Looking for new baitcasting reel

[PressuredFishing]

So I may very well be opening up the largest can of worms you could imagine but uh, Im looking for a new fishing reel. I am looking in the 100 dollar range and am interested in an aluminum framed reel. Right now I am thinking of the shimano citica, Abu garcia revo X, Lews speed spool baitcast reel 2nd gen, and one of the diawa tatulas.  Is shimano the best bet, even though there are only 3 bearings? I know bearings dont quite equate to smoothness but only 3? Abu garcia's revo x seems nice, and I have the Revo STX and like it quite alot Then again their customer service is really poor and wernt really helpfull for questions. Finally I have never fished lews but heard things. Now for diawa I have their tatula and its super smooth, smoother than abu, and you get more bearings than shimano, +the t wing. Which is the best? Ill let you guys  persuade me in the comments

[hokiehunter373]

Check out the Daiwa Fuego CT.  The tatulas are nice too though

[Jaderose]

The one that feels best in your hand and suits your purposes.  Sounds like a smart alec answer but I've bought major equipment (rods, reels, etc) sight unseen before and been disappointed.  Do some research and then go find examples if possible.  I seriously doubt you are going to get a bunch of answers that will point you in exactly one direction.  All brands have their fans.

[Michigander]

Yep, Fuego.

[bulldog1935]

Unabashed self-promotion.  

 

I have a such-a-deal Lew's Tournament Pro in the Flea Market classifieds that's begging for a fair offer.  

 

[Deleted account]

19 hours ago, Socalfishier said:

 +the t wing. Which is the best? 

LMAO

 

[GetFishorDieTryin]

It depends what you want to do with it.  

[CrankFate]

2 hours ago, BassWhole! said:

LMAO

 

It’s not funny. The t-wing is the most underrated reel part of all time.

[JustJames]

Bearing count not really mean anything as much nowadays. The SLX come with 3 bearing but you can simply add one to the mainshaft or get SLX XT. Those 3 bearing are the most critical parts to have a reel function flawlessly the rest is just luxurious or to make the reel feel more steadier.

Daiwa is alway smoother than Shimano comparable model but not always the furthest casting distance. Shimano requires a little more learning curve to thumb the spool, but once you dial in you are good.
To use either one it is come down to size of reel, brake system and line capacity. 

[roadwarrior]

33 minutes ago, Bass_Fishing_Socal said:

Daiwa is alway smoother than Shimano comparable model 

   Hmm...

[JustJames]

5 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

   Hmm...

Not better though 

[PressuredFishing]

On 6/10/2021 at 11:46 AM, hokiehunter373 said:

Check out the Daiwa Fuego CT.  The tatulas are nice too though

Ah wow I just saw that after you told me, Its a more affordable optian than the tatula but it also comes with aluminum frame, that is really nice! thank you for letting me know about this reel!!!!

On 6/10/2021 at 11:56 AM, Jaderose said:

The one that feels best in your hand and suits your purposes.  Sounds like a smart alec answer but I've bought major equipment (rods, reels, etc) sight unseen before and been disappointed.  Do some research and then go find examples if possible.  I seriously doubt you are going to get a bunch of answers that will point you in exactly one direction.  All brands have their fans.

I hear you, and I understand, I really wanna go to bass pro and hold them but I dont know if they are doing that because of covid

On 6/10/2021 at 11:57 AM, Michigander said:

Yep, Fuego.

Ah I will have to check out the fuego, someone else on here told me about it and it seems to be alot more affordable than the tatula which is nice, will do some research on that!

7 hours ago, BassWhole! said:

LMAO

 

I know, but you have to play devils advacite a little bit yknow lol, plus to be honest, the t wing isnt titanium coated, so would that mean braid would cut through it? maybe but i donno lol

6 hours ago, GetFishorDieTryin said:

It depends what you want to do with it.  

Yeah, I just was going to do most medium heavy applications such as spinnerbating and light flipping into light cover. I really just want a true tank that can take beatings, it doesnt have to be super smooth but I want durability because I am a bit rougher on gear, I dont even bother with high end rods because of this reason lol, I put 50 dollars into my normal rods because I break them lol

5 hours ago, CrankFate said:

It’s not funny. The t-wing is the most underrated reel part of all time.

 I have  a tatula twing and it is nice, I just get nervous because its only stanless steel and not titanium coated, now I have many rods that the guides of the eyes where stainless steel and braid cut right through em, and I get nervous to throw braid on my tatula for that reason.

4 hours ago, Bass_Fishing_Socal said:

Bearing count not really mean anything as much nowadays. The SLX come with 3 bearing but you can simply add one to the mainshaft or get SLX XT. Those 3 bearing are the most critical parts to have a reel function flawlessly the rest is just luxurious or to make the reel feel more steadier.

Daiwa is alway smoother than Shimano comparable model but not always the furthest casting distance. Shimano requires a little more learning curve to thumb the spool, but once you dial in you are good.
To use either one it is come down to size of reel, brake system and line capacity. 

yeah,  I have personally never owned a shimano but I have a tatula and it is smoother than my abu garcia. Id say im really just looking for something super durable, and something that wont slip on harder hooksets.

