1 minute ago, casts_by_fly said:

Yeah, I’m with @A-Jay . There are 3 zillions in there, but the rest are shimanos of some ilk. That that isn’t all of them.

Man you and @A-Jay have some hardware! I’m over here with 4 casting and 2 spinning set ups haha

At some point i decided that having nicer stuff might not help me do better, but it sure feels nicer and will stay nicer forever. I think that started 20 years ago in other hobbies and I’ve maintained it. Buy good value but nice stuff.

1 minute ago, casts_by_fly said:

At some point i decided that having nicer stuff might not help me do better, but it sure feels nicer and will stay nicer forever. I think that started 20 years ago in other hobbies and I’ve maintained it. Buy good value but nice stuff.

But once cry once as dad always said. I don’t blame ya one bit

1 hour ago, casts_by_fly said:

At some point i decided that having nicer stuff might not help me do better, but it sure feels nicer and will stay nicer forever. I think that started 20 years ago in other hobbies and I’ve maintained it. Buy good value but nice stuff.

1 hour ago, Joedodge said:

But once cry once as dad always said. I don’t blame ya one bit

All them Shimano's are good reels. So are all my Lews, Revos, BPS, KK, and whatever else I can find in the boat, truck or basement. I doubt there is any real significant difference between any of the major brands at the same price point except individual preference.

4 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

Yeah, I’m with @A-Jay . There are 3 zillions in there, but the rest are shimanos of some ilk. That that isn’t all of them.

How are the FMs holding up?

13 hours ago, Joedodge said:

I’ll check out the sv stuff. Not gonna lie Daiwa has always confused me having a million models lol.

I just got a Tat SV a few weeks ago. Theyre nice little reels. Ive had older model SVs, which were good, I definitley liked the older style paddle knobs over the smaller I knobs they use now. I liked everything except the frame shape. I always though shimano had better ergonomics. Im not so sure the newer Tatula frame is a whole lot smaller than the older 100, but it feels much better in hand. I would have gotten a 100, but Im going to be fishing a few smaller tourneys with a buddy of mine. I got the SV for smaller cranks that are too much for a BFS rod and for pitching jig and free rigs. I can skip fairly well, but the SV spool gives a little more insurance against blowing up an outfit at a bad time. My SV is braked fairly heavy, I don't really ever have the brakes higher than 6 and usually have in on 4. It doesnt match a Metanium for distance, but it casts pretty well, especially those 1/4 swimjigs and 5/16 spinnerbaits. It was 184 shipped.

The 80 is a nice little reel, but the new one is coming out in July, il wait until then, or grab a Coastal 80 if I can.

I don’t buy reels based on feelings. It’s performance that rules.

8 hours ago, Joedodge said:

I’ve actually been eyeing those. They look great. I know some guys don’t like the non aluminum frames on Reels. But I think personally if ya use the reel correctly and fight the fish with the rod. They can last a long time.

One of my favorite reels that I used early on when I first started fishing is a Shimano Casitas which is also a graphite frame reel. I’ve never had any issues with graphite reels for targeting bass or panfish.

I could see Mabye there being some issues with targeting larger fish like in the salt water and potential of bending the frame.

21 hours ago, Joedodge said:

I’ll check out the sv stuff. Not gonna lie Daiwa has always confused me having a million models lol.

This kinda surprises me if you look down Lew's baitcaster page - 26 models and 5 different casting brakes.

Lews

Baitcast Casting Reels

Available in right and left-hand retrieve, for freshwater and saltwater fishing applications, get the best baitcaster reels from Lew’s.

Daiwa offers 2 brakes, simple centrifugal on just a few models (mostly big salt), and MagForce across the board.

All that's left is pick the MagForce inductor for your weight range (increasing weight follows) - SV, SV Boost, MagZ, MagZ Boost. There are aftermarket spools with fixed inductor for BFS.

MagForce is the brake that even Lew's is trying to copy now - it functions as a dual brake - does the job of both centrifugal + linear mag.

Brilliant and simple brake design, and simple to set.

No one on the forum has ever explained why and how to set Shimano casting brake.

Worth noting, Japan readers of Lure Magazine voted Zillion "best baitcaster in Japan" - 4th year in a row.

Wow thank you everyone! I appreciate the advice and help!! And to be fair on the lews deal not being confusing. I’ve never once looked at the catalog. Just what tackle warehouse and fleet farm and such carry in stock lol. I’ll look at the catalog now

I bought a couple Lews Custom Pro's last year to compare their ParaMag braking with my Shimano SLX XT DC's. The Lews' are light as a feather and cast very well. The Lews' braking system is more transparent than Shimano's DC, unless it's set on its maximum setting. I like Lews' "speed knot" spool and oil port. Build quality is pretty equal, but a couple seasons will really tell.

I prefer the Lews after using the two brands side by side for a season. The only deterrent is the $299 price tag over the Shimano's $224.

9 hours ago, mcipinkie said:

All them Shimano's are good reels. So are all my Lews, Revos, BPS, KK, and whatever else I can find in the boat, truck or basement. I doubt there is any real significant difference between any of the major brands at the same price point except individual preference.

