I’ve been eye hustling the reel on YouTube reviews and it seems like a pretty solid reel for the money especially having an aluminum frame and double bearing supported pinion. My boss at work picked one up at release and he said it has taken a permanent place on his boat deck as a cranking reel that he paired with a Dobyns fury and he loves it. As per my previous gripe thread about Abu Garcia, I have been looking at different lews and diawa reels to configure my next rig before the baby gets here in August and for some reason I thought these reels were retailing for $179.00 and when I saw the price tags online my mind quickly changed gears. Seems like a lot of reel for the $130-$140 price tag.

 

What do you guys think? What has been your experience with the reel?

28 minutes ago, NavyVet1204 said:

What do you guys think? What has been your experience with the reel?

It's basically a Tournament MP. I've fished with it recently. The Tournament Pro LFS is a superior reel with a superior braking system and can be easily found for nearly the same price if you look around. Even if you pay a few more $ it's very much worth it. Check out the place that outfits sportsmen.

What do I think? I think they're a Tournament MP with a different paintjob and a $10 discount built into the price.

 

By that I mean that I think they're probably very good reels that'll do a good job for you. I have the predecessor to the MP, the Tournament MB, and I love everything about that reel.

• The dual braking is a great feature compared to the magnetic-only braking of the $100 LFS model,
• (this is probably just me) the tension adjustment seems like it's a little bit easier to move to just where I want it,
• the aluminum frame is a nice feature

I think that KVD's quite a bit of reel for the money. If you want a quiet reel, keep shopping. Every Lew's reel I've ever owned has loud gears.

15 minutes ago, galyonj said:

What do I think? I think they're a Tournament MP with a different paintjob and a $10 discount built into the price.

 

By that I mean that I think they're probably very good reels that'll do a good job for you. I have the predecessor to the MP, the Tournament MB, and I love everything about that reel.

• The dual braking is a great feature compared to the magnetic-only braking of the $100 LFS model,
• (this is probably just me) the tension adjustment seems like it's a little bit easier to move to just where I want it,
• the aluminum frame is a nice feature

I think that KVD's quite a bit of reel for the money. If you want a quiet reel, keep shopping. Every Lew's reel I've ever owned has loud gears.

I’ll attest to the loud reels when it comes to lews. Both of the ones I have are very noisy, but are dead nuts reliable. Yes, several of the YouTube reviews I ha e seen have said the same thing about the similarity to the MP.

22 minutes ago, PhishLI said:

It's basically a Tournament MP. I've fished with it recently. The Tournament Pro LFS is a superior reel with a superior braking system and can be easily found for nearly the same price if you look around. Even if you pay a few more $ it's very much worth it. Check out the place that outfits sportsmen.

I have the location saved in my favorites already.

Not that I never have, but I generally never buy a rod or reel without touching it first. The KVD Line has peeked my curiosity some. The BC reel, glass crank rods and the composite casting rods. Finding a dealer is the problem. 

1 minute ago, Spankey said:

Not that I never have, but I generally never buy a rod or reel without touching it first. The KVD Line has peeked my curiosity some. The BC reel, glass crank rods and the composite casting rods. Finding a dealer is the problem. 

Yeah I am the same way and I really prefer hands on before the actual purchase myself. I was just seeing if you guys pulled the trigger on one yet.

3 minutes ago, NavyVet1204 said:

Yeah I am the same way and I really prefer hands on before the actual purchase myself. I was just seeing if you guys pulled the trigger on one yet.

I thought about ordering up two or three rods from Cabelas and have the shipped to the store. If there was one that struck I’d buy just the one I liked. Have done this before. I’d like to visit TW but we couldn’t be much more apart across the country. They list a spinning rod also I’d like to touch. 

6 minutes ago, BaitFinesse said:

Doyo reels are lego part reels.  Why is this Doyo dual brake reel a steal at $130 when another is like the BPS Pro Q2 at $100 not?  Is it a better platform?  I've handled one and it wasn't an impressive reel but not awful.  Just pretty average with below average smoothness under load when I cranked the handle with thumb pressure on the spool. It was a display reel so maybe that's why it was rough.

 

Honestly, given the specs, the Q2 is probably right up there. I just never think of BPS.

If I'm gonna spend more than $85 on a reel, it's gonna be Daiwa or Shimano.

17 minutes ago, galyonj said:

Honestly, given the specs, the Q2 is probably right up there

The Q2 doesn't have the P2 pinion according to the posted schematic. Otherwise casting performance should be very close.

8 minutes ago, PhishLI said:

The Q2 doesn't have the P2 pinion according to the posted schematic. Otherwise casting performance should be very close.

