New baitcaster reel

From the list below, if you were to buy one, which reel would you pick?

Pflueger Monarch
Quantum Invade
Abu Garcia Max Z
Abu Garcia Max X

I wouldn’t. I don’t like any of them. I wouldn’t even really be happy getting them for free. I’d probably just pay em forward.

Agreed, but then again I'm a tackle snob.

Made in Japan Shimano. Not saying anything negative on the reels you listed, just what I have experienced in the last 30 years. The older Shimano reels are really good. As I service them, I cannot say anything bad about them.


I don't know anything about any of the reels you listed. Good luck on the new reel search.

I would save my money and get a shimano SLX or Daiwa Fuego.

Lew's.

Don't waste your money on that junk. Get a curado

+1

Thats what I would say also

None of those.

Go with Shimano, Daiwa, or Lews. instead.

I fish with Quantum, Abu Garcia, Lew's, and Shimano. I prefer Abu Garcia but just slightly edging out Shimano. Never had Pfluger gear but they have been around as long as I can remember. They couldn't stay in business this long without making quality gear.

Yep

I don't know about any on your list, but I can tell you that an ABU Silver Max is a decent starter reel and it's in the same price range. I bought one about 10 years ago to leave in the shed by my pond. It gets used 4 or 5 times a year and has held up well. It's not quite as smooth as my better reels, and doesn't cast quite as far, but it works fine for the pond.

If you are going to be a tournament bass fisherman who fished 200 days a year, I would say to avoid any $50 reels. They won't hold up and you will end up spending more money replacing them. But if you are an occasional fisherman you might get by ok with one. Good luck deciding.

You do realize that Lews is literally the same garbage right?

….and the cheaper shimanos are a different kinda garbage.

As much as I like my Shimano’s I have to agree. Tried a SLX and after one cast I sold it.

Everyone has their favorites. Mine haven't even been mentioned, but not going to mention because you didn't ask about them. Hope you find one (or more) you like!

I'm not going to give a condescending answer. I'm not sure if you are buying it for a kid or giving it as a gift for someone who wants to get started in fishing. Those are my reasons for picking up some of the cheaper options.

I haven't used any of those listed, but I have used the Abu Garcia Black Maxx, and it's really not that bad. As a matter of fact I would put it up against most $100-150 reels on the "smoothness" (I don't think that any reels in the sub $200 category are very smooth). Have been using them with braid and they have held up okay.

I have an 18 year old Pflueger President (Old school deep and narrow spool) and it is still one of my go to reels that actually casts really well. I also have used several of the President spinning outfits and recommend them as well.

In the same price category as the ones you listed. I have caught the H2O mettle from Academy on sale. That would be my go to for a cheap reel.

My last baitcaster was an Abu Garcia Ultra Mag 2. Bought in Temple when I was young. Fished on lake Buchanan. I could never cast it and used it off a dock. Bran flakes dough balls and carp. No idea whatever happened to it.


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No it isn't. I have quite a few Lews reels and have never had a problem with any om them, but none of mine are cheap reels.

BB1 BB1pro and the super duty are all great reels.

This^^^^^^^

And just another Doyo

Yep

Hey OP, to answer your question, IF I had to pick from your list, I would go with the Quantum Invade, only because it has the best warranty - All Quantum gear is protected for a rock-solid 5-years from original date of purchase against defects in workmanship and/or materials. - all the reels you listed are entry level and can last a long time if taken care of, enjoy whatever you go with !

I have one of the Black Max Abu Garcia's and two Pro Max's as well. You can get them off of Ebay refurbished sometimes pretty cheap. Like you, I'd put them up against anything a lot more expensive. Someone gave me some cash for my birthday this past summer; had it in my pocket walking through Walmart fishing gear and saw the Black Max and it was priced for about what I had in my pocket. I brought it home and mounted it on a Duckett Ghost Cranking rod with some 20 pound Big Game and tied a Berkley Kane Walker on it and threw it for a good part of a day on Sandlin. First bite was about a 3.5 pounder and it handled it just fine and cast a country mile.
The Pro Max reels are a little sturdier and from what I've learned about them, are a mixture of Black Max and Revo technology.
I've bought some Lews reels in the same price range and prefer the Abu Garcia reels over them.
If I were just getting into this game and was trying to accumulate tackle for multiple techniques these cheap Abu Garcia reels is what I'd roll with for sure.

