Kastking Zephyr BFS reel- first impressions and review

[casts_by_fly]

Hi All,

 

I searched this forum but didn't see a concise review and comparison on this reel (lots of spread out info) so I thought I'd start one.  I just picked up a barely (if at all) used one from the classifieds here to dip my toe in the BFS arena.  I have a 6'6" Lamiglas that I built 15 years ago that is more or less a ML/MF rated for 1/8-1/2 oz.  The year before last I tried my best with a Revo SX and this rod to throw really light neds and equivalent but it end up more of a chore than pleasure.  I hate fishing a spinning rod for bass since it takes up a slot in the kayak that can't be used for anything else.  So this year, when I think I might want to throw a small finesse jig/worm I'll throw this rod in which can double duty as a 3/8 oz crankbait rod and lighter.  I put some trilene sensation 8 lb (0.010 diameter) on for trial purposes now.  It will ultimately get 10 lb 832 braid when it arrives.

 

Now for the reel:  It looks fine on the outside.  It is black gloss plastic and comparable to a lot of other reels in the sub $75 price bracket.  Tolerances on things like the reel handles, drag knob, and spool release button are a little loose.  The drag star can move 5-10 degrees without engaging the actual drag stack below it.  It's a $70 retail reel, so some level of fit and finish like that is expected.  The inside is very plastic.  Basically everything that is a 'housing' type part is plastic.  Some look 3D printed, but I suspect its just the type of molding.  I have no problem with engineered plastics in reels, but this doesn't seem that based on my experience in molding plastic parts for similar sized widgets.  Only time will tell how it holds up and since this will be a 4 lb test reel for most of the time I can't imagine I'll be putting that much force on the reel to break it inside.

 

Casting is pretty smooth.  On receipt, I did a rough clean on the moving parts I could access through the side plate (not the handle side) and took of excess grease and relubed with light oil.  I'll do that again in a couple days after the oil has distributed internally.  The spool definitely doesn't spin as freely as lot of my other reels which will spin for 10-15 seconds with an empty spool.  That said, the light weight of the spool means it doesn't take much to get it going in the first place.  This is a constant comparison with centerpin reels- startup inertia vs continuous momentum. In this case, I'll let the casting do the talking and if it meets my needs so be it.  My goal was to get down to the smaller end of Ned type rigs, so 1/20 head and a TRD ticklerz or TRD bugz, both around 0.1 oz for a total weight of just over 1/8 oz.  If I could go lighter then great, but that would be pushing the rod's limits I think.  If I couldn't get that far but could at least fish a standard finesse TRD on a 1/20 (about 3/16 oz total weight) then that would still expand my finesse sphere.  I started with a ned on a 1/15 because I had one rigged and it pitched well inside the house.  I tied on just a 1/8 oz weight and made for outside.  After dialing in for wind, I was getting a good 20-25 yards with a light sidearm cast and plenty of accuracy so well on the right path.  Back inside, I tied on a bobby garland crappie shad on a 1/16oz head (just over 5/64 oz total weight) and started pitching it around the room.  It is okay up to about 20', but that's about it.  I'll be able to use it for pitching close docks for spring crappie, but not much more.  It might overhead lob a little better.  Either way it will save me carrying a spinning rod for a couple trips.  Overall, I'm pretty confident this setup will fish a 1/20 TRD ned well enough and might just work fine for some smaller stuff.  

 

Reeling is just okay. Its pretty geary and plasticy.  I suspect the gear train is largely plastic based on the rest of the reel.  Some grease might help it, but again, this is a dip my toes purchase.  If I find that I like it and want to fish it more, I'll do a teardown and clean/lube.  If I find a really like it, then I probably just grab a shimano BFS reel.

 

As I get some time on the water with this reel, I'll update this thread so there is a complete impression.

 

thanks,

rick

[ska4fun]

I had one between 2021 and 2022. Casts like hell, somewhat under braked, plastic frame...

 

[casts_by_fly]

Hi all,

 

Just a minor update.  I got in the 10 lb 832 today and swapped the line over.  Not sure if its because its new braid or why, but it does not come off the spool nearly as well as the 8 lb monofilament.  The little crappy jig  (5/64 total weight) isn't easily pitchable anymore.  I've taken out all spool tension and magnets.  I can still get 20' but you have to work hard.  You have to let the lure start dropping and the spool rotating before you start the rod action.  A more sidearm pitch seems to help as you can get a little more swing and lure speed.  

[detroit1]

Yikes. Good luck.

