2 hours ago, Alex Ball said:

...Just defended against it being garbage cuz of the name on it. For the price, Kastking and Piscifun are better options, as is the Daiwa CC80 which blows away all the other reels in the range. After a lousy experience with Sougayilang's "service Team", I wouldn't recommend them to anybody. I was still getting my bearings on all the info I had taken in back then. Jumped the gun a little.

  The MDC I own is great. No issues. Fish the crap outta it. I know it will fail sooner than average, but at this point' I'd consider it a good buy even when it fails. Definitely got my $20 worth.

No one with an open mind would ever say it's garbage because of the name on it.  

But because of what's inside.  

Be careful what you defend - if you're going to defend something, make sure it's worth defending.  

This thread reminds me why I stick to proven brands and not fish brands overhyped by social medial influencers, especially the ones that are being paid to say certain fishing reels are great when they are not. There are honest social media influencers and I recently saw a video of a Youtuber complaining a certain reel broke while catching bait in saltwater. If this reel is not good enough for bait fishing it will not be good enough for catching large saltwater fish in the long run.

On 7/10/2021 at 9:21 AM, bulldog1935 said:

Most people are going to measure spinning reels by smooth and light, or how inexpensively can you buy a reel with a brand name you like.  I measure them by what size fish and how long they can keep bringing big fish to hand, and have fished through too many good reels to do otherwise.  

I also judge my reels by the size fish they can catch and how long they can last. That is why I like my Penn and Shimano reels so much, they have proven themselves to be extremely reliable. Caught a couple new personal best fish this year and these reels preformed flawlessly under pressure of powerful fish. 

13 hours ago, bulldog1935 said:

No one with an open mind would ever say it's garbage because of the name on it.  

But because of what's inside.  

Be careful what you defend - if you're going to defend something, make sure it's worth defending.  

   Good point. As I admitted, given the lousy customer service and the way the other reel failed, I won't defend them now. Why amazon allows that kind of racket, I don't know. I might have just gotten very lucky with my first purchase from them. I won't be testing that luck with them. I do like Kastking quite a bit so far, and they do have an american headquarters you can go to. I think they will be a name brand in a few years. Piscifun is 50/50 for me. Good so far, but no home base and odd website stuff.

   Hindsight is always 20/20

I like to mention the arithmetical sum from time to time.  

A dozen or more cheap outfits in the closet isn't exactly frugal compared to one good one on the water.  Though the point isn't often recognized here.  

 

ok, and I have my 3-pc baitcaster under the sternwell net.  

21 minutes ago, Alex Ball said:

   Good point. As I admitted, given the lousy customer service and the way the other reel failed, I won't defend them now. Why amazon allows that kind of racket, I don't know. I might have just gotten very lucky with my first purchase from them. I won't be testing that luck with them. I do like Kastking quite a bit so far, and they do have an american headquarters you can go to. I think they will be a name brand in a few years. Piscifun is 50/50 for me. Good so far, but no home base and odd website stuff.

   Hindsight is always 20/20

 

10 minutes ago, bulldog1935 said:

I like to mention the arithmetical sum from time to time.  

A dozen or more cheap outfits in the closet is exactly frugal compared to one good one on the water.  Though the point isn't often recognized here.  

 

I will say as someone who likes to stay in the lower to midrange price point, I have Kastking (very low end) and Piscifun (mid price) reels and I’m happy with both brands. I’m of the mindset you get what you pay for in all facets of life and as long as you don’t expect $200.00 quality out of a $35.00 reel (Kastking Royal Legend II)you should be happy. Conversely I have a Daiwa CA80 that I paid $65.00 for and I’m totally impressed. Also although I’ve not purchased, bulldog1935 continues to recommend “Tica” spinning reels which look to be a fantastic buy when comparing similar reels in the same price point.  Eventually I will pair down my cheap/mid range collection to a handful of good high end rods/reels but until then I’m enjoying my cheap/midrange collection ?. P.S when I do I will be relying on this site for guidance ?

1 hour ago, bulldog1935 said:

I like to mention the arithmetical sum from time to time.  

A dozen or more cheap outfits in the closet isn't exactly frugal compared to one good one on the water.  Though the point isn't often recognized here.  

 

ok, and I have my 3-pc baitcaster under the sternwell net.  

Yessir. My "serious" 3 combo setup for banks

1. Abu Veritas 7'6" MHM Winch rod w/Abu Orra Winch 17lb P-Line CP (Spoon Rig/Mag Crank)

2. Lew's Mach 2 Custom Combo w/ Tube/Grub Rod 7' MF w/ MH2-300a Reel 30lb Power Pro W/10lb Grand Slam FC leader (Plastics)

3.Fenwick Eagle GT 6'6" MHF w/Abu Revo 2 SX 50lb Power Pro BL (Topwater/Flipping)

    If I need to be competitive, This is my Holy Grail for now. Otherwise, My Kastkings and Pfuns are wonderful for going out and hanging with my friends. 

