Baitcasting reels: Cadence CB8 vs Kastking Royal Legend Elite

[dsw1204]

Hi, I have never thrown a baitcasting reel, but I want to start.  So, I thought I would look at a couple of companies that have a reputation of good quality that is not very expensive, at least to start out.  The two companies' reels are Cadence CB8 and the Kastking Royal Legend Elite.  The Elite will have the same retrieve ratio as the CB8.

 

If any of you have any experience with either of these reels, please let me know what you think.  Tell me the pros and cons of the one you have experience with.  If you have experience with both, that would be even better.

 

Thanks.

[jakkbauer]

I will recommend the Shimano Casitas. That is the first bait caster I owned and it was nice enough I'd still use it today if I hadn't dropped it in the lake. If you get something crappy once you get the hang of it you will just throw it on the shelf and get a better reel. You will do this anyway but this might last you a bit longer before hitting the shelf.

[Russ E]

I own 2 royal legend elites. They are ok for throwing heavier baits. I use them for crankbaits and not much else.

With having linear magnetic brakes only, they take an experienced thumb to control over runs. 

There are much better reels available for beginners. 

I am not familiar with that model of shimano.

If you are just learning, I would suggest a Diawa fuego. Roughly the same price and much more forgiving. 

[dsw1204]

3 hours ago, jakkbauer said:

I will recommend the Shimano Casitas. That is the first bait caster I owned and it was nice enough I'd still use it today if I hadn't dropped it in the lake. If you get something crappy once you get the hang of it you will just throw it on the shelf and get a better reel. You will do this anyway but this might last you a bit longer before hitting the shelf.

The Casitas is a little beyond my budget for my beginner casting reel.  If I am not happy with my baitcasting experince, I won't be out a whole lot of money with either the Royal Legend Elite or the CB8.  The Casitas is just too much $ at this time.

[txchaser]

Daiwa Fuego is often available at that price, and the magforce is very forgiving.

[Dogface]

A friend once told me I was too poor to be cheap. I listened to him. I buy good quality gear. Sometimes I have to save a little longer but I am much more satisfied in the end. 

 

If you can't afford new then buy used but buy quality. 

 

Good luck!

[greentrout]

i use the kk rage red ... IPT little over 34 inches ... wt. 7.2 oz. 17 lbs drag ... love it for worm fishing ... if it needs repairs which i don't see right now ... have a company that has the parts and expertise to do so ... bought for 50 dollars with shipping ... on sale ... i can't beat that ... and i ain't paying for a vp's house and trophy wife ...

 

good fishing ...

 

 

[dsw1204]

On 5/17/2019 at 1:55 PM, Russ E said:

I own 2 royal legend elites. They are ok for throwing heavier baits. I use them for crankbaits and not much else.

With having linear magnetic brakes only, they take an experienced thumb to control over runs. 

There are much better reels available for beginners. 

I am not familiar with that model of shimano.

If you are just learning, I would suggest a Diawa fuego. Roughly the same price and much more forgiving. 

So, you are telling me that with magnetic brakes, I have to be more "in tune" to the reel to prevent backlashes?  If the reel has centrifugal brakes, then the reel will be a little more forgiving...in that regard?  Is that what you are saying?

 

I plan on throwing a soft bait like a hellgramite or a crayfish using a Texas rig, mostly.  Would you recommend the Diawa for that type of fishing?

Has anybody had any experience with the Cadence CB8 reel (or any Cadence baitcasting reels)?

 

I picked up their CR5 spinning rod and really like it.  I am not an experienced fisherman, but the rod just seems to be very well made. It's a 7' med./heavy and I have it paired with a Pflueger Supreme XT (30 size).  I have been enjoying the combo.

[Russ E]

31 minutes ago, dsw1204 said:

So, you are telling me that with magnetic brakes, I have to be more "in tune" to the reel to prevent backlashes?  If the reel has centrifugal brakes, then the reel will be a little more forgiving...in that regard?  Is that what you are saying?

 

I plan on throwing a soft bait like a hellgramite or a crayfish using a Texas rig, mostly.  Would you recommend the Diawa for that type of fishing?

Has anybody had any experience with the Cadence CB8 reel (or any Cadence baitcasting reels)?

 

I picked up their CR5 spinning rod and really like it.  I am not an experienced fisherman, but the rod just seems to be very well made. It's a 7' med./heavy and I have it paired with a Pflueger Supreme XT (30 size).  I have been enjoying the combo.

the royal legend elite has stationary magnetic brakes only.  They work , but take a trained thumb to control. Especially with lighter baits.

 

 

The Fuego has a magforce-z  brake. It is a hybrid between centrifugal and magnetic brakes  The magnets move in and out, according to how fast the spool is spinning. for a beginner it is ,in my opinion, the easiest to learn..

if you plan on throwing light baits, the Diawa is definitely the better option.

