I just want to add that I have nothing against spin cast reels and as a matter of fact, my son started with the great Zebco 33 when he was young.  The ease of use of them is excellent.  I even used it a couple of times when he was "done" fishing and headed to the playground.

 

Also, I would never "look down" on anyone who uses a spin cast reel.  

 

The super show stoppers are the price as I stated in an earlier post and the weight. 

Why 

One of the primary problems with spincast reels like Zebco and this one is that everything that comes in on the line - moisture, dirt, debris, etc and stays trapped inside that reel because the whole setup is enclosed.  That stuff piles up inside there and the reel wears out a lot quicker than on a traditional spinning reel or bait caster.

4 hours ago, Sword of the Lord said:

Good idea. I think I'm going to stoop lower and take a Shakespeare Excursion rod and a Zebco Platinum 33 on 10lb fluoro to a favorite pond this weekend and get video of me catching fatties. I have a lot of confidence in those little Zebcos for light stuff considering I was using them until I learned to use spinning gear. Always caught 1-5 pounders with no problems at all.

 

I am quite sure there are reasons why one seldom sees a spincaster but in the hands of a child. My grandfather used them when his arthritis set in, it was preferable to not fishing. I do not agree that you can feather the line as effectively with a spincaster as with a BC or spinning outfit. 

 

I could just throw the line and lure in the water with my arm and no rod and reel at all and then run up the bank to retrieve the fish, well, I think that is exactly what I did quite often with Zebcos. I did cast the lure out but it would lock up on the retrieve so I just ran until the fish was on the bank. 

3 hours ago, Sword of the Lord said:

I'm far more excited that this seems like the first phase in making a reel that has the power of a baitcaster and the ability to throw light like a spinning reel, while also being able to use braid, without the line trouble, than I am the Bullet itself. 

 

They claim it's faster than a 6.1:1 baitcaster. 

Yeah...but 13+ ounces...who is gonna want to throw finesse with reel that weighs more than my musky reel?

 

 

1 hour ago, sully420 said:

Why 

That's it, right there...

I hate baitcasting reels. I use spinning reels and spincast reels almost exclusively. If you are considering buying this reel, PLEASE look at a Daiwa Silvercast. They're $29.99 at Cabela's right now and they are so much better. The big SC170 is faster than the bullet and about the same size. They're actual, honest to goodness metal reels, quality made, not overpriced plastic crap.

2 hours ago, Lures'n'Liberty said:

I hate baitcasting reels. I use spinning reels and spincast reels almost exclusively. If you are considering buying this reel, PLEASE look at a Daiwa Silvercast. They're $29.99 at Cabela's right now and they are so much better. The big SC170 is faster than the bullet and about the same size. They're actual, honest to goodness metal reels, quality made, not overpriced plastic crap.

The gear ratio is worse, and you're talking 29.4 vs 29. Also, it's even heavier than the Bullet. The Bullet is also metal.

 

KVD has a YouTube video about the Bullet for those interested. 

 

I feel you on hating one of the main bass reels. For me, I love baitcasters but hate spinners. I'm learning to use them though. However, I think I'm going to get the Bullet, and if it's what it claims to be, I won't even deal with spinning gear anymore tbh. No reason to force myself into it.

I think it is a cool concept.  It would be wild to show up tournament day with 4 of these and dominate.   Not realistic (heavy, expensive) but I would love one just to be a dork.

A dork in a good way, not a negative thing at all.  Just my style.  

It is interesting that Woo Daves, the famous bass pro has said he still keeps a spin cast reel on the deck for worm fishing.

19 minutes ago, OnthePotomac said:

It is interesting that Woo Daves, the famous bass pro has said he still keeps a spin cast reel on the deck for worm fishing.

As technology advances and spincast reels expand to sport fishing rather than being aimed at kids and newbies, I could see them becoming regular rigs down the line. 

Way to heavy, anything over 7 ounces to me is heavy, I can deal with a reel up to 7.5oz for a casting reel and after that it is just too heavy, makes using a light rod a moot point. As for spin cast reels in general, I don't care for them but I found it interesting that Woo Daves fished with one his entire career on the Bassmaster trail. He said when fish were tight to cover a spin cast reel would allow his worm to fall straight down like a spinning reel but he couldn't find spinning rods that were heavy powered with the right action so the spin cast was perfect. With the casting reel the bait would swing away from the cover unless he manually peeled line off and often he would miss a strike if a fish hit it while it was falling, and because of that he always had a spin cast ready to go at every tournament he fished.

21 hours ago, Sword of the Lord said:

The gear ratio is worse, and you're talking 29.4 vs 29. Also, it's even heavier than the Bullet. The Bullet is also metal.

 

KVD has a YouTube video about the Bullet for those interested. 

 

I feel you on hating one of the main bass reels. For me, I love baitcasters but hate spinners. I'm learning to use them though. However, I think I'm going to get the Bullet, and if it's what it claims to be, I won't even deal with spinning gear anymore tbh. No reason to force myself into it.

There's a negative review in the comments. It says it doesn't cast farther than spinning or BC reels and still gets the annoying tangles.

Just now, the reel ess said:

There's a negative review in the comments. It says it doesn't cast farther than spinning or BC reels and still gets the annoying tangles.

