I had read and heard this reel might be the"best" $100 reel .  I've always been a Shimamo fan but Cabelas has the Lew's LFS on sale for $75 a couple of weeks ago. I had enough of  their "Club" points and got one.  So far it casts as well and is as smooth as any of my Curados.  Don't know if it will last as long as some of them have but I'd have to agree that Lew's Speed Spool LFS is a good reel and IMO would be hard to beat at it's regular $100 price.

they are fantastic reels at that price point. i definately put them up against reels costing 3 times as much. rarely backlash and are smooth on retrieve. i had 4 first gen that 8 sold after 8 hard years and replaced with second gen. al 4 are still going stong after 3 more years.

Agree with dodgeguy. Fantastic reel for the money. 

I would say the SLX MGL 70 last gen being sold off now for $100 or a Fuego CT/Tatula CT on sale now between $100-112 are probably the Kings of the best reels in that $100-slightly above price range right now.

 

I dont think of the LFS as a $100 reel....

Reason i say this is because i see the LFS as a $50-75 reel, since its almost always going for that price at various places throughout the year. I bought mine last year for $55 and kept it in the box until this week, i only have a few 6 speed reels and this one was available to use for cranking/chatterbaits.

I put it on a MH rod and went fishing. I havent used it (except one time just to make sure it worked) because i have tons of reels already that i use on a daily basis (that are 2-4x more expensive than this) and this just seemed, felt, and looked cheap to me.

I honestly didnt think it would be that great of a reel, probably just decent or a step above my old Abu Black Max.

 

I was extremely surprised by it, now i was only casting 3/8oz-1/2oz cranks and chatterbaits but wow did it cast those far. Its distance was on par or even better than my Tatula CT.

With the trailer it was ranging between 3/8-3/4oz but still i was casting the same lures the other day with the Tatula CT on the same rod, and that was one of my farthest casting reels but this went even farther. And took less effort too.

 

I barely even set it up, just kept the spool tension the same for all the lures and the brakes i just kept low and didnt experiment much with them, i barely had to even thumb the spool, no backlashes, and i almost over casted a few times into a tree. I really didnt expect that reel to perform/cast that good. It really changed my mind on the LFS. Great reel.

 

I shouldve bought more when they were selling very cheap last year, but i have too many reels already i guess.

I really like my $200 BB1 Pro's from Lews, one of my top favorite reels and i didnt think this $55 reel would be added to that same favorite reels list.

I've been using one for two seasons now, with no problems. Good reels.

Yes these are bomber reels. I have 6 and while they aren’t the smoothest or most quiet they get the job done. You get a good range gear ratios to choose from as well 

I bought a lew's LFS Speed Spool in 8 speed last year. Loved it all season. Ended up buying another in 6 speed.

 

They are built well, feel solid and comfortable, braking is very controlled and distance is good, feels smooth out of the box. Cleaned both up over the winter,  greased and oiled them, feel even better now.

 

I am a fan of these reels. Excellent value.

10 hours ago, learnin said:

I had read and heard this reel might be the"best" $100 reel .

 

Might be...no is!

Own several and would strongly recommend them if you are pairing with a $100-$150 rod and just starting to use a baitcaster. One of the best things about them is they are consistent which helps when you are figuring out how to set the spool tension and brakes based on your casting technique and lure weight. Sometimes you can find them on sale so I'd check google and if you see any for $80 or so then I'd argue that's about as good as it's going to get at that price...

I have 4, one in each gear ratio, because I like them that much. They are probably used as much as my Curado mgl (which I love).

Doh! This thread just made me buy another for $79...

 

Thanks everyone - shame on you...

1 hour ago, OHBuckets said:

Doh! This thread just made me buy another for $79...

 

Thanks everyone - shame on you...

Just think though $79 now, was like $40 a couple years ago, that's a steal d**n inflation.