Gonna echo this sentiment. I own and use a little bit of everything and they all seem fine - it’s just branding and little nit picky things that might make you feel cooler or a little more comfortable while holding one vs another.

I actually haven’t had a bad experience with any reel brand and I find that the cheapest stuff is excellent as is this super expensive stuff - it’s a great time to be a bass fisherman on any budget.

It’s really hard to beat going to a store and holding some of these reels in your hand and seeing how they feel. I would highly recommend doing that.

Also FWIW - the curado is where you really start to “experience” Shimano quality - the SLX feels exactly like a budget reel - because that’s what it is.

DC casting reels are all awful at any price point IMHO.

A while back Lew's was selling a reel called the Tournament MB for $129 retail. I slowly amassed 5 of them and I'm still using 4. Smooth drag, quiet, smooth operation. Hard to beat. Alas, they don't sell it anymore. The one I wore out was abused as a pitching rod for the better part of a decade. I sent it to BPS to be fixed and they said they didn't have parts for it. They offered a comparable refurbished BPS Johnny Morris Carbonlight for $50, which I accepted. It was so comparable it looked like the exact reel in different colors. It also looked brand new. I have since bought one $100 LFS. The drag on the LFS is a noticeable step down from the MB. I know they're still selling a mid-level reel like the MB that has the same features. I think they call it MP and the retail has increased to $159. If I was in the market I would look for that reel. Overall, I think Lew's has a good product that's probably very similar to BPS. The BPS Carbonlite is a pretty good deal at $139. It's most likely made in the same factory.

That's $.02 from a Lew's guy in the middle price range.

This became a good thread!!! Wow good stuff and experiences.

I guess I run around that $100-150 on rods and reels as a diminishing return deal. That’s what works for my price range and feeling ok with it to go have fun and catch fish lol

Yeah - basically buying lightly used stuff is a great way to experience some high quality gear on a budget - I rarely buy reels new.

I don’t even want to get into how many fisherman buy the whole line of a reel for a season - fish two weekend tournaments and then sell it all so they can get the newest stuff for next years two tournaments.

Some times you might even find some of these in the classifieds section here 🙂

11 minutes ago, Joedodge said:

This became a good thread!!! Wow good stuff and experiences.

I guess I run around that $100-150 on rods and reels as a diminishing return deal. That’s what works for my price range and feeling ok with it to go have fun and catch fish lol

Daiwa makes the Fuego in your price range. Some people really like them. I bought one when they were $100. It's noisy, like sandpaper. The guy I fish with can hear it. I've disassembled it and can't see anything wrong. I lubed it and still noisy. It's several years old and hasn't let me down yet, even with big bass, so I guess I can't complain for $100. But it's now $159 retail, so I wouldn't buy another. I use it for trebles, so the drag does most of the work. At least the drag is smooth.

27 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

Yeah - basically buying lightly used stuff is a great way to experience some high quality gear on a budget - I rarely buy reels new.

I don’t even want to get into how many fisherman buy the whole line of a reel for a season - fish two weekend tournaments and then sell it all so they can get the newest stuff for next years two tournaments.

Some times you might even find some of these in the classifieds section here 🙂

You can always find deals on Facebook/ebay. I bought a brand new metanium and a lightly used silver wolf(both jdm models) for way less than you can even get them on digitaka just because the guy bought so many reels and never used them all. There are good deals out there.

23 hours ago, Joedodge said:

I agree. I love my gen 2 lews a lot more than the gen 3.

Honestly I just do not like the drag on them. They cast well. They are a lil geary but I’ve never complained to myself about that. Mostly the drag. I could take it apart and upgrade the drag washers.

I did the drag washers on the Gen3 LFS, which by the way, are the same as the Gen2, in case you were looking for some. While there was slight improvement, it's still very underwhelming in the drag department.

16 hours ago, Pat Brown said:

Also FWIW - the curado is where you really start to “experience” Shimano quality - the SLX feels exactly like a budget reel - because that’s what it is.

I know what you mean, but with some SLXs are so close in feel, form and function when compared to a Curado version, not only does the 30% price increase unjustifiable, the reels are difficult to tell apart in the dark. I guess micro module is the marketing term that validates the extra $100, but I don't really feel any difference.

The other one that surprised me was SLX and Curado 70. I always liked the ergo and performance of Curado 70. Ive held a few SLX 70s and found they felt much better than I had anticipated. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I actually got to fish an SLX 70. Liking the Curado, i was already biased, yet I found the SLX 70 to be a great reel for an entry level angler or avid enthusiast. Casting was great, very comparable to Curado and SLX operated smooth. Curado has a more refined feeling, although I don't know if its worth $100 more.

As far as SLX XT and SLX A, the Curado 150 MGL/M are a significant upgrade.