Thanks for the guidance, much appreciated. Got a lot of learning ahead. Can't wait. I feel young again.

1 hour ago, Eric 26 said:

 

I will say as someone who likes to stay in the lower to midrange price point, I have Kastking (very low end) and Piscifun (mid price) reels and I’m happy with both brands. I’m of the mindset you get what you pay for in all facets of life and as long as you don’t expect $200.00 quality out of a $35.00 reel (Kastking Royal Legend II)you should be happy. Conversely I have a Daiwa CA80 that I paid $65.00 for and I’m totally impressed. Also although I’ve not purchased, bulldog1935 continues to recommend “Tica” spinning reels which look to be a fantastic buy when comparing similar reels in the same price point.  Eventually I will pair down my cheap/mid range collection to a handful of good high end rods/reels but until then I’m enjoying my cheap/midrange collection ?. P.S when I do I will be relying on this site for guidance ?

Yup. Same thoughts here. I just got a CA-80 and man, it gets down! Beats the brakes off the Lew's LFS IMO. Actually shelved the LFS in favor of the CA-80. Banger. I have 3 $200+ Setups as well, my competitive stuff. Or when I'm after a certain fish.

  Looking into Tica myself for the same reason. Bulldog1935 has a big ol' brain. They look tantalizing. Next big get for me will be the Revo Ike. Madly in love with it. Friends have let me fish them and wow. 

 Finally, I'm really enjoying my RL's, Lancelots, my Centron UL reel and My Sparks (pro and reggie). Great value IMO. Met a girl cuz of my Zephyr w/ a Zebco 33 custom UL. BFS got me a girlfriend. It's hers now and she loves it. Kastking will definitely be a fav for that reason alone.

  Thanks for the support and guidance Eric. I'm newer to this and have a lot to learn. Absolutely loving it. I feel 18 all over again.

Instead of cheap reels, I pick up functional parts to hang on my good reels.  

They happen to add decorative splash, but form always follows function.  

 

 

 

And as @Eric 26 noted, when I find a Tica Libra or Samira model on Amazon with loss-leader pricing, I can't resist snagging one.  Yes, I fish these, but also loan them to my friends, because I know they can't hurt them, and may land them a honking red or snook.  

 

The first Tica I bought was a diminutive Cetus SE to hang on salt XUL with 4-lb copolymer.  If you have a spot for a Cetus SE or SS, can't go wrong.  

I show that first Tica Cetus on this post.  12 years in the salt and literally 1000 fish, including doubles with reds and snook

The trick with doubles on XUL, the fish fight each other.  You just have to get the bigger one to the net, and use sufficient leader on your tandem rig to lift the smaller.  The L word.  

6 hours ago, bulldog1935 said:

Instead of cheap reels, I pick up functional parts to hang on my good reels.  

They happen to add decorative splash, but form always follows function.  

 

 

 

And as @Eric 26 noted, when I find a Tica Libra or Samira model on Amazon with loss-leader pricing, I can't resist snagging one.  Yes, I fish these, but also loan them to my friends, because I know they can't hurt them, and may land them a honking red or snook.  

 

The first Tica I bought was a diminutive Cetus SE to hang on salt XUL with 4-lb copolymer.  If you have a spot for a Cetus SE or SS, can't go wrong.  

I show that first Tica Cetus on this post.  12 years in the salt and literally 1000 fish, including doubles with reds and snook

The trick with doubles on XUL, the fish fight each other.  You just have to get the bigger one to the net, and use sufficient leader on your tandem rig to lift the smaller.  The L word.  

Man The Samira round looks great. The Libra and Cetus S models both are just...... dangerously attractive at the PP. The XUL stuff is my next logical step. Micro/nano is my jam.

@Alex Ball

I think you're talking about my Libra SX3000, which is a big reel - here's the Samira 2500, which is small frame and deep mono spool.  I have it matched with Omen Green ML and 10-lb Tatsu.  

The Samira is worm drive, though both Libra and Samira have line management comparable to Shimano and Daiwa.  

 

The handle is Daiwa, knob Ulucus, and the reel-stand/keeper is Dress Origin.  

 

I hate the folding handles that come on Ticas and upgrade them to fixed Daiwas.  

A buddy gave me a blank check to pimp four Ticas for his grandkids, and I found great deals on Daiwa parts in New Zealand.  He gave me this little Cetus along with a long-discontinued Valentine single action fly reel.  I pimped the Cetus with Daiwa double handle.  

On 7/10/2021 at 11:20 AM, BassWhole! said:

So something with a 6.9 gear ratio?...

They do have a rainbowesque reel......LMFAO