[Tatulatard]

The main gear is likely aluminum and lacking grease.  I'm sure the clutch parts are plastic though.  That's the way my little piscifun carbon x is. 

I had the same issue with small diameter 832 in the past.  The stuff will stick to itself like velcro and slow line coming off the spool.  Not noticeable with normal sized baits but I definitely noticed it with little crappie baits.  

[PressuredFishing]

On 3/7/2023 at 11:52 AM, casts_by_fly said:

Reeling is just okay. Its pretty geary and plasticy.  I

Yeah sadly KK reels are like that, NY one crixus I have fished to a bloody pulp feels more geary than a zebco 33, but the one thing KK does really good is build a cheap reel with good features. I don't think you can find a 14g  deep spool reel that isn't cdm for 40 bucks on their seasonal sales, and is pretty light.

 

I own a krestel elite bfs, UT is also beco.ing more geary but the 5.9g spool is fun...

[casts_by_fly]

Like I said at the start, this rod is more for me to fish a Ned or similar finesse type bait that isn’t necessarily true bfs so it’s not the biggest deal with the crappie jig. Also, I was able to cast the crappie jig sidearm so if I really want to fish it I can. It’s only about twice a year that I would do that anyway. 
 

I also imagine that a little bit of use plus maybe some kvs l&l would soften it up just a little. 

[Lead Head]

832 is a little tacky when new (not anywhere close to as bad as PP) and the light spool and lure make it way more noticeable than it normally is with more traditional bass tackle. 

It will get better with use as the coating wears off. You could try stripping some line off and reeling it back on through a wet cloth to try and speed up the process. 

[casts_by_fly]

1 hour ago, Lead Head said:

832 is a little tacky when new (not anywhere close to as bad as PP) and the light spool and lure make it way more noticeable than it normally is with more traditional bass tackle. 

It will get better with use as the coating wears off. You could try stripping some line off and reeling it back on through a wet cloth to try and speed up the process. 

yeah, that’s what I was thinking. I use 30 and 50 lb 832 for other things.  Brand new it’s even a little stiff and wiry, but my 30 lb is nicely broken in and super soft. I figure this 10 lb should break in quickly. 

[Lead Head]

I recently jumped into semi-bfs just like you. My bottom end weight is a 1/16oz jig with a TRD. I grabbed a couple of the cheapo (under $20 shipped) Chinese bfs spools off the express site. One for a Fuego CT, and one 34mm for a Steez 100. They are heavy for bfs spools (I think around 11g) and have actual SV breaking instead of the typical fixed inductor you see on most Daiwa bfs spools. Both have served me well so far, allowing me to cast both the 1/16oz ned and a 1/16oz chatterbait mini with more distance and accuracy than I had with a ML spinning setup. The rods are a MHX mb842 (1/8-1/2oz, fast) and a NFC delta ds6107 (1/8-3/8oz, extra-fast).

 

I will mention that upgraded spool bearings made a noticeable difference for me. I suggest a unlubed hybrid bearing. I have no idea what is in your zephyr but some decent unlubed hybrid spool bearings may help with spool start-up. (I went cheap on this as well, ordering $3 hybrids from the express site. Of the 10 I ordered, 3 would barely free-spin but the rest performed similar to boca hybrids I have purchased in the past. I can't speak to longevity yet.)

 

 

[WIGuide]

If the 832 doesn't break in enough, you could take a look at some Suffix Nanobraid. I haven't used it on a baitcaster before, but I've been really impressed with it on spinning gear and gained noticeable casting distance after switching to it. 

[casts_by_fly]

I never updated this thread after the two seasons but came across it just now as I getting ready to sell it here in the classifieds.  
 

a couple notes per my comments above now that I’ve used it for two years. It has held up well despite the plastic feel. I don’t even have any boat rash on it or any other marks. It’s smoother now and less geary than when I first got it. I suspect it had some heavy grease which has worn down over use and it’s now properly lubed and geared. I’ve done my usual light oil on the bearings and moving parts a couple times per season and it’s as smooth as my plastic abus (stx/sx/mgx). The drag is as smooth as anything. 
 

the casting performance is good.  It’s underbraked a little I think. Until you turn them up and it’s suddenly overbraked. There is a definite sweet spot for a given lure weight and rod.  Once you find it, it’s set and forget for that combo the rest of the day. The 832 broke in as expected and was a good pairing for it.

 

all in, I’m happy I bought it and used it. I’m upgrading as I thought I might, but I considered not. It was only because of an unexpected gift card from work that I picked up the shimano. For the cost of one and with just a little tuning it’s a decent little entry bfs reel.