7 hours ago, bulldog1935 said:

Unabashed self-promotion.  

 

I have a such-a-deal Lew's Tournament Pro in the Flea Market classifieds that's begging for a fair offer.  

 

Looks beautiful, but probably too expensive for old me lol

[jimmyjoe]

41 minutes ago, Socalfishier said:

I have many rods that the guides of the eyes where stainless steel and braid cut right through em,

 

   Really? Tell me more.  ?          jj

[redux]

The bearings you need to think about for casting are the bearings that the spool axle ride on. Figure out the size of those, order full ceramics off ebay, and replace the stock bearings. They won't fix a dumpster fire, but they will do wonders for any mid-range reel and up.

 

Ceramics are super light and they take very little energy to get them going so you can use really light baits. They also don't rust so you can run them bone dry which helps because they grease/oil isn't fighting the bearing's momentum.

 

Thay also sound cool like glass packs in a '93 Mustang.

[ATA]

I would go with shimano SLX

[dodgeguy]

Lews rules. The lfs can be had for like 89 on sportsmans outfitters.Even better the Tournament MP can be had for 119$. THATS A DEAL THAT CANT BE BEAT.

[PressuredFishing]

21 minutes ago, ATA said:

I would go with shimano SLX

Thankyou for the insight, I appreciate it!

[CrankFate]

2 hours ago, Socalfishier said:

 

 I have  a tatula twing and it is nice, I just get nervous because its only stanless steel and not titanium coated, now I have many rods that the guides of the eyes where stainless steel and braid cut right through em, and I get nervous to throw braid on my tatula for that reason.

 

Dont. I use my Tatulas in saltwater, no problem. Those reels are bullet proof with a little maintenance.

[PressuredFishing]

2 hours ago, jimmyjoe said:

 

   Really? Tell me more.  ?          jj

Yeah I have some older rods and the braid cut right through the eyes, I dont know if it was the older styled braid back in the day but I was kinda upset about it. I dont really fish braid much anymore except for rods that have those zinc oxide guides or ceramic. I mostly use monofilament because I can do everything with it and I dont need to have 8 rods in the boat. (I also hate stepping on rods in the boat lol)

1 minute ago, CrankFate said:

Dont. I use my Tatulas in saltwater, no problem. Those reels are bullet proof with a little maintenance.

Okay I appreciate the conformation of not using braid, I couldn't really find a clear answer.

10 minutes ago, dodgeguy said:

Lews rules. The lfs can be had for like 89 on sportsmans outfitters.Even better the Tournament MP can be had for 119$. THATS A DEAL THAT CANT BE BEAT.

Oh I will have to check sportsman outfitter that a good deal, ten dollars off

1 hour ago, redux said:

The bearings you need to think about for casting are the bearings that the spool axle ride on. Figure out the size of those, order full ceramics off ebay, and replace the stock bearings. They won't fix a dumpster fire, but they will do wonders for any mid-range reel and up.

 

Ceramics are super light and they take very little energy to get them going so you can use really light baits. They also don't rust so you can run them bone dry which helps because they grease/oil isn't fighting the bearing's momentum.

 

Thay also sound cool like glass packs in a '93 Mustang.

ah yes, I have heard rumors of people buying them, I just checked if they sell them and they do, and watched some videos of that just now. They seem to be the real deal

[CrankFate]

9 minutes ago, Socalfishier said:

 

Okay I appreciate the conformation of not using braid, I couldn't really find a clear answer.

No....I meant don’t worry about using braid. I fish braid only. It will not harm the T-wing. I was considering going straight fluorocarbon on my new Curado BFS, but then it was like:

 

[PressuredFishing]

Just now, CrankFate said:

No....I meant don’t worry about using braid. I fish braid only. It will not harm the T-wing. I was considering going straight fluorocarbon on my new Curado BFS, but then it was like:

oh lol okay, so it is alright, how do you like the new shimano BFS reel? is that the new one in the US? or is it one of the JDM ones?

[Koz]

Pony up a few more dollars and get the Lew's KVD reel. I bought the 6.2:1 earlier this year and I'm about to buy the 7.5:1. If you have an Academy Sports near you they carry it and you can check it out. I've never seen them at Dick's or even BPS. You can also get them at TW.

[CrankFate]

17 minutes ago, Socalfishier said:

oh lol okay, so it is alright, how do you like the new shimano BFS reel? is that the new one in the US? or is it one of the JDM ones?

US. It is the most perfect baitcasting reel I ever fished straight out of the box. Ever.

[Michigander]

2 hours ago, jimmyjoe said:

 

   Really? Tell me more.  ?          jj

I have many modern rods with stainless steel guides and use braid on all of them. Never had a problem. Ive heard this was an issue back in the day so maybe watch out if you're looking at vintage or classic rods.

[CrankFate]

1 minute ago, Michigander said:

I have many modern rods with stainless steel guides and use braid on all of them. Never had a problem. Ive heard this was an issue back in the day so maybe watch out if you're looking at vintage or classic rods.

I specifically have modern rods with all metal guides for my father to use. He will break any other material in about 10 minutes. They fish all braid. Never had a problem.