Chinese 11 Bearing Baitcasting Review:the One You See Everywhere:

[primetime]

I wanted to give a review for the $30 11 bearing baitcasting reel that we all have probably seen online and wondered about. It looks like many of the top notch reels on the market, the description and type of bearings make the reel sound much better than the $30-$40 price tag....

 

I decided to order the model manufactured by "Winner" and after ordering it I was confused as I noticed the same shell of a reel all over the internet with bearing counts up to 14!

 

I am not here to dispute bearing counts, but the only thing I can say positive about this reel is that it said "Winner" on the reel, and I feel as though I am a winner, even if the reel was junk right out of the box....First off, so much play in the handle, but it also have issues with the buttom sticking every time I would cast and I a have purchased inexpensive reels before, and they have never been this bad....Cosmetics and look- AWESOME...Function:Aweful....

 

I figured it would be garbage but I was "hoping" to find a steel.....Trust me, at least the one that I receveived, is not worth $30....I would rather buy the Bass pro Mega cast Anyday.

 

If you are on a budget and are looking for a good reel, you are way better off purchasing an entry level model from Abu Garcia, Shimano, Okuma, Daiwa,Quantuam, Pinnacle, and I hope I did not forget anyone....And Pflueger....

 

I hate the phrase you get what you pay for, since value is what you pay for, and this reel and I am assuming almost all of them are not worth the value of even $30 which is dirt cheap for a baitcasting reel. Maybe there are better one's out there, but this company seemed to have them all on their site that I have ever seen and they are not Okuma or Revo's,,,,,I just had to see myself, but I am still a winner, at least the reel says so......

 

[Darren.]

Nice "warning/review"!

[roadwarrior]

We have another member who touted some Chinese junk last year.

Not surprisingly he has never followed-up with a review. I for one

appreciate your review and the fact that you aren't really surprised

nor disappointed.  The thing I hate is kids that can't afford an experiment

buying into these scams.

[F14A-B]

Yes Sir , exactly what RW said, and especially his last sentence , absolutely !

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Yup, I'd rather spend $100 than waste $50 no matter what I'm spending it on. Hate throwing good money after bad.

[Raul]

So you wasted  $30.

 

The problem is not where it was made but with what and how it was made.

[bootytrain]

So you wasted  $30.

 

The problem is not where it was made but with what and how it was made.

So true, a $30 dollar baitcaster is going to be crap no matter what country its made it.. China, Japan, Germany, the U.S. or Mars..

[jignfule]

Oh come on, with 11 bearings it has to be good.

[baluga]

Is not a total loss after all,  you have 11 bearings as a spare. 

[Raul]

Is not a total loss after all,  you have 11 bearings as a spare. 

Can't expect a lot of quality from a 2.90 bones a piece bearing. I wouldn't put any in my reels.

[Master Bait'r]

So true, a $30 dollar baitcaster is going to be crap no matter what country its made it.. China, Japan, Germany, the U.S. or Mars..

 

 

 

This makes me wonder what the exchange rate is from the Dollar -> Mars money.

[mod479]

I've never even seen these on flea bay til now, sounds like some mighty fine qualtity control. Sticking button from factory is unacceptable at any price beyond free. Shows you bearing count means nothing. Quality components and real QA/QC is everything. Its like letting a new car roll out of the factory with the gas pedal sticking.  

[primetime]

I was hoping to hit a home run and get a reconditoned or obsolete Revo, it looked the part, came from a trading company in Asia we work with and I have purchased reconditioned, blemished, overstocked reels in the past, I can't afford MOQ for them or OEM, but he had 200 of a popular spinning reel available and in 2 years only aware of a few warranty claims and all worked out....If you have LOTS OF TIME ON YOUR HANDS, CAN TALK ON IM ALL NIGHT, DIG THROUGH MILLIONS OF PAGES, YOU CAN FIND CRAZY STUFF...Patents are just not part of the culture, and I know they are getting the lures and terminal tackle, gear from legit OEM's, paperwork....

 

 

Anyway, the ones on Ebay are from $19-$58, all look the same but are from different factories in different cities, I thought I had a shot for a 2 year old revo for $30, feedback was good on it, over 2k sold in Europe, but if on Ebay its surely fake, I thought won slipped through but nope, I now have a smooth handle that wobbles more than my swing jig.....it has legit bearings and casts further than any of my reels, T3, Helios, other nice reels, has same plastic spool as revo, just was put together missing a few pieces I think....

 

Moral of the story is, but lures from overseas especially when every one I know seems to be buying the same ones and then naming them, and patents for lures, are funny....I highly recommend the Evolve Baits, especially the walker, great lure, Strike Pro and Duo stepped up big time as well....Also, I think it is maybe Bassday???? Homerun, sharing stuff with Evergreen and Deps...Awesome deals on japanese soft baits right now, hoping my friend comes through with all these Damiki Tubes I love, I can live with the IKA, but the Hydra is a generation ahead of us and the silicone they are using is amazing....18" floating Big Hammer swimbait, and it took us 9/0 with 2 DOA pinch weights, thing still chopped water wihthout effort...

