I’m looking to invest in the best overall Baitcaster for general purpose fishing.

Would like to use on my primary rods; plastics, crank baits, etc..

Interested in spending more that I typically do, so looking for best options in the $500-$1,000 range.

I’m partial to shimano and you can’t go wrong with a Metanium or Bantam. Daiwa Steez is another good option.

+1 on the Metanium

All Shimanos are good as Tim stated above but the issue I have with the Metanium & Bantam is their line capacity, or lack thereof.

For that reason I like the Daiwa Steez TW series. I like to use big line so when you load one up with 20# Flo if it doesn't have a decent capacity you find it limits your casting distance quite a lot. You would not go wrong with either of these reels but compare the line capacity before you choose.

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Daiwa_Steez_A_TW_Casting_Reels/descpage-DSVAX.html

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/search-tackle.html?start=0&count=30&searchtext=bantam

Daiwa Tatula SV TWS....the most anti backlash reel on the market, better than the Shimano DC reels.

Best bang for the buck is the Daiwa CR80 if you are wanting a finesse reel.

If you are good at casting the Tatula elite is a great reel.

Shimano SLX is a good reel for the price.

Curado MGL 150 another good one.

Lews BB1 Pro

Lews super duty and super duty wide spool.

Daiwa Zillion and Steez for upper end reels.

Get ya a handful of these.

I fish every weekend and I go to Mexico every year and fish for 6.5 days where it's not uncommon to catch 100 bass a day and I've fished with lots of different brands (Diawa, Shimano, and Abu Garci). My favorite is the lews Pro TI because I got no time for maintenance. These reels have been thru my Mexico trips with no maintenance or down time. You can damn near empty the spool when you cast and they are super smooth.

oh you fancy

Yes sir! Have 4-5 of them. Best reels I have. 2nd best is the newest Tatula SV series.

Shimano Metanium.

Steez...Zillion....then everything else.

I said Metanium or Bantam as I have about 2 dozen of them but am thinking of picking up an Antares to go with my new Conquest 905c. It's about as high end as it gets in the Shimano lineup.

That would be one sweet combo.

The older made in Japan Shimano reels. Get some good bearings, learn to service the reels yourself and you will always have the best reels.

I own all of the high end Shimanos and they're all great reels if you use smaller line or braid. None of the high end Shimanos hold enough line to suit me. The OP was asking about high end reels $500-$1K.