I haven't gotten one yet, so I don't know. However, I've read tons of user reviews from several retailers with the exact opposite experience. Time will tell, I will surely get this reel and try it out, and drop feedback afterwards. Best case, I love it, it works, I continue to use it. Worst case, my wife gets the best reel she could ask for, although she'd also be getting one if it performs well. 

Just now, Sword of the Lord said:

I haven't gotten one yet, so I don't know. However, I've read tons of user reviews from several retailers with the exact opposite experience. Time will tell, I will surely get this reel and try it out, and drop feedback afterwards. Best case, I love it, it works, I continue to use it. Worst case, my wife gets the best reel she could ask for, although she'd also be getting one if it performs well. 

Yes, I was referring to the comments on the aforementioned YouTube video. It said the money was wasted. 

On 8/11/2017 at 1:29 PM, Lures'n'Liberty said:

 If you are considering buying this reel, PLEASE look at a Daiwa Silvercast. They're $29.99 at Cabela's right now and they are so much better. T

 

 

 

This.  Before I started using a BC I used Silvercast Spincasters.  They are terrific reels

I dont go by whats said on youtube or reveiws.....most ppl call the rod a "pole" and the reelseat ..a thingyma jig that holds the reel from falling off the "pole" or the famous 4lb "string" keeps getting under my "8000" size penn spinfisher and its to heavy...lmao

I just don't see the point. Other than the fact that it's a spincast I don't see anything about the reel that a 100 dollar baitcaster doesn't beat it in (line capacity, drag, weight, higher ratios). Now if you MUST have a spincast, it does look decent...but man 13 and a half ounces? That alone would make me force myself to learn to use a baitcaster. 

On 8/12/2017 at 8:49 PM, Jaderose said:

 

 

 

This.  Before I started using a BC I used Silvercast Spincasters.  They are terrific reels

Amen. Upon further review, there is not a damned thing about this Zebco that warrants a $70 upgrade over the SC or GC, or the 1960's era Zebco 33 on ebay.

 

5 hours ago, Lures'n'Liberty said:

Amen. Upon further review, there is not a damned thing about this Zebco that warrants a $70 upgrade over the SC or GC, or the 1960's era Zebco 33 on ebay.

 

 

How much did a Zebco 33 cost in 1970? If it was $10 then in 2017 dollars that is $63. 

 

You know, all of those reels have a retrieve ratio of about five cranks of the handle per inch. What the "Bullet" has none of them do is a true 28 plus inches per turn retrieve. And supposedly the line runs in over wheels, not a steel pin. And a drag that works, and hopefully not pot metal gears that lock under load. Well, that last one not sure of.

 

I think some of these spincasts are growing in stature the more we wax nostalgic over them. I pretty much remember them all being pretty junky. Nostalgia aside.

You can still get a 1970 Zebco 33 new in the box on ebay for $10, so that's actually a $90 upgrade, and we all know that a 1970 model is greater than a 2017 model. The Daiwa SC and GC models have drag springs and washers very similar to spinning gear and they don't suck. The big honking SC170 has 29.4 inches per turn, faster than the bullet. The wheels on the bullet are actually problematic, while the pins are tried and true. Most of the spincasts out there are pretty junky, I agree, however the Daiwa GC and SC models are not, and they're $30. The bullet is not worth an extra $70. You can buy a silvercast, mount it to a 7'0 Berkley Cherrywood MF, still have $50 leftover for a decent ML spinning combo (check out an US80XD if you're really into spincast), and be set with quality hardware to throw any lure that you like under 1oz for the cost of the bullet that will last until you're ready to upgrade and can be passed on as an heirloom.

On 8/13/2017 at 6:59 PM, MassYak85 said:

Now if you MUST have a spincast, it does look decent...but man 13 and a half ounces? That alone would make me force myself to learn to use a baitcaster. 

Emphasis mine...it's the weight that baffles me.

 

The Abu Garcia Revo Winch that is on my dedicated musky rod weighs 10 ounces, has a drag that'll handle 22 lbs. and I can use it to lift a Volkswagen off the bottom of the lake.

 

I'm skeptical that the Bullet has anywhere near the capacity to handle a musky...and it weighs in excess of 30% more...I keep coming back to: Why?

On 8/16/2017 at 1:44 PM, Lures'n'Liberty said:

Amen. Upon further review, there is not a damned thing about this Zebco that warrants a $70 upgrade over the SC or GC, or the 1960's era Zebco 33 on ebay.

 

1 poor review for 100 good ones. This is typical of any product. 2 things. 1, there's a manufacturing error for every product. 2, AND MOST IMPORTANT, Zebco said that if you use braid on this reel, to use 30lb. He said he was using 60lb braid. Gee...

From an old angler that still has 3 of the original Johnson Centurys, I'd say if it fits your pocketbook, go for it. I'll be a lot more comfortable with a Pflueger President at half that price.

1 hour ago, Crestliner2008 said:

From an old angler that still has 3 of the original Johnson Centurys, I'd say if it fits your pocketbook, go for it. I'll be a lot more comfortable with a Pflueger President at half that price.

...and 1/3 the weight...and probably with a better drag...

On 8/9/2017 at 11:28 AM, Sword of the Lord said:

As fast as a baitcaster and can use braid. Plus all of its other features. This thing looks beast.

 

http://shop.zebcobrands.com/reels/spincast/bullet-zb3-10-bx3.html

 

How bout you grab a couple and use them for a couple trips and report back to us all. Use those things down here in south Texas and they won't last a single trip!