I bought a Super Duty last year for fishing on El Salto and wished multiple times that I would have gotten a Shimano or even a Revo STX. Now the BB1, that is a very nice reel. Haven't tried the BB1 pro.

Buy Daiwa and be done with it

You will catch the same amount of fish with any of those reels you mentioned as the extremely overpriced favorites referred to Fact is that Edwin Evers has made over $3 million with the BPS Pro Qualifier reels. They may have been made by Pflueger. Point is, people will tell you that their $500 Aldebaren or Steez are worth it. Only in their minds I think. I

A Kia will get you where you’re going but a BMW will make the drive more enjoyable

You can't judge a reel until you've held and used the top of the line. Which doesn't mean buying what Randy says to on his YouTube and then calling it even. The guy is a tool.

Can you tell the difference between a $700 reel and a $150? Not unless you've owned the $700.

With a big word of caution. If that Lews makes you happy. Awesome. Just don't buy the upper tier of Shimano or Daiwa and compare them to the Lews. It'll break your heart.

That was actually a very decent reel for it's era. I still have an original Ultra Mag that stays in the shed at the pond with the Silver Max and keep a buzz bait on it. I've also got a Plueger Supreme in the shed that has an ancient Nip i Diddie on it. That was the first baitcaster that I ever owned and my dad told me to learn to throw it and he would pass down his 1958 model ABU 5000 to me. I have used that 5000 all my life. It doesn't stay at the pond; I keep it in the boat and make a few casts with it almost every trip. I added 4 bearings to it and it works better now than it ever did.

I doubt that any of the reels the OP mentioned would still be working 50 or 60 years later the way these reels are, but they would all be more effective than the old reels at catching fish. They all have some type of thumb bar, a faster gear ratio, bearings and other upgrades over the old models. But the old models caught fish back in their era and they will still catch them now.

I think that learning to cast with one of the old Plueger reels would be great training for any beginner now. If you've never seen one, it doesn't have a free spool feature and the handles rotate when you cast. That was the technology back in the 30s and 40s. Learn to cast one of these without a backlash and you will probably feel like you don't need a computer on your reel.

HaHa. I just sent two of those to Steve to have him go through them, clean, repair if necessary and add boca bearings. Those were my favorite reels for many years.

Thats the same analogy I use all the time Thomas!

There is a significant difference A better analogy is a Timex to a Rolex. The quality of materials used, the difference in tolerances, the expected service life…those are a few things that factor into the pricing. My Steez reels don’t have any plastic [censored] for parts, every moving part it supported by a bearing or two, and the fit and finish is in another league.

Will it outcatch a $40 reel? Nope(well maybe…it will out cast a cheap reel and the solidity and lightweight will actually improve sensitivity of the rod/reel combo) . It will outlast one for sure. It will also make the day less stressful.

Those are things that aren’t in a persons head.

But, the real hurdle is getting the hand to pull the money outta your wallet. Once you try a high end reel, the regular stuff kinda sucks.

It’s addictive too.

This^^^^
Get a comparable Shimano reel, I've still got some of the old green Curados from when they were $99 a piece. I had one that I only used for saltwater, never cleaned it and only had the bearings changed out every few years and I still use it today. They hold up better than any other reels I've used. That being said I haven't bought a new Curado in years, mostly because I haven't needed to.
The only other reels I've had that held up are the old Lews BB1-NGH

I enjoy driving my wife's KIA car more than I do my daughters Mercedes car. Now your gonna make me have to get a BMW to compare.

This thread has shown what the TFF has become. A person ask about which is best in $40 to $55 reels he is considering and then almost everyone replies stating he should get $200 to $700 reels. I sure hope no one ask about if they should buy a 17 foot Nitro that they are considering.

