What has been your experience with them?

Although my Piscifun reels are offered on Amazon I’m assuming you’re lumping all CDM market reels together? If I’m correct my experience has been wonderful with my 4 spinning reels and 1 casting reel that is currently my bfs reel as it came with 2 spools. I will say I’m not sure how their customer service is but thankfully I’ve never had to use it other than to ask a question which someone here in the states actually answered quickly.

It's been awhile but I've purchased several baitcast reels and at least one rod from aliexpress without a problem.

2 hours ago, Eric 26 said:

Although my Piscifun reels are offered on Amazon I’m assuming you’re lumping all CDM market reels together? If I’m correct my experience has been wonderful with my 4 spinning reels and 1 casting reel that is currently my bfs reel as it came with 2 spools. I will say I’m not sure how their customer service is but thankfully I’ve never had to use it other than to ask a question which someone here in the states actually answered quickly.

Yes, correct about CDM.

I ordered a curado k from AliExpress several years back. It's the same, if not better, as the US version, and it's been one of my smoothest reels so far. As for Daiwa's CDM offerings, they tend to be more finesse-oriented with bolder color schemes.

Believe it or not, the Chinese tackle market is disapportionally huge given the fact that most people there only fish from the bank. For example, there are many merchants specialize in Shimano/Daiwa used reels trade, as well as some specialize in reels repaint/renewal, or handle knob customization, or spool diy... I was surprised by all those used gears gems that I can't even find in Japan used market.

I haven't used Chinese brand reels for a while, but I know some of them have really grown out of Japan reels' shadow.

I only ordered 2 items from Ali Express and this was back in 2019 I think. A Daiwa reel and a Kuying Rod. Process was seamless, products were great! The one thing I did do was look for a vendor with good feedback just like amazon or ebay.

I don't have any experience with a Temu, Ali Express or other CDM branded reels/products.

I have an Aliexpress BFS reel that has been pretty good for what it is. I paid about $30 for it and it's been better than I'd hoped. The rod I bought for it was nice until I forgot where I was and set the hook into a concrete structure and broke it. Now it seems that it's pretty difficult to get another shipped here as I've had one lost in the mail for about a month now.

I'm not sure why people think there's a domestic market for fishing tackle in Asia's largest country, but there isn't - it's all made for export. Hong Kong is different, and Tica was making offshore reels there 5 years before Daiwa entered the fishing reel market, and then contracted Tica to build reels for them. Tica puts their mark on the only micron-frame UL spinner in the market, a beast line of spinning reels for inshore to surf, and a decent big-weight baitcaster (and still a lot of offshore).

I found one in Japan (Reply Badger, also sold as Frog Products Toy Machine Competition) that turned out to be a Japan-bench-tuned Ali Express reel, and I really like this round BFS reel for lightest-weightless-senko niche.

I liked this reel enough coming off my bench, that I bought the A/E Sabre version in one-frame-size up, gave it similar bench tuning, and really like it for salt-finesse niche.

Interesting on the Sabre reels, they didn't reverse-engineer one brand, but the drive-in swaps many Daiwa parts, and the drag-out swaps Doyo and Banax (Korea) parts - the silver/gray/gold reel has the lighter stock drag star from my ZPI Alcance. Both combos above also have Ali Express separate rod grips (Aioushi and CDZ), matched with high-grade JDM champion-ferrule finished rod blades (Bright River and Kuramochi).

I like the lighter machined-from-barstock A/E grips better than the heavier die-cast JDM equivalent grips.

Though the Japanese can style to excess...

I'll edit in about A/E rods. They don't seem to know what a progressive rod is - all their rods are para, and none fish their rated low-ends. I don't like any of their UL trout rods, but my long PureLure Seabed baitfinesse is "can't pry from my fingers" - as long as you don't need to fish its "rated" 3-g low end.