes considerably under. The acura is a very sufficient reel for bfs fishing. Does that mean that all other reels in the budget bfs category are useless? No, but the budget options are all about what you get for your money, and in that, the acura is superior.
yep - fair point. At this pont I now have the Accura. My particular sample isn't as tight as the MicroMonster was. It's a serviceable budget reel. But nothing amazing. Probably rank it #3 of the "clones" behind the original DWU and the MM. The deep spool does work very well even for BFS weights, which is awesome. That's it's main selling point for me. Probably once the fall fishing slows down I'll put together a review of the Acura.
Hey there. Another awesome and informative video as usual. I really like how you break topics down and explain your thought process in your videos. I’m about to jump in on my first BFS set up and I have done countless hours of research on what I think might be the most appropriate loadout for me. I’ve got a rod more or less picked out but looking for an entry level BFS reel just to get a feel for things. Would you recommend this Kingdom reel over the Zephyr? I was thinking about the zephyr but I’ve seen many folks upgrade the bearings on those which I’m not opposed to doing it is an additional cost. How would you say those two match up competitively? Thank you 🙏
First - Let me say I'm not a KK fan at all. Their products, customer service, and business practices are about the worst I've experienced. I started to get into some of their products, but couldn't really justify spending time doing the reviews and giving them publicity after I started trying their stuff and communicating with the company. But even if I wasn't heavily biased by my experiences, I'd still go with the Micro Monster over the Zephyr. I have yet to feel the need to upgrade the bearigns in any of the reels I use consistently. Since the Kingdom can do pretty light weights and handle more traditional finesse weights, I just think it's a good deal. Then the bonus spool is the kicker.
@@AaronHuntFishing also ordered the Handing Magic Shadow & Miracle, I bought last month the Handing M1 Spinning combo, M1 Baitcasting reel, Magic Soul, Magic L UL with the M1 Spinning and the Tsurinoya Dark Wolf Ultra and Seasir Cast XZ. Now I want to buy those : Lemoren Fuji Cast, Mifine Outrange Spin, Handing Sindorei XH Cast, Handing Magic L 2.44m 5-15g Cast, Mavllos Delicacy, and I think the Soloking Acura Pro maybe. I’m crazy I know 🤣 But what reel do you recommend for 15-30g lure for Baitcasting to pair with one of those reels?
If you had to pick one budget reel what would it be ? Microsoft monster- soloking Acura or the Dark wolf ultra? I’m in the process of building my bfs arsenal I have the rods just need reels I’m gonna buy 3
Probably the Acura Pro. I think the Micro Monster I had was the best casting of the three, but it may have been an anomaly. And the DWU is just sentimental. But the Acura is like $34 right now... just a killer deal for probably the best performer: s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DBHu8wL
Thank you for your time and your advice I’m going with the Acura I can get micro from Amazon for $71 but the Acura is $67 but I do like trying different reels lol
4:03 but we're talking about bfs right? I don't really see no point in throwing +10g lures with a bfs setup since most people buy them only for the reason that they could throw lures that weight LOWER than 10g right? How does this reel handle with 0-7g lures with since that's what im thinking of getting it for? And how does it compare to the Kastking Zephyr, great video as always btw 👍
0 grams? Ain't gonna happen. 1 gram to 7 - fantastic. I fish BFS almost exclusively, and fish the entire range of BFS from 0.5 to 15 grams - which is why I discuss it. KK - I find most of their stuff to be either underwhelming, overpriced, poor qulaity, or some combo of the three. For my money, the Micro Monster crushes them like Godzilla vs. Tokyo....
@@AaronHuntFishing Okay thank you a lot, and to clarify, 1-7 grams is what i meant really. I just bought a kastking spartacus plus for the 7-23g range but im not sure if i should return it and go for the bfs instead since i haven't used it yet, i was thinking of buying the bfs setup later but i already have decent amount of 7-130g sets so a bfs would be perfect 🤔
@@ConTheDon187 Yeah, for me it would be. I max out at 10lb. I never like to put too strong of a line on my rods - rather snap the line than the rod. And you sacrifice casting distance with heavier line.
I haven't used the older models, but the braking systems have advanced a lot since then. They were still good, but I think after the 15 the new FTB system came out for shimano, and then the AIR system for Daiwa.
I just received mine (may 2024). Upon inspection I am disappointed to see that the side plate bearing is 2.5x8x4 (vs the DWU clones usual 3x8x4) which is impossible to find. The spool bearing is the usual 3x8x4. This is a big minus on my books.
Do you sell reels like this? Just wondering. I love testing new reels just dont have the budget would love to try some out at an even more discounted price.