[ABU is overpriced]

KastKing is a Temu-grade brand. Unless you're new into fishing, i personally have no idea why one would waste time on them, Favorite or Googan for that matter. Even Abu is better. Here, i said it😁

[casts_by_fly]

2 hours ago, ABU is overpriced said:

KastKing is a Temu-grade brand. Unless you're new into fishing, i personally have no idea why one would waste time on them, Favorite or Googan for that matter. Even Abu is better. Here, i said it😁

in the bfs realm, there are limited options for an inexpensive off the shelf reel. For what it takes to buy one, you have a cheap and easy solution to throw 1/16oz on a baitcaster.

[MediumMouthBass]

6 hours ago, ABU is overpriced said:

KastKing is a Temu-grade brand. Unless you're new into fishing, i personally have no idea why one would waste time on them, Favorite or Googan for that matter. Even Abu is better. Here, i said it😁

I too think Kastking and Piscifun are a dumpster fire personally. Cheap knockoffs backed by very little customer support, reviews are split between awful-paid good ones. And they definitely spend more money on marketing than making higher quality gear. For instance does anyone remember the reels they were advertising for having 10 more bearings than the higher priced competition?

And being sold on Amazon is a whole other issue, Amazon JP might be good for fishing gear, but here in America Amazon rods come broken most of the time since they are often shipped in a soft triangular box. And the reels can be sometimes used returns, even the wrong/cheaper one.

Also heard terrible things about their line....

 

But i cant deny this, the guys on here/reddit that buy their Kastking rods and reels going into it with realistic expectations usually are happy with most of their gear. Of course a cheap Amazon special will never compete with the higher end, higher quality gear. But again, the guys who set out to get a Kastking are buying a reel usually between $30-75. They arent expecting the worlds best, they are trying to save money and try something much cheaper to have fun with or to test it out.

3 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

in the bfs realm, there are limited options for an inexpensive off the shelf reel. For what it takes to buy one, you have a cheap and easy solution to throw 1/16oz on a baitcaster.

Even though im not a fan of Kastking, i like how they make affordable products. Not everyone has a giant paycheck to buy whatever everyone else deems worthy. Like casts said its an inexpensive reel, the number one reason guys dont get into BFS is because of the price. Seems like they are offering something the bigger companies arent. Affordability.

[ABU is overpriced]

29 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

in the bfs realm, there are limited options for an inexpensive off the shelf reel. For what it takes to buy one, you have a cheap and easy solution to throw 1/16oz on a baitcaster.

I don't agree. Buy a pixy in used condition, a Ray's Studio spool, and it will crush anything KK, and last for a millennia. There are so many old quality reels that you can get a cheap BFS spool for, and it will perform extremely well and for cheap. There's zero reasons to buy Temu reels just because they're off the shelf.

21 minutes ago, MediumMouthBass said:

I too think Kastking and Piscifun are a dumpster fire personally. Cheap knockoffs backed by very little customer support, reviews are split between awful-paid good ones. And they definitely spend more money on marketing than making higher quality gear. For instance does anyone remember the reels they were advertising for having 10 more bearings than the higher priced competition?

And being sold on Amazon is a whole other issue, Amazon JP might be good for fishing gear, but here in America Amazon rods come broken most of the time since they are often shipped in a soft triangular box. And the reels can be sometimes used returns, even the wrong/cheaper one.

Also heard terrible things about their line....

 

But i cant deny this, the guys on here/reddit that buy their Kastking rods and reels going into it with realistic expectations usually are happy with most of their gear. Of course a cheap Amazon special will never compete with the higher end, higher quality gear. But again, the guys who set out to get a Kastking are buying a reel usually between $30-75. They arent expecting the worlds best, they are trying to save money and try something much cheaper to have fun with or to test it out.

Even though im not a fan of Kastking, i like how they make affordable products. Not everyone has a giant paycheck to buy whatever everyone else deems worthy. Like casts said its an inexpensive reel, the number one reason guys dont get into BFS is because of the price. Seems like they are offering something the bigger companies arent. Affordability.

What i'd say to that is that if your budget is under $100, you buy used, and only used. Its not difficult to find a quality Made in Japan reel for sub $100.

[GRiver]

@ike8120.  Has a Zephyr, it was real happy with. Hope he chimes in, I’d like to know how it’s holding up.

[ike8120]

1 hour ago, GRiver said:

@ike8120.  Has a Zephyr, it was real happy with. Hope he chimes in, I’d like to know how it’s holding up.

I don't have it any more. I sold it so I could get a Kestrel Elite