I've got a reel that has gone craps on me and I am going to have to replace. Current budget won't let me but something nice so I am looking for a "wallet-friendly" option to consider. Will use it on my 7' crankbait rod or my 7'6" jig rod. If it affects your recommendation I use 40 lb Sufix 832 on all my stuff primarily.

 

TIA

look on Ebay for a new reel or a good used name brand reel. I have bought several from there and happy with one of them. I prefer Lew's but they fit my hand good. Some prefer Shimano or Daiwa it just depends on what you like.

I picked up an Abu Garcia UltraMax combo at Dick's for $40. It is my first baitcaster, but am happy so far.

For cheaper reels, I would definitely  look at Abu Garcia. Specifically the Black Max which is 50 dollars or the Silvermax which is like 10 more dollars. Me personally, I have the silvermax and I love it, if you search them up though there is extensive reviews on both reels and they get outstanding ratings.

What is your price range? 

if you are in the $50.00 to $ 80.00 range a KastKing assassin or speed demon pro are not bad.

if you are looking in the $100.00 to $120.00 range,  an abu garcia revo SX or a Lews Mach II are both decent reels.

there are several others. These are the ones I own.

New or used?  Or doesn't it matter?  How much can you spend?  I'm assuming the lower the better.  New: (besides the Abu reels) quite a few guys here are liking some of the KastKing reels.  I've read good things about Sports Academy's H20 Xpress Mettle.

 

Used:  Could be all over the map depending on your budget.  Probably my best deal so far is a $250 reel for $65 that is is very good condition.  A steal. 

 

Once you get to the $100 range you have several nice reels to choose from...new.....and even more used.

I will also say go used... look on the flee market forum, you can find some good deals.

Diawa Diego CT on EBay right now for 70 bucks.  Done

I have a Black Max and it's not too bad. While it retails for $50, you can find them on sale as low as $30 and they're definitely worth it.

 

I'd also look at Kast King if I'm on a budget.

2nd on the fuego ct. Wait til there is a coupon, you can get it for about $55.

5 minutes ago, LionHeart said:

Diawa Diego CT on EBay right now for 70 bucks.  Done

I seen it for 62 bucks on amazon yesterday. I’m assuming you’re talking about the fuego 

Fuego ct

Lol, Diego.

The lews American hero was my first casting combo, the tan desert camo one, I’ve since upgraded to tournament mb’s, but the reel from that first combo is a fricken workhorse and casts really nice in my opinion, it’s a little slower and lacks the fit and finish and some of the bells and whistles, but it does it’s one job quite well IMO, not sure where to buy it as a standalone reel but I imagine it’d only be around $50. I also had a black max, and in my opinion the lews hero reel is much nicer as far as performance and feel, only downside: it’s kindof ugly and doesn’t look good on really any rod lol.

KK Royale Legend baitcaster out of the box new 39.98 best seller Amazon is a compelling option...

 

good fishing...

Can't say enough good things about the fuego ct at its price point ($50-$60 on Ebay). Do a forum search and read up on it. Pretty much a tatula without t-wing.

Kast King....Speed Demon

Fuego CT is a solid reel for the money. It's surprising how good it is for the price. I had a BlackMax as my first baitcaster. The Fuego is miles better. 

 

There is also the new Shimano SLX at $100

I'm a Shimano fanboi and most of my BC reels are Curado K's but I decided to grab a Daiwa Fuego CT last week when there was an ebay code, so got it for $50. I haven't fished with it yet but spooled it up and put it on my jerkbait rod and tossed a practice plug around the yard. So far it seems like it's going to be an awesome reel, especially for the price.

If I needed a reel and only had 100 bucks I would get the shimano SLX...

Go check out the flea market. Someone is switching to left hand and is selling tons of great reels at great prices.

15 hours ago, JoshFromBolo said:

For cheaper reels, I would definitely  look at Abu Garcia. Specifically the Black Max which is 50 dollars or the Silvermax which is like 10 more dollars. Me personally, I have the silvermax and I love it, if you search them up though there is extensive reviews on both reels and they get outstanding ratings.

Agreed with the silvermax, the thing is an absolute workhorse. 3 years now with minimal maintenance (i'm really bad when it comes to maintaining my reels) and it still works like a beast. But like many others have said in this thread, you can find a Fuego CT brand new on ebay for 60-70 bucks and it's fantastic. I love them so much I have one in each gear ratio (the 6.3:1, 7.3:1 and 8.1:1), easily some of my favorite that I own

I've got a Fuego CT 8:1:1 Brand New I will sell you for 55.00 plus shipping. PM me if interested.LEFTHAND RETRIEVE 

I love my new kastking assassin and Royale Legend Elite. I'm relatively New with baitcasters and can cast the RLE a mile. I had more trouble dialing the Assassin in but end up with good results with casting distance w/o backlashes even in high winds and this reel is LIGHT ! Both are comfy in my average size hands. They replaced Shimano's in my still incomplete arsenal !