Hello there! Bad luck for me I guess I ordered the Micro Monster and went to Kingdom Support on AliExpress, told them that I want this version with the extra spool in it. After that my request was confirmed, I also wrote in the info of the order that I need the second spool The reel it arrived today, it did not come with the spool, and also it doesn’t even spin , like all the magnets are turned on, it’s not spinning on a hard reel and letting the spool free, no chance, I checked the bearings, they’re greased but when I am moving them with my finger no chance to spin for 2 seconds I went to support again and I received a refund on it I just want to know why it’s not spinning like it should be I got the DWU couple days ago and it didn’t spin so much at first but at least now it spins vey good unlike the Micro Monster
Yep - sounds like bad luck. Got a bad one. Kind of like a $350 coffee grinder i got this week; died on the 6th cup of coffee. It happens. (Grinder is being replaced by the company too).
@@AaronHuntFishing In the end I got the reel with ‘too greased bearings’ and after cleaning jt a bit it runs better, It is smooth as the DWU but the DWU still seems way better in hand and in practice , I will clean the bearings more with an air spray and then use some proper bearings oil, maybe changing the bearings will be a good option, but still no second spool ☹️
That doesn't sound right. My reels, fully backed down there is pretty much no resistance. I will say the drag on most of these inexpensive reels isn't as smooth or consistent as the better JDM reels. But they've all been decent. And no lost fish due to drag quality.
2025, I just ordered the 2 spool model for 3 reasons.
1. The gear ratio
2. The TWO spools
3. Your review
I think I’ll be happy because my first 3 reels were based on 200 sz platforms, I changed the spool the bearings and the drag washers. I also had to put carbon fiber handles on.
They actually cast “smaller” lures nicely. Like the Kast Master and phoebe. Those lures are known for taking big trout on ultralight spinning tackle, so why would they not work as well if not better on casting equipment ?
This would have been fun when I was younger, I’m 70 and disabled but I’ve been fishing most of my life.
I remember stepping out into the trout streams with my Fenwick ultralight and Dreaming of hooking The levitation 🙂
It never happened but I have caught many large Bass, Trout, steelhead, stripers, walleye, crappie, salmon, musky, wipers and a whole bunch of others.
I’m hoping to have fun with this.
Enjoy it man! Should be great fun.
Dude because of this video I researched this reel. Just pulled the trigger (Ali today had a seller for around 43 USD) and bought one. Gave your name to my wife for any complaints, this purchase of a third BFS reel is on you!
Concerned if will cast
Not sure how far below 1g it will go - but it's a good one.
Very thorough review! Also have to say, the lighting and camera work you do for these reviews is absolutely top notch!!!
Thanks - appreciate that.
Hey Aaron, nice review... I agree with all of what you said. I did install Roro BFS hybrid bearings in all 4 of my reels. I have both gear ratios in the Micro Monster and both gear ratios in the old version Acura HICC-50's. They work great albeit the Acura's are a bit smoother , so I usually gravitate towards them first. I'm typically tossing 2.5 grams to 10 grams on my gear, as I have standard gear for the heavier stuff (Daiwa Tatula's). I haven't tried any of the high end stuff (Aldebaren, Air TW, Gekkabijin, etc) due to budget restraints. But I will say that these "budget" reels have done everything I've asked them to do without disappointment . I'm 2 years into this whole BFS thing, and loving it !! My BFS gear is just part of my arsenal in the the great pursuit of small/largemouth bass !!
Awesome info - thanks for sharing. My experience was my MM's were smoother than the Accura - but it's probably just tolerances. Great reels - nice to hear they benefitted from the upgraded bearings!
Hey man what size roro bearings did you use for this real ?
I know I said i was going to run the clock down and wait for more soloking stock on aliexpress after not being able to secure a correct version in your other video, but in the end I gave up and went ahead and ordered the Micro Monster rather than waiting. Rather get it out of the way then having to constantly check stock levels on the website.
I just hope they send me the correct reel (1.1.7) as there are are unboxing videos on YT where they unbox it and they either get the wrong reel or the extra spool is missing from the order - I think you suffered a similar issue. Great to hear that the seller is easy to work with should that happen.
I'm from Europe so i'll mainly be dealing with pike, perch, Zander, chub and maybe even catfish. It would be crazy if i scored a catfish on 6lb braid
I'm sure it will be fine, but as you mentioned I've been pleased with their customer service. Enjoy the new reel!
Finally I see all videos that I missed 😅 I was fishing for some days 😉
I hope you caught many great fish! What was your favorite catch of the trip?
