Lews Tournament Lite Vs Team Lite Vs Bb1 Pro

[thecadman99]

Hey all,

I'm looking top purchase my first reel over $100-  I'm really stuck on the new Lews reels with the external centrifugal system.  From what I can gather, these are the three reels with this system.

 

I will be putting it on a St. Crox Rage rod RC610MXF, which is rated all the way down to 1/8 oz lures.

 

I bass and walleye fish, and plan to throw lots of topwater, zara puppy, torpedos, as well as heavier lipless crankbaits, and the occasional shaky head. 

 

I already have the cheaper lews laser reel (and use it quite a bit) as well as tons of my dads old reels from the 70's and 80's, so I'm looking for something I can throw a lighter bait with. 

 

I would probably mostly use braided line with a fluorocarbon leader.  

 

I almost bought the BB1, but i wasn't sure if it would throw lighter lures a well as the smaller Lite reels. 

Then I almost bought the Tournament lite, but I was worried about the graphite frame (thats a lot of $ for non-metal frame?)

 

Which reel would you suggest?

[thecadman99]

Anyone with the BB1 pro care to chime in?  I'd really like to know how well it throws 1/4 oz lures.

[black94gt50]

My father has a bb1, it is def more suited for bigger baits. He has it on one of his cranking rods, and works well with medium-large cranks, but doesn't do great with light lures. The bb1 pro would be a different story. I just picked up a tournament mg lews at gander mountain for 99$, you may wanna look around and see if there are any sales close to you. As far as the new lite reels they have, I have no clue, haven't used one or seen one in person yet.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

I had a BB1 Pro and would say pass on it for the range you wanting to toss. Just going by the lure rating of the rage rod 1/8-5/16 is lower than what BB1 Pro is just starting to be good with. 

[PAGreg]

I have a bb1 pro and its my favorite reel. I throw 1/4 oz chatterbaits with it easily. The brakes offer so much adjustability which makes it easy to dial in but I rarely have to adjust it. I'm using it spooled with 40# Smackdown on a *** Green. The combo is the most versatile setup I have and I have 3 other ***/lews combos.

Also, everyone seems to gripe about the wide spool on the bb1. You're talking 1/4" wider at most and it fits in my hand just the same as my other lews reels.

[bdheagren@gmail.com]

I have both a tournament pro and the BB1

 

Here is the difference in the reels you are looking at

 

Team Lite has a aluminum frame, and a carbon crank, the frame is more durable then the carbon frames

Tournament Lite is basicly the same as the tournament pro except it has an aluminum crank, externally adjustable brake and is 1 oz lighter

BB1 Pro has a larger spool so it will not throw lighter stuff as well, has to do with the rate that the spool gains momentum.

 

I am about to purchase 2 Tournament Lites, mainly for lighter style soft baits, and the second as a general purpose reel for my dad.  

 

It all comes down to if you want to spend the extra cash on the aluminum framed Team Lite. My T-Pro throws light stuff great.  I have it paired with a 7'0" Veritas medium/fast rod. 

 

 

[thecadman99]

Thanks to all for the helpful replies. 

 

Great post bdheagren- that really makes me want the team lite.  Does the carbon frame on the tournament lite seem to have any flex?  I have a cheap lews laser baitcaster, but it functions very well.  I do feel that the fram has a bit of flex, though I haven't had it affect performance.  The largest thing I've caught is a 4lb walleye though... 

 

PAgreg- that makes me want the bb1 pro even more- I'm going to try to hold out till spring and see if the price drops on the bb1 pro after the release of the new lites. 

[PAGreg]

I too have a lews laser that I have retired. I had wanted something cheap to use to throw a-rigs. I quickly found out how much the frame on the laser flexed. I'll tell you that you will be absolutely blown away by the difference between the laser and the higher end lews reels. I picked up one of the new tournament mbs about a month ago for the 8.3:1 ratio and I'm really impressed with it for the price and its a lower end model. I will probably get another bb1 pro or tourny pro before spring.

[bdheagren@gmail.com]

There is no flex that i can feel.  Both my T-Pro and BB1 Pro are solid reals.  I caught a 16lb catfish fishing a rage rigged 10in worm, 15lb flouro, on the T-Pro and it worked fine.  Drag held and i felt no flex.  My BB1 has landed 5lb bass no problam  I have it on my cranking rod so it does not get used as much as i mainly fish plastics.  Great reel though as the externally adjustable brake lets you compensate for wind without opening the palming cover.  

 

My T-Pro would be a T-Lite but i bought it befor they came out.

[thecadman99]

There is no flex that i can feel.  Both my T-Pro and BB1 Pro are solid reals.  I caught a 16lb catfish fishing a rage rigged 10in worm, 15lb flouro, on the T-Pro and it worked fine.  Drag held and i felt no flex.  My BB1 has landed 5lb bass no problam  I have it on my cranking rod so it does not get used as much as i mainly fish plastics.  Great reel though as the externally adjustable brake lets you compensate for wind without opening the palming cover.  

 

My T-Pro would be a T-Lite but i bought it befor they came out.

That is good to know.  I bet the graphite frame on the t-pro is a different league than their sub $100 reels.  I still don't know what to get, I just want to throw a 1/2oz redeye shad over 50 yards

[bdheagren@gmail.com]

Either reel should do it.  Not sure how far i cast with it but i know that my dad is having to buy new reels so that when he fishes with me he can cast as far as i do.    

