Reels reviews from Reddit
Summary
We analyzed 139 Reddit reviews across 17 subreddits and 33 posts to rank the best Reels brands recommended by redditors, including communities like r/Fishing_Gear, r/BFSfishing, r/fishingUK, r/saltwaterfishing, r/IrishFishing. Top-rated brands include Shimano (4.6/5), Daiwa (4.6/5), KastKing (3.9/5).
Stats
Reviews139
Subreddits17
Posts33
Brands51
Products81
139 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
Shimano
4.6
(30)
"The Curado is a long time favorite."
"Tranx"
"Shimano Tranx is designed for saltwater and is a killer bait caster."
"No baitrunner like it.... Apart from the original (and imo best) Shimano baitrunner."
"Shimano fc fx4000 is an amazing reel for the price, about 30 quid max"
"Shimano and Daiwa offer the best value for money and reliability."
"You can’t go wrong with the Tranx."
"Tranxs are great buttery smooth reels."
"You really can’t go wrong with one of the Tranxs, Curado 300s, or Conquests"
"I have one and it is now my go to."
#2
Daiwa
4.6
(23)
"Just here to agree with the daiwa ninja. Great reel. Serious bang for buck and it’ll survive a night underwater without any issue"
"Daiwa ninja is the best reel you can buy sub €100 my friend had one for years before upgrading done him very well"
"Daiwa ninja for about 60-65 off fish deal most would agree it’s one of the best reels if not the best at that price"
"It’s a lovely reel, very light and pairs great on his 10ft feeder rod. spare spool too. Honestly, wouldnt hesitate to buy one for myself."
"Daiwa bg best bang for buck I think"
"Then I sold it and got a silver feather exa with DC braking. I have no regrets after tasting both extremes."
"Got the Daiwa Gekkabijin and it’s night and day the difference. Smoother retrieve, less braking issues and in my opinion a better aesthetic."
"I use the Daiwa Matchman with Diawa N’zon reel for feeding and I absolutely love the reel."
"Daiwa ninga awesome reels 300 or 400 ideal I used mine Saturday and Monday got 6lb line on carp to 12lb."
"Daiwa Saltist 30h with the adjustment screw out you can't birdsnest it."
#3
KastKing
3.9
(8)
"The Zephyr is a fine entry point for BFS to test the waters."
"I got a Zephyr from Amazon and found it very useful."
"This the default I want to try BFS without blowing money option tbh."
"The Zephyr, while still budget, at least feels like it uses higher quality pla"
"Good for the price, I even uprgraded the bearings on mine and use it now for mostly trout season and crappie fishing."
"As a beginner reel i definitely recommend it ( it's still my only bfs reel). I've never had an issue with it at all."
"Yes it good for it price"
"The Zephyr 3-4 years ago had a moment where it was the best budget BFS reel by far."
#4
Orvis
5.0
(4)
"Definitely a solid reel. I have the Access Mid-Arbor IV on my 6 wt and it’s been great."
"I have one of these from the beginning of my fly fishing journey over a decade ago and is still a great reel!"
"I’ve had one on my 7 ft 6 3 wt for 15 years, fantastic real. I sent it into orvis once to be repaired. Was back in 2 weeks and was like brand new."
"I liked mine so much I picked up another one when I saw it for sale. They're pretty good reels."
#5
Soloking
4.0
(5)
"The Doviello Hicc50 is the standard for affordable bfs reels. It’s far better than the Zephyr and goes for almost the same price on Amazon."
"If you can get the HICC50 for that, then yes. I have one of those too and it's decent as well."
"I think I'm going with the Hicc50 (soloking Acura) for $59. I've heard a lot of good things about it and I like that its metal."
"I have this reel too, but I honestly feel the Soloking Acura HICC-50 Pro is better and it used to be cheaper."
"Wow... The Soloking Acura price is crazy expensive (and I really like the reel, but not at that price), and for a single spool, too."
#6
Tsurinoya
4.8
(4)
"The Tsurinoya Genius or Dark Wolf Ultra are amazing for the price (before tarrifs) ."
"I'd forget the Kastking and go for the Tsurinoya Genius, it is much better than both the other two reels."
"The Tsurinoya Dragon Lite Game is perfect for power BFS (anything above 3 grams). I have one and I'm happy with it."
"Reels from Tsurinoya in the same price range will be all around better."
#7
Kent Tooling
4.5
(4)
"Has never let me down and seems to be bomb-proof."
"I only use Kent Tooling reels."
"Kent tooling is great. My advice is to go for the composite ones instead of full stainless though."
"If you're deadset on a crabsmasher then you won't go wrong with Kent Tooling."
#8
Pflueger
4.3
(4)
"Pfluger lady trion and maybe a Daiwa airdx rod and a reel for you?"
"Daiwa Spinmatic travel rod and a Pflueger President 2000 should fit the bill."
"My light rod is a St Croix with a Pflueger President Supreme."
"My panfish rods are a 6’ UL BassPro Panfish Elite with a Pflueger President 25"
#9
Okuma
4.0
(4)
"Budget: Okuma Celilo and Shimano Sienna"
"Okuma celilo is nice budget rod."
"Ive heard the okuma celilo is a pretty good budget rod."
"You can get some pretty good okumas at that price."
#10
CapCut
4.3
(3)
"Capcut is the best for free options"
"You might want to check out InShot and CapCut – super user-friendly and packed with features for quick edits."
"Capcut is a good option. User friendly."
#11
Ugly Stik
4.0
(3)
"I buy the ugly stick GX2 , Shakespeare spinning combo and run 15lb mono on it for saltwater reds and drum."