I told you a year ago that the MM-7.1 free spooled better than my Aldebaran. The 8.1 is good, the 7.1 is much better. Both ratios can come with both spools available. I have a new one in a box if you want to test it. Let me know
Appreciate it. It's tips like that that make me go out and try these reels. You were not wrong!
I thought the review was about the GKA200 purple. After watching your review, I wanted to replace GKA200 with Micro Monster.
Read this comment, purchased pink Micro Monster.! I’m so excited hahaha
@@dongwon0407 Enjoy!
really ? the Aldebaran like x6 the price
I'm guessing the 7.1 is smoother and quieter than the faster geared version?
Nice review! I just ordered this reel. I’m going to pair it with the Acehawk Venom. My question is, what line should I spool it with for casting EPF soft plastics? Application will be for lake blue gills and bass with occasional sand trout at the coast.
Thanks
Alex
Pick your favorite light braid. use some 6" fluro as a leader. I've been partial to Seaguar for the last 8 months or so for my lines. Varivas is also awesome.
I think the reason why the acura is more discussed is due to the fact that the spool is rated as a gram lower or that the deep spool is lower in weight also, if I remember correctly. The price point is also nothing to scoff at with an initial sale price of $23 and constantly being able to fond it for under $50, sometimes considerably under. The acura is a very sufficient reel for bfs fishing. Does that mean that all other reels in the budget bfs category are useless? No, but the budget options are all about what you get for your money, and in that, the acura is superior.
yep - fair point. At this pont I now have the Accura. My particular sample isn't as tight as the MicroMonster was. It's a serviceable budget reel. But nothing amazing. Probably rank it #3 of the "clones" behind the original DWU and the MM. The deep spool does work very well even for BFS weights, which is awesome. That's it's main selling point for me. Probably once the fall fishing slows down I'll put together a review of the Acura.
Hey there. Another awesome and informative video as usual. I really like how you break topics down and explain your thought process in your videos.
I’m about to jump in on my first BFS set up and I have done countless hours of research on what I think might be the most appropriate loadout for me. I’ve got a rod more or less picked out but looking for an entry level BFS reel just to get a feel for things. Would you recommend this Kingdom reel over the Zephyr? I was thinking about the zephyr but I’ve seen many folks upgrade the bearings on those which I’m not opposed to doing it is an additional cost. How would you say those two match up competitively?
Thank you 🙏
First - Let me say I'm not a KK fan at all. Their products, customer service, and business practices are about the worst I've experienced. I started to get into some of their products, but couldn't really justify spending time doing the reviews and giving them publicity after I started trying their stuff and communicating with the company.
But even if I wasn't heavily biased by my experiences, I'd still go with the Micro Monster over the Zephyr. I have yet to feel the need to upgrade the bearigns in any of the reels I use consistently. Since the Kingdom can do pretty light weights and handle more traditional finesse weights, I just think it's a good deal. Then the bonus spool is the kicker.
Just ordered the Micro Monster in purple version and asked Kingdom to send me the second spool 😄 Now I’m waiting for them and paid only 37€
Awesome. Hope they do that for you!
@@AaronHuntFishing also ordered the Handing Magic Shadow & Miracle, I bought last month the Handing M1 Spinning combo, M1 Baitcasting reel, Magic Soul, Magic L UL with the M1 Spinning and the Tsurinoya Dark Wolf Ultra and Seasir Cast XZ. Now I want to buy those : Lemoren Fuji Cast, Mifine Outrange Spin, Handing Sindorei XH Cast, Handing Magic L 2.44m 5-15g Cast, Mavllos Delicacy, and I think the Soloking Acura Pro maybe. I’m crazy I know 🤣 But what reel do you recommend for 15-30g lure for Baitcasting to pair with one of those reels?
I am looking at getting one of these
Good reel - still think the one I had was the best of the "clones".
@@AaronHuntFishing used my acura this morning, I loved it.
Looks like a nice unit
Suprisingly nice.
can you put an aftermarket handle on these, if so what size would I have to get? Thanks for the informative video.
Yes you can! Should be an 8x5.
@@AaronHuntFishing Thanks!
If you had to pick one budget reel what would it be ? Microsoft monster- soloking Acura or the Dark wolf ultra? I’m in the process of building my bfs arsenal I have the rods just need reels I’m gonna buy 3
Probably the Acura Pro. I think the Micro Monster I had was the best casting of the three, but it may have been an anomaly. And the DWU is just sentimental. But the Acura is like $34 right now... just a killer deal for probably the best performer: s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DBHu8wL
Thank you for your time and your advice I’m going with the Acura I can get micro from Amazon for $71 but the Acura is $67 but I do like trying different reels lol
4:03 but we're talking about bfs right? I don't really see no point in throwing +10g lures with a bfs setup since most people buy them only for the reason that they could throw lures that weight LOWER than 10g right? How does this reel handle with 0-7g lures with since that's what im thinking of getting it for? And how does it compare to the Kastking Zephyr, great video as always btw 👍
0 grams? Ain't gonna happen. 1 gram to 7 - fantastic. I fish BFS almost exclusively, and fish the entire range of BFS from 0.5 to 15 grams - which is why I discuss it. KK - I find most of their stuff to be either underwhelming, overpriced, poor qulaity, or some combo of the three. For my money, the Micro Monster crushes them like Godzilla vs. Tokyo....
