I would suggest
Shimano SLX
Lews LFS
Academy’s Mettle
Diawa CC80 HS

H20 Mettle's
Abu Garcia (Swedish Made)

I recently bought (2) Lew's LFS and (1) Lew's Tournament MB. They all work great, and I am pleased with them. I share your concern the Lew's LFS reels are made in China. I am trying to avoid Chinese made stuff now too. Vietnam made is not much better.

I was flinging baits all over our pond this morning with that Diawa Tatula (TW CT?) 103, and not the first backlash. And I was real light on using the thumb. I’m getting tuned in with that reel and the rod I finally chose to put it on. I’m sure somebody else makes a better reel at that price, but I’m not sure what better would feel like.

Ok...caught not one fish. Hung a nice one though.

Check Ebay. Look for "new" or "like new". Take your pick. there are all kinds on there. Just make sure it's coming from inside the USA. Sometimes you can find a $200 one for $100.
I say that because my son had about 10 Lews reels for sale on there. From Speedspools up to Lews Lite. All new in the box. All lefties. He has about 5 or 6 left. Look for someone selling out of Roanoke.

Has anyone said 13 Fishing Origin A? This is a fantastic reel for about $80. I have $300+ reels but this one is my favorite. It is smooth, comfortable and trouble free. I would probably use one of my others for a long day of salt water or where I knew fish would be over 10-pounds regularly. Otherwise, this one suits me fine.

I had one. It was my favorite reel until it froze up on me. I think it lasted 6-9 months.
The Lews Speed Spool LFS is much better and worth the few extra dollars.

I have bought several Lew's LFS Speed Spools, a couple of Daiwa Fuego CTs, a Daiwa Tatula CT and a Shimano SLX XT and used them extensively this past summer and fall. All of them seem to perform equally well in my use. The Lew's SS LFS is the best value since you can find it less expensively on different websites. The Daiwa Fuego CT is also a great value. I slightly prefer the Shimano SLX XT but am very pleased with all of them. I can cast a little farther with the Shimano and Daiwa reels but not significantly.

If I was on a tight budget, I would definitely buy a Lew's SS LFS reel from a discount tackle website, Facebook Marketplace or eBay. It is solid, well made and performs well.

Isn't it pretty much agreed upon that Shimano and Daiwa produce the reels that other manufacturers wish they would themselves?

Yeah, Lew's and Abu and Okuma et al. all make reels that will catch fish for decades when cared for, and their owners love them. I fished for years with BB1NGs (5.1:1) and sold them years later for what I paid for them. But still, for performance and longevity it's hard to beat S. and D. I have Bantam Curado 100s and 1000s that I bought in the early 80s that still fish well, and a dozen Greenies that fish great after a refurb by a qualified Shimano guy. They're still going strong after 25 years now. That said, I do fish nowadays with new Shimanos because parts for the old Bantams and Greenies are incredibly difficult to find, and good as the oldies still are, the new kids are smoother and lighter. And smoother and lighter are important to me.

My take on the sub-150 class is the SLX in its various incarnations is the Best In Show regardless of model. I have two Fuego reels that I got because I like the Fuego spinning reel more than I do the Shimano Nasci. However, my opinion is the SLX at $99 kicks the butt of the Fuego casting reel at the same price.

FWIW, I wish Shimano would put an anti-reverse switch on their spinning reels. I have a couple Stradic reels, and I miss the switch.

Sorry for the rant. Had a couple toddies and when I get buzzed, I get chatty.

BTW, in 1981 a Shimano Bantam 1000 was $99.00.

I agree, Shimano and Daiwa are consistently the best around. The Fuego CT and Tatula CT are nice, but I also prefer the SLX and SLX XT.

I've bought 6 Tatula SV's off of ebay from Alpha Omega?? I think is the seller. Anyhow I paid $150 new in box shipped for each of them. Best money I have ever spent on reels.

what I like about Stewart Tackle
Good Price
Free Ship
No Tax

I have 3 of these, and it's hard to imagine a reel being better enough that it would make you catch any more fish

I can't buy myself nice reels because my 16 year old daughter "has to" have the Lews Speed Spool, Lews Custom Lite SLP, and apparently no 16 year old girls fishing collection is good until daddy buys her a Quantum Smoke.