That's true. There are some differences (the drag, the pinion like you mentioned, maybe some other stuff I'm not seeing), but for the most part I think it's a good competitor.

 

ETA: I do like that the Q2's got a 6-pin centrifugal brake instead of a 4-pin like the MP/KVD reels do.

14 minutes ago, cdlittle said:

If I'm gonna spend more than $85 on a reel, it's gonna be Daiwa or Shimano.

Then you might be missing out. Personally I'd put the actual fishing performance of the 2020 Tournament Pro LFS above any reel at the retail price point, and I have them all. It's a special reel. Super versatile over a wide range of bait weights, and it's still smooth after a season and a bunch of good fish.

1 minute ago, PhishLI said:

Then you might be missing out. Personally I'd put the actual fishing performance of the 2020 Tournament Pro LFS above any reel at the retail price point, and I have them all. It's a special reel. Super versatile over a wide range of bait weights, and it's still smooth after a season and a bunch of good fish.

 

You may be right. I picked up a BPS reel for $20. Aluminum frame, dual braking, works fantastic as my cranking reel.

40 minutes ago, Spankey said:

Not that I never have, but I generally never buy a rod or reel without touching it first. The KVD Line has peeked my curiosity some. The BC reel, glass crank rods and the composite casting rods. Finding a dealer is the problem. 

I was in a local mom and pop shop, with absolutely no intention of buying a rod, and saw they had the KVDs for $79. I grabbed a 7'0" MH/F (regular composite, not the cranking rod). It's a really solid rod for that price. Not exceptionally sensitive, so I wouldn't use it for bottom baits; however, it works well as a moving bait rod so it has become my chatterbait/spinnerbait rod. 

 

Again, it didn't blow my mind, but especially if you can find it at that $79 price point, it is a very solid workhorse rod. For comparison, I would say it is considerably better than the Academy H20 rod at that price (which I have a couple of).

1 minute ago, cdlittle said:

 

You may be right. I picked up a BPS reel for $20. Aluminum frame, dual braking, works fantastic as my cranking reel.

  My kind of deal.  Can't beat that deal with a 10 foot stick. 

20 minutes ago, PhishLI said:

Then you might be missing out. Personally I'd put the actual fishing performance of the 2020 Tournament Pro LFS above any reel at the retail price point, and I have them all. It's a special reel. Super versatile over a wide range of bait weights, and it's still smooth after a season and a bunch of good fish.

Dang you Phish!  Broke down and ordered one.  Should have when they were a little cheaper.  You are a bad influence. 

1 minute ago, new2BC4bass said:

Dang you Phish!  Broke down and ordered one.  Should have when they were a little cheaper.  You are a bad influence. 

LOL. PM me when you get it and I'll give you some pointers and easy prep details.

20 minutes ago, PhishLI said:

LOL. PM me when you get it and I'll give you some pointers and easy prep details.

  Thanks, my friend.  And, yes, you are still a friend even if you are a bad influence. 

37 minutes ago, plawren53202 said:

I was in a local mom and pop shop, with absolutely no intention of buying a rod, and saw they had the KVDs for $79. I grabbed a 7'0" MH/F (regular composite, not the cranking rod). It's a really solid rod for that price. Not exceptionally sensitive, so I wouldn't use it for bottom baits; however, it works well as a moving bait rod so it has become my chatterbait/spinnerbait rod. 

 

Again, it didn't blow my mind, but especially if you can find it at that $79 price point, it is a very solid workhorse rod. For comparison, I would say it is considerably better than the Academy H20 rod at that price (which I have a couple of).

I have a birthday coming up. They are gonna be asking me if I want anything. 
 

Without ever touching these rods yet, the one by what I see of the specs and leaning toward maybe I’ll ask for it as a present. I won’t have to send it back. Heck might be my favorite rod of all time. Who knows. I generally fish cork handled rods. Foam might be a pleasant change. 
 

I’ll see. I’ll try to weight it up. I try not to impulse buy. I had been kicking buying a  Megabass PopMax for some time. Last night I broke down and ordered (1) PopMax and (2) Pop X’s. I feel good about them. Was with certificate money so it was an easier decision. 
 

Good luck with that KVD rod. 

I've no idea. I'd be willing to bet that they're the same brake as on the MB, which are the 4-pole type that you just click off of the catch so that they're loose to contact the race when the spool spins fast enough.

1 hour ago, BaitFinesse said:

Are those 4 pin brakes free to swing on a hindge or the spring retained type like the 6 pin

Slide type and spring retained against a standard brake drum No flying arms.

I hated my Tournament MP and sold it, but the KVD reels (I have 2) are amazing.