 

My advice is if you like to design lures and tackle, read tackle retail magazine, get ahead of the curve as you can see trends years in advance...10:1 4 oz reel coming next year Is my guess.....and Hopefully 3 of my creations and 5 I am picking out of a catalog like others do.....

 

don't buy chinese stuff on ebay, or canadian, Nj,NY, they all ship fast now, but if you see any colors that look cheap or red/white sloppy, they are not sierra minnows, and the osp and xpods are close but not exact, and hooks break....This time of year is crazy for deals but also fakes, careful with braid even if from a local shop, smell it, as they are making awesome fakes that you can't tell until spooling and hearing it cast....Samurai 50/50 imo. Also, custom painted lures, no box reels or items, or deal is to good for fireline, spiderwire, and now FLuorocarbon.....Drives me nuts, that line meant more than a reel to me....

[primetime]

Is not a total loss after all,  you have 11 bearings as a spare. 

It actually wasn't a total loss, I salvaged the handle which is sweet and has 10 bearing so it is smooth and fits my old Pflueger President like a Boss, makes the reel feel like a winch...Can't kill that reel, year 6, smooth as can be and it gets worked....Yea, Ebay is a joke, however, all house brand lures are all over now, just have to change out hooks, but I never minded paying $1.99 for stuff on sale and  I hate changing out rings and hooks....But, some expensive baits are out there and hopefully the companies catch them, but Japanese companies will claim they are fake.....Guess thats all you can do, many are not Huge and wealthy I don't think.....New house brand lures are getting nicer and it's pushing companies who sell average lures for $8.....Every week a new line of topwaters are out and selling for $30 each....NO more insects, frogs and real image...sorry for ramble, I get burnt this time of year, copies or not, I am impressed with new Chinese Stuff compared to past years, and now using owner hooks if legit company, some are.....

[new2BC4bass]

Not all $30 reels are junk.  I paid that on closeout for my Daiwa Procaster 100HN.  Got it cleaned.  Solid sounding spool release and engagement.  Casts well.  Smooth retrieve.  Looks good.  Not the lightest reel, but its weight doesn't bother me.  This reel feels well made.  Of course it wasn't really a $30 reel.  It listed for $69.95 so I guess it shouldn't be directly compared to a reel listing for $30.

 

Yeah, I'm like Mike.  I'd rather spend $100 on a known quality than waste $30 praying I got a good deal.  I'd rather put that $30 towards lures....especially with my tendency to lose crankbaits. 

[SirSnookalot]

Being a strictly a spinning user I can buy name brand reel at my corner store for 30-$50, if I want to go cheap and have a decent performing reel.  Don't think I'd go the off brand route even for an experiment. 

I have bought lures and terminal tackle that have worked out just fine.

[FishTank]

I always feel bad for people who buy this stuff and end up wasting their hard earned money.  Maybe it would be best to find a reputable dealer, be patient, save your money and wait for a sale. Reels, rods and lures always get clearanced out and great deals can be found.  Today's cool new tech reel is tomorrows bargain (if you don't mind waiting).

[Raul]

I always feel bad for people who buy this stuff and end up wasting their hard earned money.  Maybe it would be best to find a reputable dealer, be patient, save your money and wait for a sale. Reels, rods and lures always get clearanced out and great deals can be found.  Today's cool new tech reel is tomorrows bargain (if you don't mind waiting).

Oh yeah, I "saved" 120 dollars from retail price per reel when the TDZ got discontinued, I got me 4 of those reels.

[Predator130]

I've actually had great success for the last month with a sharpcat that was $29.00.  I wanted to try a left handed reel for cheap and I decided to also test the chinese baitcasters at the same time.  So far I've landed several nice bass with it frog fishing and it has stood up to the abuse.  Much better than I can say for the cheap pinnacle I had tried.   Like others have mentioned only time will tell but the bearings are the same in all reels so it really comes down the the fit and finish of the frame those bearing sit in.  I did choose one specifically that had a centrifugal brake instead of a mag brake.  Figure it's pretty hard to mess up a manual brake and sure enough it adjusts easily to whatever weight of lure I'm throwing.  I'm all for Lexas and Citicas, but you can't deny value in a cheap reel if it does the job.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

I agree that bearings are only a part of the picture but I ca assure you that they are not all created equal. Materials and tolerances are where it's at along with QC of course. The longevity over a period of time will tell you if it was a good investment.

[aavery2]

 has same plastic spool as revo, just was put together missing a few pieces I think....

 

Remind me, which Revo has a plastic spool ?