55 minutes ago, tommu said:

Does that factor in shipping too? because i looked into amazon japan and the see that the prices are definitely lower than digitaka but have around $15 shipping fee. I guess it is cheaper, but i have some points  (about 700) i could put into the bantam. Plus, digitaka has awesome service and extremely fast shipping.

 

No, JPangler charges shipping additionally, which is about $10 I think.

 

Yeah, Amazon Japan has ~$10 shipping charge for reels, even though it says $15. Also, Amazon Japan itself doesn't sell ANY Shimano reels to US buyers anymore. All the reels available to US buyers are being sold by third party sellers, so you'll have to take your chance with that. Some of them might be selling used reels as new ones. 

 

You still have many choices besides Amazon Japan and Digitaka:  JPangler, Japan lure shop, plat, asian portal......  They all ship pretty fast and secure. Some charge shipping and some don't.  Japan lure shop would even give you a Megabass lure as free gift.

Just now, newapti5 said:

 

No, JPangler charges shipping additionally, which is about $10 I think.

 

Yeah, Amazon Japan has ~$10 shipping charge for reels, even though it says $15. Also, Amazon Japan itself doesn't sell ANY Shimano reels to US buyers anymore. All the reels available to US buyers are being sold by third party sellers, so you'll have to take your chance with that. Some of them might be selling used reels as new ones. 

 

You still have many choices besides Amazon Japan and Digitaka:  JPangler, Japan lure shop, plat, asian portal......  They all ship pretty fast and secure. Some charge shipping and some don't.  Japan lure shop would even give you a Megabass lure as free gift.

Yea, I dont want to take much risks when buying overseas. I usually stick with digitaka but jls does have the free lure as a gift which is pretty nice. But out of all of them, digitaka seems the most streamlined when purchasing, which is why i like them the most.

On 10/11/2022 at 10:45 AM, tommu said:

Looking for a more versatile bass reel with a bigger spool for around $200, casting pretty standard stuff such as t rigs, chatterbaits, jigs, etc. But in the winter/early spring, I go on trips to Lake Texoma for stripers, except that I fish from the bank, needing me to make long casts with heavy jigs (3/4-1oz). With all my research, I am torn between a curado mgl 150 and a lews bb1 pro (2021). Both are around 6 oz, centrifugal brakes, and have their own fanbases. Curado is a household name and I am mainly a shimano guy myself, but I would like to branch out. Tried a tatula 80 and was very surprised at how nice it was. Leaning more towards the bb1 pro, because I want to branch out and heard the bb1 has a clicking drag (which is awesome). Also, omnia has them for 20% off with a discount code. If anyone has any of these reels, How do they palm? I plan on bank fishing for long periods of time, and palming is important to me. Thanks.

Save yourself some $$ and get a Quantum Tour S3 for around $125 on fleabay (retailed for $200). There’s a few NIB right-handed versions available (6:31). I’ve got a 7:something and it is an amazing reel for the price. I’ve got a Shimano Curado 70 MGL and a Curado DC and I keep reaching for that Quantum. Bombs long casts, easy to dial in, rarely backlashes. 

Look at inshore LP reels if you need more line capacity like the Penn Squall 200.

Made my decision. Bought the new JDM Bantam. A little bit more than the initial budget but i'm sure this will be a worthwhile investment.

Nice! Heard good things about them.

 

I have the 18 Bantam MGL and like it, but heard the new model addressed some of the minor shortcomings the 18 model had, like casting better due to the levelwind being moved a little further away from the spool.

 

Hope you enjoy it!!

Order JDM from Japan and you can get a 22 Bantam for around $230 or a 21 Scorpion DC for around $180.  The JDM Metanium has less line capacity than the US version so keep that in mind if looking at those. 

 

Edit - didn't see you bought one. Congrats on the Bantam!