@@AaronHuntFishing Okay thank you a lot, and to clarify, 1-7 grams is what i meant really. I just bought a kastking spartacus plus for the 7-23g range but im not sure if i should return it and go for the bfs instead since i haven't used it yet, i was thinking of buying the bfs setup later but i already have decent amount of 7-130g sets so a bfs would be perfect 🤔
What size braid did you use on this reel? I just purchased this real and have 15lb test on my dark wolf but curious what you use? Thanks great video.
I was running 6 and 8 pound on that reel.
I'd assume being bfs 15pnd is a bit overkill right?
@@ConTheDon187 Yeah, for me it would be. I max out at 10lb. I never like to put too strong of a line on my rods - rather snap the line than the rod. And you sacrifice casting distance with heavier line.
Would it be better to pick up one of these higher end CDM reels or an older model aldebaran like the 12 or 15?
I haven't used the older models, but the braking systems have advanced a lot since then. They were still good, but I think after the 15 the new FTB system came out for shimano, and then the AIR system for Daiwa.
So which one still you prefer, is it micro monster or dark wolf 50?
Probably the micro monster. but it's a toss up. the Doviello or soloking Acura might be better than both these days.
I just received mine (may 2024). Upon inspection I am disappointed to see that the side plate bearing is 2.5x8x4 (vs the DWU clones usual 3x8x4) which is impossible to find. The spool bearing is the usual 3x8x4. This is a big minus on my books.
Good to know for those that mod their reels.
Do you sell reels like this? Just wondering. I love testing new reels just dont have the budget would love to try some out at an even more discounted price.
I do periodically. The last group (which included this one) I sold last fall. Eventually I just get to a point of having too many, you know? :)
Hello there! Bad luck for me I guess
I ordered the Micro Monster and went to Kingdom Support on AliExpress, told them that I want this version with the extra spool in it. After that my request was confirmed, I also wrote in the info of the order that I need the second spool
The reel it arrived today, it did not come with the spool, and also it doesn’t even spin , like all the magnets are turned on, it’s not spinning on a hard reel and letting the spool free, no chance, I checked the bearings, they’re greased but when I am moving them with my finger no chance to spin for 2 seconds
I went to support again and I received a refund on it
I just want to know why it’s not spinning like it should be
I got the DWU couple days ago and it didn’t spin so much at first but at least now it spins vey good unlike the Micro Monster
Yep - sounds like bad luck. Got a bad one. Kind of like a $350 coffee grinder i got this week; died on the 6th cup of coffee. It happens. (Grinder is being replaced by the company too).
@@AaronHuntFishing In the end I got the reel with ‘too greased bearings’ and after cleaning jt a bit it runs better, It is smooth as the DWU but the DWU still seems way better in hand and in practice , I will clean the bearings more with an air spray and then use some proper bearings oil, maybe changing the bearings will be a good option, but still no second spool ☹️
@@AaronHuntFishing the good part is that I got a refund on the reel
Hey your not selling any of your bfs rods and reels are you?
Yep, many of the reels are gone, and have some rods going soon. Email me at info@anglingwithaaron.com if you're interested.
I recently purchased this reel. One complaint- the DRAG STINKS, way too tight. Fully backed down it’s more than the line can handle.
That doesn't sound right. My reels, fully backed down there is pretty much no resistance. I will say the drag on most of these inexpensive reels isn't as smooth or consistent as the better JDM reels. But they've all been decent. And no lost fish due to drag quality.
So, what I'm hearing is don't try expensive reels and you'll be happy with the majority of these variants...👍
I'd say that's pretty accurate. Kind of like if you don't know what you're missing...
I typed in micro monster bfs reel into Amazon and it came up 🤔
Awesome, so it's on Amazon now! Good to know. Kinda weird though - still doesn't show up for me. Feel free to share a link.
I sent the link through IG, YT didn't let me post it here
Yea found on Amazon
@@jordanalexander436 Awesome. Guess they just don't want me to find it there! :P
@@jordanalexander436 It's cheaper than Ali Express 🔥🔥🔥