"I have the ugly stik gx2 combo 6’6 it’s pretty solid and 2 piece have caught lots of bass and panfish with it also only $40"
"Ugly Stix GX2 ultralight with a quality reel."
#12
Penn
4.0
(3)
"My favorite reel is a penn spinfisher i bought around 2012ish and man... I have"
"I’ve done well with penn reels, they have some at the top end of your budget and they have been workhorses for me."
"Penn Squall low pro is like $180. Otherwise you're wasting you're money on something that the salt will kill quickly."
#13
Avet
5.0
(2)
"Avet MXL raptor or JX/LX."
"I would seriously recommend an Avet MXL Raptor."
#14
Lew's
4.5
(2)
"Lew's SuperDuty in 7.5:1. It's been on my yak every time I've gone out for the past 6 seasons. Still going strong."
"I have the lews hyper speed. Nice just to get them to bank faster. Has like a 9.3 to 1 or something plus 20lb of drag"
#15
Abu Garcia
4.5
(2)
"I have no problem throwing that size bait on that size reel (Abu Revo Toro Beast)."
"I've done fine with my Abu garcia I picked up for 70."
#16
Okuma Celilo
4.0
(2)
"I just got my first ultralight rod and reel for this. I got an Okuma Celilo and a Daiwa Revros LT 1000 for under $100"
"Ive heard the okuma celilo is a pretty good budget rod"
#17
Guru
4.0
(2)
"Guru have just launched a nice looking feeder reel."
"4000 runs quite big. I use it for barbel and dead bait when pike fishing."
#18
13 Fishing
5.0
(1)
"If you can find a 13 fishing inception for around 70~80, go for that."
#19
Ark
5.0
(1)
"I have the Zephyr, the Acura, the Micro Monster the second gen Dark Wolf Ultra, as well as a Shimano Aldebaran BFS and an Ark Gravity BFS. The last is the best, and it's not even close."
#20
Ninja
5.0
(1)
"I love my ninja reels they’ve been flawless for the 5 years I’ve owned them."
#21
SwellPro
5.0
(1)
"SwellPro's FD1+ has a 1.5-mile transmission range and a 2kg payload."
#22
Ninjas
5.0
(1)
"Ninjas easily the best bang for buck."
#23
Custom Divers
5.0
(1)
"Have used and abused my Custom Divers ratchet reel for nearly 25 years and it’s never let me down"
#24
Apeks Diving
5.0
(1)
"I opted to try it out and I love it. Works great with my dry gloves and my wet gloves."
#25
Zebco
5.0
(1)
"I absolutely SLAY panfish with a Zebco slingshot for $10."
#26
Redington Behemoth
5.0
(1)
"Redington Behemoth"
#27
Catmaxx
5.0
(1)
"Catmaxx spinning reel is 60 bucks. Has 40 pounds of drag and can hold a ton of 100 pound braid."
#28
Seasir
4.0
(1)
"Seasir M1 on AliExpress, local US shipping. I can cast 1 gram on it. Comes with an extra spool."
#29
JDM
4.0
(1)
"Jdm legalis 1000 or 2000 + handing m1 trout rod"
#30
Doviello
4.0
(1)
"Doviello BMC100 is a budget option that I'm loving right now...same manufacturer as the HICC"
#31
Lightning Rod
4.0
(1)
"The lightning rod would be just fine for pike but it would be on the lighter side for sturgeon."
#32
InShot
4.0
(1)
"You might want to check out InShot and CapCut – super user-friendly and packed with features for quick edits."
#33
Ming Yang
4.0
(1)
"I got a Ming Yang round baitcaster off Ali express for 35$ and for me it’s been pretty solid."
#34
Lews
4.0
(1)
"Lews laser lite on a 7’ Fenwick light action."
#35
Akios
4.0
(1)
"I like my akios f-15s."
#36
Ugly Stick
4.0
(1)
"A big ol reliable ugly stick combo."
#37
St Croix
4.0
(1)
"St Croix trout series"
#38
Bass Pro
4.0
(1)
"Bass pro micro lite"
#39
Go Outdoors
4.0
(1)
"Go out doors have 4000 ninja reels and they would be plenty big enough for lure fishing."
#40
Lamson Gurus
4.0
(1)
"I always had good luck with my Lamson Gurus"
#41
Shimano Sienna
4.0
(1)
"The shimano sienna is also nice."
#42
Daiwa Revros LT 1000
4.0
(1)
"I got an Okuma Celilo and a Daiwa Revros LT 1000 for under $100"
#43
Shimano Sedona 500
4.0
(1)
"I got my rod from them paired up with a Sedona 500 reel."
#44
Pfluger President UL
4.0
(1)
"Just go with Pfluger president ul or l combo"
#45
Shimano Ultegra 1000
4.0
(1)
"I have a Shimano ultegra 1000 on it, it's a fantastic combo , albeit spendy."
#46
Eley
4.0
(1)
"Check out the Eley and RapidReel brands!"
#47
Stradic
4.0
(1)
"Picked up a hardly used Stradic a little while back for $80."
#48
Maver
3.0
(1)
"I have a maver reality and a daiwa crossfire and theyre decent cheap options i use on my 10ft/2oz tip."
#49
Nash
3.0
(1)
"I’ve currently got a few Nash dwarf reels i got with my 9ft dwarf rods that I am selling."
#50
Dark Wolf
1.0
(1)
"Awful reel, delete from your basket and get a dark wolf ultra"
#51
Piscifun
1.0
(1)
"There aren't any good, cheap saltwater baitcasting reels unless you want to try your luck with Piscifun junk."
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