Battle Of The $130 Baitcasters

[Toeshots]

Checked out the following today at BPS:

- Diawa TD Pro

- BPS Johnny Morris Carbonlite

- Abu Garcia Revo S

- Shimano Citica

- Browning Midas

In terms of feel in the palm, I though the Diawa and BPS felt the most solid followed closely by the Browning. However, the reviews contradict the feel. Based on the reviews, these reels appear to be generally ranked:

T-1 - Shimano/Browning

3 - AG Revo

4 - BPS JM Carbonlite

5 - Diawa TD Pro

My next baitcaster will likely be one if these five. Can anybody comment as to the performance and durability of these reels? Obviously the feel of a demo doesn't mean much...

[roadwarrior]

Which one is a Shimano?

[Crappiebasser]

I would find a NIB Citica E on Ebay over everything you mentioned. You can find them less than $100 new.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

If you can get a good Carbonlite thats what I would pick. By that I mean a smooth one they have an issue of being hit/miss with the smoothness of retrieve geary feel. I greased my gears and that help very much plus it is a great caster. Ive went head to head with my 50E throwing down to Bitsy Minnow size cranks and the Carbonlite equals the 50E in distance. The lightweight is nice if you have a rod that balances well with just a 5.9oz rod. Mine is on a Smoke rod that is made for a light reel balances very well.

[LgMouthGambler]

Which one is a Shimano?

What he said, lol.

[Bair]

Get the Citica.

[tstone]

I would find a NIB Citica E on Ebay over everything you mentioned. You can find them less than $100 new.

This, even better if you can find a curado e

[Arv]

x2 on the used e's. If not, IMO you cant go wrong with the revo or the citica

[MrSwimJig]

I got two JM Carbonlite reels at the Spring Classic for a very good price and have been very happy with their performance. But of those reels mentioned I would go with Shimano Citica.

[J Francho]

There's a Curado 51e for sale int he Flea Market for $140.

[Arv]

If I had the money I would've already got that 51e... I love the 50/51e's. I'd jump on that deal if I was you.

[Arv]

There's also a Lews TP for 130. Another great reel at a great price.

[21farms]

toeshots, did you notice those 5 lb. display handles all the demo reels were mounted on? all that extra weight dampens and masks vibrations, making all the reels seem smoother than they really are. when mounted on a 4 ounce rod, things will change considerably. also, display reels tend to have the spool tension knob extra loose and, many times, missing altogether...this too has the effect of making the reel feel smoother than it really would when properly adjusted for actual fishing conditions.

from the reels on your list, i've had examples of them all except for the browning (although my revo S was the 2nd-generation model and my citicas are the E-series). regarding the carbonlites, quake-n-shake is so right...you gotta be real careful with them and make sure you get a good one. the first one i ordered online felt like an eggbeater...i drove an hour to my closest BPS to exchange it and had the clerk take out a bunch of them before i settled on the best one but, even then, it still wasn't what i would consider smooth. so, a couple of weeks go by and i decide i can't live with it and drove back for another exchange. they had just gotten in a fresh shipment and i went through a few boxes before i finally found one that was "fairly smooth". it is still the roughest out of all my reels but i'm keeping it because it is the only sub-6 ounce reel i currently own.

the citica and revo S are fine, dependable reels. personally, i find the 80mm revo handles to be too short while the knobs on the citica are too small...but, maybe that's just me. i'd actually recommend you add the BPS pro qualifier to your list...on sale for $80 and not far off from the revo S or citica IMHO.

as for the daiwa TD pro, i found absolutely nothing special about it..."meh" might be a good word. if you were willing to go to $140, the daiwa lexa 100 should be included. i've only used mine twice so far but it is smoother than all my under-$180 reels.

[BassinLou]

I do not have experience with any of the reels mentioned except for the Revo S (3rd G). I am really, really enjoying this reel. I ordered it on Black Friday and received shortly there after. This is my primary reel for bank fishing and I throw all my soft plastics with it. Since late Nov til today actually I have landed 40+ LMB with it and its still going strong. I know its still new however I have confidence in AG and this reel will last for a while. I have it paired with a 7ft MH Carbonlite and its sweeet. I am eyeing the Shimano 50E but I will wait for the Spring Classic . As far as details of this reel, its extremely smooth, when I have to crank down on a fish it does it with no problem. Castability, I set 3 of the pins adjust the control knob accordingly and I am set. Backlashes close to non existent. Weight, reel + rod= feather light.

[Toeshots]

Thanks for all the info, guys. Seems like Shimano would be the best option at that price point, although, in looking around some more, it looks like buying used may be the best bang for the buck. It brings $200 rods and reels into my budget which opens the door to a lot more choices.

There's a local guy that sells a lot of used, higher-end gear. I've been researching the stuff he has, so if something really peaks my interest, I'll probably ****** it up. Time is on my side as it's not exactly fishing season here in the Midwest.

[VinnieT]

Citica or Revo

[The one that got away]

I'd look for a used Citica E or Curado E. You can find the Citica E for less than $100, or a used Curado for around your price.

Also, there are two Chronarch 51e reels in the Flea Market here for $140/each (they look mint), that may be the way to go if you are looking for a smaller reel.

[Arv]

Also, there are two Chronarch 51e reels in the Flea Market here for $140/each (they look mint), that may be the way to go if you are looking for a smaller reel.

Bump up 15 bucks and get one of them! AGH! I wish I had the money or I'd have both of them right now.

[The one that got away]

Bump up 15 bucks and get one of them! AGH! I wish I had the money or I'd have both of them right now.

Sorry to RichLach47 who has the reels for sale, I didn't mean to misquote your price - $145 each, not $140 as I incorrectly stated. Still an awesome deal.

Borrow the $15 from your brother, girlfriend, neighbor, fishing partner or whoever and buy one of them - you'll be happy!

[jhoffman]

No shimano fan boys in this thread lol

[LgMouthGambler]

No shimano fan boys in this thread lol

[Arv]

Don't have to be a fan boy to know thats a great deal haha

[jhoffman]

I prefer my reels have no spool shaft running through the pinion gear.

I would choose the BPS(because of weight and warranty) or Daiwa. Third choice would be the shimano, if I saw a quantum that wasnt the smoke, I would run!