Has become?


Maybe we've bought that $40 POS before and it left such a bad flavor.... We suggested not buying it. Nothing in this world will ruin your day more then a low end, Chinese clone of an American reel.

So if you want to buy a toy. Get a Barbie combo. If you want some peace of mind. Breakdown and treat yourself.... By not buying the Barbie.

I know that there are Chinese clones of various reels, but I didn't know of any that are American. Are there any baitcasters made in America now? I had never heard of a couple of names mentioned in this thread, and had never heard of a $700 reel, so maybe those names are made in USA?

I've been accumulating baitcasters since the early 60s, and the only one that I have made here is the Plueger Supreme that was made in the 30s. I might be willing to splurge on a reel actually made in USA. Most of the reels I fish with were in the $100 to $200 range, I have been satisfied with them. I fish a lot with an uncle who has always wanted the best, so he bought a $400 Shimano with the computer chip in it. On every trip with him, he will try to put something extra into a cast for more distance and the computer will decide that the cast was too hard. When it does, it locks the spool and snatches the lure back at him, sometimes hitting him with it. I always get a good laugh and give him some friendly ribbing over his nice reel. I am sure that he doesn't know how to adjust it properly and it's all user error, but I don't see the need for a computer on a reel.

You don't have to spend crazy $$, I actually keep an eye out for the old Chronarch's from the 90's online. I typically pick up beaters for about 65$ used, and I can rebuild them for about 35$ with all new ceramic hybrid bearings, and a carbon fiber drag disk. So for a 100$ I can add one of my favorite reels to the pile. I have around 12 in service in the boat now. I cannot get away from them, I do have a few other models from Shimano and they are as good as any new reel today. But I run open bearings, and I service mine regularly. I think the type of lube you use is the key, very light thin oil only. Anything sticky, thick, or the such and your spinning your wheels. Now for salt, that's a whole different beast.. Don't be afraid of the older shimano's.. I don't do this for other people, just mine and specific people because it takes some time..

Here are some of the last batch that I serviced.. I love the old chronarchs.


Here are some reels that I serviced, they are my fishing Mentors older shimano reels which are absolutely amazing. Thing that was amazing, the older reels work better than the new aldebran... Cannot explain it, but the old MG's, scorpions, and green curados are really good and the bearings they have originally are very good. The older MG will cast the line off the spool if you don't tie it to the spool..






Here is an older curado which was just cleaned.. This is a 20+ year old reel.. Original bearings, which were opened.

i do believe Ardent is still made in the USA

I can’t believe quantum or pflueger are even in business still. Shimano a need daiwa are hard to beat. New lews are junk too. Ever since they went to rather outdoors.

Nobody enjoys driving a Korean POS. NOBODY!

Kia /Shimano,,,,,,BMW/Daiwa...

I like the way you think.

Rolls Royce/Shimano

Rolls Royce/Shimano. Bugatti/Daiwa

would Abu be a Saab?

Already got the quantum. I like how it feels and already got some good fish with it on day 1. Before this, I've been using a Shakespeare Alpha since 2019. (Probably purchased about a decade ago) Obviously it's not smooth and have a huge backplay, and not perfect tolerances. Even the spool tension knob has been missing for a while. But I've caught many good fish on that as well. Learned that you don't need high end stuff just to catch fish.

In comparison, the handles feels much better, and way less backplay in the clutch bearing and is smoother. A Shimano or daiwa can wait another day.

If a PISCIFUN reel was on your list, I would have picked it. After fishing hard with one of their larger models, the PICIFUN 300 since July with 0 issues I would have no problem recommending one of their smaller reels priced in the same range as those you have listed to anyone in the future. Hope the new reel you purchased lasts as long as your last one and keep on catching big ones.

Yep, what he said!

Don't even bother with any of those. Get you a 13 Concept reel or a Lews reel. Shimano today is not what it used to be, so don't even bother.