Why would you buy a name reel like a lews or pinnacle when BassPro reels are almost the same for a lot less money?????

When I buy a reel, I'm looking for several things:

I want a competitive level of technology and features

everything on it has to work together

I want it to last for years, indefinitely with a little TLC

It has to be backed by a company I trust to maintain a parts inventory if they are needed

If you feel BassPro reels meet your criteria for a reel, that's great. I feel major factory brands give me the best chance to get all the things I'm looking for, and I don't mind paying the freight to get them. Nice thing about a market economy, we both get what we want.

Past experience narrows my field down a bit, from a performance standpoint to customer service. Today most companies make very good equipment, it's getting hard to go wrong.

The key is " almost the same." I prefer to buy those items, like reels after I hold them in my little hands. There are no BPS stores in my region. I can always find name brand items on sale or discounted and narrow the price difference from exclusive label items. Anyone who prefers BPS or Cabelas exclusive label products are getting what they pay for like the the rest of us. When I spend a hundred bucks or more, I want to demo what i'm buying. Can't do it, so I don't buy it.

i buy Daiwa gear because its better than the BPS gear.

I just never buy BPS reels and never will. They might be great, but I don't see any reason to stray from the big names.

Just not interested in store branded reels but that's just me , if you likem ,buy em.

I have a Cabelas Prodigy reel which is made by Daiwa but the majority of my reels are Quantum and I'm comfortable with them and they perform well. I primarily like the Major brand name reels. If you are happy with the BPS reels then use want is working for you.

I have 2 Johnny Morris reels and I like them as well as any of my ABU and Shimano's.

If you want to keep your budget at @ $100 - 130 for a good reel I don't think you can go wrong.

If it looks good in your boat and feel good in you hand just have fun

I have 5 of the BPS Johnny Morris series....Love them....Buddies have Revos and Shimanos....IMO the BPS reels are just a good....For yes less money

Why would you buy a name reel like a lews or pinnacle when BassPro reels are almost the same for a lot less money?????

I am sure it depends on how close 'almost the same' is. For some anglers, almost the same is still not the same. For others, almost the same is just as good as the same. It is up to each individual to determine whether the price difference is worth the actual differences in the reels. Aesthetics will be different. Handles; knobs; spools; bearings, warranties; these can all be different. Some have brand loyalty; others don't.

Like I said, each person has a different threshold for different that they are willing to accept.

When I buy a reel im looking for something that will last a long time. Cast good, has a good drag, good gears, and fits my hand well. As said before, "almost the same" can be interpreted many different ways.

For me its because I like trying new things and having different options. Case in point, I currently own 4 baitcast reels from 4 different companies. I have a Daiwa, an Abu Garcia, a Shimano, and a BPS reel. I like all of them, and I wouldn't want all of my reels to be Shimanos any more than I would want them all to be BPS reels. For my next couple reel purchases, I'll probably try more different companies. Right now I'm leaning towards Lews and Ardent, but that could change. Another thing worth mentioning is that the name-brand gear can be very affordable if you wait for deals. All of my reels with the exception of 1 were purchased at some sort of discount, and the one exception over half the purchase price was paid with gift cards, which I consider to be almost the same thing as a discount.

I used to feel the same way until I had a BPS's anti-reverse blow up on me during a hook set this past weekend. Fish took the frog, waited, and set hard. The spool popped then went backwards. Went straight over to my Revo SX (that I bought used on EBAY for less than a BPS reel) and no more problems. I'm with you on saving money. I won't buy hardly anything brand new anymore because I can get lightly used for less than half the price. All of my Revo's I got for $80 or less. The fall is the big time to get that stuff. People will buy new in the spring and want to offload for the next year's models so they ditch them in the fall. Only problem there is most companies won't transfer the warranties. Quality is my motivating factor in all of that. Keep that in mind.