[smalljaw67]

Stick to the aluminum frame, if you're going to spend that much money get something you know is going to be strong enough. Graphite frames weaken over time, they hold up for a bit and depending on hard you use them will determine how long they last. My buddy retired an old Shimano Bass One reel that was graphite and never had a problem with it, he got a Caenan and the second season the frame flexed a bit and the gears never lined up right again and now it sounds and feels like a coffee grinder. Get the aluminum frame because you'll always wonder if your going to have a problem stuck in the back of your mind.

[bdheagren@gmail.com]

I had to check but here is the composition of the reels

 

T-Pro has an aluminum frame with graphite side plates

T-Lite has Carbon composite frame and side plates

Team-Lite has an aluminum frames and carbon side plates

 

Smalljaw67 is right about the aluminum frame vs a graphite frame.  I am unsure how well the carbon comp frames are going to be.  I know in other applications carbon composites are phenomenally lite and durable.  

 

If you have the extra money i would probably go with the team-lite.

[Master Bait'r]

I have the BB1 Pro and as much as I love it for frogs and big stuff I would TOTALLY buy the T-lite for that.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

That is good to know.  I bet the graphite frame on the t-pro is a different league than their sub $100 reels.  I still don't know what to get, I just want to throw a 1/2oz redeye shad over 50 yards

 

The operator of the reel will most likely be the #1 factor to accomplish this feat with todays low profile reels. I have an 11 year old $70 Pinnacle reel that I get this distance with 1/2oz res. All my other reels, in my hands, will as well.

[Kyle46N]

Good points by all.  I would like to add some experience in regard to the frame strength of the tournament pro.  I used to live in Biloxi, MS, and used it on a 7 ft medium Falcon Bucoo.   I've done battle with a 25 lb jack crevalle, and several 30 lb red drum.  Accidental hook ups while trout and flounder fishing.  The tournament pro handled them like a champ....long fights too.....at least twenty minutes on all of them.  They tested the heck out of the drag system.  Over a year later, I'm now catching bass on the same reel, and have had zero issues.  Long story short, if that's not a test on a reels strength....nothing is!

[PitchinJigz]

I have the Team Lite and in my opinion it is the best reel under $300. Extremely light, more than enough drag, solid spool capacity, smooth and long casts, and a smooth retrieve. The externally adjustable centrifugal system is great, and quick to adjust. Great reel, highly recommend.

[Tywithay]

I had to check but here is the composition of the reels

T-Pro has an aluminum frame with graphite side plates

T-Lite has Carbon composite frame and side plates

Team-Lite has an aluminum frames and carbon side plates

Smalljaw67 is right about the aluminum frame vs a graphite frame. I am unsure how well the carbon comp frames are going to be. I know in other applications carbon composites are phenomenally lite and durable.

If you have the extra money i would probably go with the team-lite.

Graphite is carbon composite.

The difference between the two in this application is one is a powder, the other uses small fibers.

[bdheagren@gmail.com]

Thank you for the clarification.  

[Audiobarry]

I have visited your site recently to research different products and techniques.  I am just now joining into the discussion.  I have been a Lew's user since the late Seventies.  I took a break from tournament fishing for about 8 years, but am now back fishing now for recreation only. I have discovered that the tech in fishing has really changed a lot in the past 8 years. When I started back, I wanted to upgrade some of my tackle a bit.  I have since purchase a Lew's Tournament MG and a BB1 Pro.  I am using the Tournament MG on my flipping stick (seems really strong). My purchase of the BB1 Pro was specifically to cast lite topwaters (modified Pop-Rs in particular).  I have used a vintage BB1N for this task through the years.  With the same length/action rod and line size (12 lb mono), I compared my casting distance with a hookless Pop-R.  I was pleasantly surprised at the results.  With my old rig I could consistanly cast the bait 60 feet (measured with a tape measure).  With the new BB1 Pro I could cast 85 feet.  I am now considering a Team Lews Pro for my next purchase.  Can anyone speak to the comparison to the TLP1 compared to the BB1 Pro?  Should I consider one of the Team Lite models?

A couple of comments about my experience with Lew's reels in general. In regards to durability, other than replacing maybe one paw on a 1980's BB1N, all of my Lew's have original parts (about 12 reels in all). Regarding strength; I recently caught a 30 lb. blue cat on the Tennessee River on a deep crankbait with one of my old BB1N (35 year old reel) w/12 lb. line.  Drag still smooth and still cast a big "crank" a mile.

[bdheagren@gmail.com]

The team lite is designed for lighter applications.  I have one on a medium action 7ft veritas and am currently using it to throw 7in trick worms with a 1/16 oz weight.  

I also have a tournament lite set up as my shakey head and drop shot rod, paired with a 7ft fenwick HMX medium action.

I have a BB! pro set on a 7'3" HM veritas as a heavier action worming rod

 

Love all 3 reels and none of them have ever failed.  Hope this helps

[carlm01]

I own several Lews including the tournament pro,, BB1 , and 2 of the Lite series ,they are all very good reels in my opinion, I've never had any issues with them ...

[fisherrw]

I had a bb1 pro but disliked it. Really the main problem was the frame was just too big for my hand. Traded it for a curado I couldent have been happier

[BIGGUNZ]

Bb1 pro way bigger spool , longer cast cover more water, more fish. Team lite is lighter but bb1 pro is also really light