5 hours ago, GetFishorDieTryin said:

I know what you mean, but with some SLXs are so close in feel, form and function when compared to a Curado version, not only does the 30% price increase unjustifiable, the reels are difficult to tell apart in the dark. I guess micro module is the marketing term that validates the extra $100, but I don't really feel any difference.

The other one that surprised me was SLX and Curado 70. I always liked the ergo and performance of Curado 70. Ive held a few SLX 70s and found they felt much better than I had anticipated. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I actually got to fish an SLX 70. Liking the Curado, i was already biased, yet I found the SLX 70 to be a great reel for an entry level angler or avid enthusiast. Casting was great, very comparable to Curado and SLX operated smooth. Curado has a more refined feeling, although I don't know if its worth $100 more.

As far as SLX XT and SLX A, the Curado 150 MGL/M are a significant upgrade.

Having owned both for 6+ years - I agree with everything you’re saying - but the Shimano curados still feel close to new and the SLX reels don’t even come close to feeling somewhat new. Both are great products for what they charge to me.

14 hours ago, Pat Brown said:

Having owned both for 6+ years - I agree with everything you’re saying - but the Shimano curados still feel close to new and the SLX reels don’t even come close to feeling somewhat new. Both are great products for what they charge to me.

Well, "both" is a little vague, there are 8 reels that some people may try to compare, although only 4 offer fair comparisons. Unless your mistaken about 1 or both US release dates and or are comparing the JDM SLX 70 which is almost 7 yrs old to the nearly 6 YO K70, but the answer as to why the JDM 19 SLX MGLs performance is degrading vs Curado K, or any Curado save for BFS, is fairly obvious, and is why I prefer brass. Since comparing SLX A/XT to MGL 150/M doesn't make sense, you must be referring to the DCs. The micro module didn't make much difference to me with my Curado. Other than knob bearing (i think) the only difference is the color of paint. My Metaniums have MM, but it must not work, I have to service mine every now and then to keep them running like new.

Ive heard Shimano reps say the Curado frame is more HD, yet the same AL is used for both and the difference in weight is about under 6 grams. Had Curado had an AL side plate, it would be more plausible, but both reels have the same composite side plate.

I didn't really see the benefit when the difference was half of what it is today. Now that Curado is an additional $100, HALF of what SLX cost when it was released, I just cant justify the price difference, when there is no tangible advantage to Curado other than a marketing tech, which Daiwa insists the complete opposite, alleging larger gear teeth result in a superior gear, which I don't buy outright either.

We all know the formula, most good reels get a new model every 4 years. In about 9 weeks Curado DC will be 8 years old and SLX DC will be 7. Neither reel has seen an update, but if they did put out a new DC braked reel in the US market, I would bet it would be SLX.

@GetFishorDieTryin I’m not comparing them saying it’s a 1:1 - I’m saying regardless of the vast and nuanced differences one CAN point out on paper - they feel great for a while - then the SLX standard issue and a SLX MGL70 were compared to a standard curado K across 6 years - I’m just saying I put the reels through their paces and the curado is still newish feeling performance and the SLX(s) both feel like older cheap reels at this point of which I have a few - I take my reels apart and service them annually and take care of my stuff but I don’t baby anything.

Of course they’re different - that’s why it’s unfair to compare them - that’s kinda the point I was trying to illustrate is that in spite of being functional in similar capacities - they break down in different ways in the long run and that only shakes out if you use it a LOT - for most people the differences would be negligible if you fish 20 trips a year or something. For many people - they’re gonna be functionally the same performance for a much better price - unless you use them daily for 6 years.

On 4/27/2026 at 9:38 AM, the reel ess said:

Daiwa makes the Fuego in your price range. Some people really like them. I bought one when they were $100. It's noisy, like sandpaper. The guy I fish with can hear it. I've disassembled it and can't see anything wrong. I lubed it and still noisy. It's several years old and hasn't let me down yet, even with big bass, so I guess I can't complain for $100. But it's now $159 retail, so I wouldn't buy another. I use it for trebles, so the drag does most of the work. At least the drag is smooth.

The Fuego CTs are my workhorse reels, very easy to work on and service and have a lot of interchangeable components with the Tatula series. But like you said, 160 dollars is crazy. I use to buy them on sale all the time for like 70 bucks. They were a steal at that price because of the magforce brakes. But now at 160 I'm going to consider something else for my next reel. Possibly the new Revo VoltIQ. But hopefully I won't need to replace any reels for a while.

On 4/26/2026 at 9:50 AM, Joedodge said:

Anyone else made the switch to lews? Or recommend a lews besides the LFS speedspools?

I almost always carry a rig with a Lew's Tournament Pro LFS. Fantastic reel, IMO. But I'm not a Lew's guy or anything else guy. Tonight's lineup will be a Tat TW80, a Catalina TW, an ABU STX, and a Lew's BB1 Pro. For what I use the BB1 for it's perfect. 1/2oz-1 1/2ozs. Just a fantastic trouble-free bomber. Really smooth too.

Tomorrow I might have a few Quantum Tour S3s in the mix, or whatever else I like. It's hard to buy a bad reel these days above $150. Fish with what you like.