 

 

 

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[Bluebasser86]

I have a red RLE. It's been a great reel that will really bomb a bait out there. I use mine mainly for larger walking baits and ploppers with 20lb braid. I haven't noticed it being difficult to control at all but maybe I just hit the settings right before I made my first cast. IMO, it's one of the top 3 KK baitcasters. 

[GeekOutdoors]

5 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I have a red RLE. It's been a great reel that will really bomb a bait out there. I use mine mainly for larger walking baits and ploppers with 20lb braid. I haven't noticed it being difficult to control at all but maybe I just hit the settings right before I made my first cast. IMO, it's one of the top 3 KK baitcasters. 

For my better understanding, the two others being?

[Bluebasser86]

5 minutes ago, GeekFisher said:

For my better understanding, the two others being?

The Assassin and Speed Demon Pro. 

[Russ E]

after reading my previous post I wanted to make a clarification.

I have and use KastKing equipment. it is all functional. I don't have any complaints.

the reason I suggested the Diawa reel was, @dsw1204  mentioned he was a first time baitcaster user.

 

Recently I introduced a friend to bass fishing and using baitcasting gear.

He tried my Royal Legend Elite, Abu Garcia Revo SX, BPS pro qualifier, and Diawa Fuego. 

the Fuego was hands down easier for him to use with minimal backlashes.

The Royal legend Elite was the most difficult for him to control.

 

 

His favorite reel was my Diawa Tatula SV, but that was out of his price range.

[greentrout]

 

[The1Fist]

I have multiple of both, Royale legend and cb8. My Royale legend have 4 pin centrifugal and magnetic brakes. The paint is all but gone in a lot of places. It's heavy as all hell. In my opinion, there might as well be a slimy rag in there for a brake system. Very tough to adjust correctly and loves backlashes. The CB8's are great SO FAR. Since I've only had them 6 months, time will tell how they hold up. I fish 3-5 times a week on average in Texas reservoirs using 12+ lb copolymer and/or 15-40lb braid. 

If I had to pick TODAY, it would be the CB8 hands down. Smooth, brakes work, bearings are fairly quiet. The outer construction and it's durability is what I somewhat question.

All that being said, if you saved a smidge more for a Lew's LFS it would feel light-years better

[Bluebasser86]

13 hours ago, The1Fist said:

I have multiple of both, Royale legend and cb8. My Royale legend have 4 pin centrifugal and magnetic brakes. The paint is all but gone in a lot of places. It's heavy as all hell. In my opinion, there might as well be a slimy rag in there for a brake system. Very tough to adjust correctly and loves backlashes. The CB8's are great SO FAR. Since I've only had them 6 months, time will tell how they hold up. I fish 3-5 times a week on average in Texas reservoirs using 12+ lb copolymer and/or 15-40lb braid. 

If I had to pick TODAY, it would be the CB8 hands down. Smooth, brakes work, bearings are fairly quiet. The outer construction and it's durability is what I somewhat question.

All that being said, if you saved a smidge more for a Lew's LFS it would feel light-years better

OP was asking about the Royal Legend Elite, not the regular Royal Legend FWIW.

[Hammer 4]

I would also recommend the Diawa Fuego. It's compact, silky smooth, cast's really well, and is a breeze to set up. You can find them on ebay at discounted prices. Keep in mind I was a die hard shimano owner for many many years of their higher end reels.

[The1Fist]

Well it's been a year and I'm going to eat crow a bit, but I'm actually using all my cb8's as much if not more than all my Lew's. The ultimate test was I unintentionally caught a 40.78lb flathead catfish on 12lb copoly and a CB8 reel, and it performed flawlessly! For being a supposed SLX copy, I didn't like the SLX reel as much. The SLX DC was a different story. Now my old kastkings are sitting on ugly sticks for catfishing/loaner rods.

[NOC 1]

On 5/17/2019 at 1:52 PM, dsw1204 said:

The Casitas is a little beyond my budget for my beginner casting reel.  If I am not happy with my baitcasting experince, I won't be out a whole lot of money with either the Royal Legend Elite or the CB8.  The Casitas is just too much $ at this time.

I think it's a catch 22 thing here. Given the braking on the KK reel you are much more likely to not have a happy experience with bait caster than you would be if you bought the Shimano or Diawa, so the money is more likely to be wasted. Not a good beginner reel in my opinion.

 

On the other hand, if you spend a little more you would have a much better chance of figuring out how to throw the bait casters and so have a happy experience and so would not have wasted the money.

Hey..it's your money and your happy experience. All we can do is off advice.

On 5/19/2019 at 12:19 AM, Bluebasser86 said:

I have a red RLE. It's been a great reel that will really bomb a bait out there. I use mine mainly for larger walking baits and ploppers with 20lb braid. I haven't noticed it being difficult to control at all but maybe I just hit the settings right before I made my first cast. IMO, it's one of the top 3 KK baitcasters. 

Probably doesn't hurt that you know how to throw on a bait-caster either. Which is an advantage that the OP doesn't have.

Darn it. Sucked in again by an old zombie thread...