I was checking out the clearance section of a local Wal-Mart and saw that they have 2 W&M Skeet Reese Victory 62R baitcaster reels for $20 a piece. I have read several posts indicating that they are not very good and some have had the side cover pop off in use.

Currently my only casting reels is a Silver Max that I have been using for the past 2 years. I have an extra rod that I need to get a reel for and was thinking that the Victory would be decent to use until I found a deal on a better quality reel.

Is it really that bad that it wouldn't be worth picking up for $20?

Heck at that price point, why not give it a shot.

From what i understand the first generation where ok reels but for 20$ i myself would do it just for the handle unless it is a good reel !!!

As long as you can get it for under 90$ its a pretty good reel.

 

I got mine for 40$, and consider it a pretty good value at that price. It's better than the 79$ Laser speed spool i used to have.

 

 

Honestly, I think people hate on it so much just cuz it has the "W and M" name lol

   Are their any left hand retrieve or are they all wrong hand retrieve?

Heck at that price point, why not give it a shot.

^This

   Are their any left hand retrieve or are they all wrong hand retrieve?

lmao

Are their any left hand retrieve or are they all wrong hand retrieve?

They are both wrong hand retrieve

I will definitely pick up at least one of them and grab the Mitchell 300Xe for $20.

They also had a silver max for $20.

I just need to decide if I should pick up another Silver Max or get 2 of the Victory's

Honestly when I was just getting into fishing I had a few and had NO issues with them.  When they were $99 bucks back in 2011, they were good reels.  However, little things began to dissapear from them when they went down to $79...the grip on the thumb bar, the handle knobs changed, the finish changed to a matte black etc etc....

 

If they are the original version, they will be fine.  They have an aluminum frame which is a big plus...

I have never owned one. I would if they sold them in Lefty at Walmart. I have heard nothing but good things about them from guys who know what they are talking about. They had a bit of a cult following due to the oversized handle and their ability to handle heavy tackle. Not sure what they have changed for the Victory II, I have not seen one in person yet.

 

Just found this TT review http://www.tackletour.com/reviewskeetvictory.html

I just need to decide if I should pick up another Silver Max or get 2 of the Victory's

The Victory. No question about it in my opinion. You are comparing a plastic reel to a metal reel which would you choose? I also weigh strongly against the silver max because I don't even like Abus higher end casting reels. I haven't tried them all but the ones I have tried were very fussy and high maintenance. 

I sure like mine enough that if my W-M put them on sale for $20.00, I'd buy them even though I don't need one right now.

the handle and eva knobs are worth the $20 ...

I bought 2 at $40 a piece over a year ago. I love the handles on them. One of the reels' worm gear stripped for no reason and rendered the reel useless :/ . I still like my other one though. Also, it is loud, doesn't bother me though.

 

I would say there are much better reelsin the $80-100 range. But in the $20 range, I'd pick one up for sure.

My son got one for a steal using a groupon. High speed. He uses it on his froggin' setup. He loves it and has had zero issues. He throws frogs about 75% of the time. I've casted it several times and it seems pretty good to me. Probably can't buy a Zebco 33 for $20.00.

20$ is a steal good deal. I'm not really a fan of them but my father-in-law has fished the crap out of his for 4 years and it is still hanging in there.  

i hope after all this feedback that you at least purchased 1, if not 2 or 3 !!!!    

Never had any desire to try one but I would for $20. Never know when you might have a reel kick the bucket on you and need something to fill in for a minute if nothing else. 

Thank you everyone for the replies!

Sorry for not updating sooner. I didn't have time to go back to that Wal-Mart until today.

i hope after all this feedback that you at least purchased 1, if not 2 or 3 !!!!    

After getting so much feedback I owed it to everyone to pick up one at a minimum. I ended up grabbing the only 2 they had and probably would have bought more if they had them.

I will not have time to try them out until next weekend but I'll make sure to give my first impressions

I'd buy one for 20 bucks it the handle wasn't on the wrong side.