Spartacus II Baitcasting Fishing Reel, 6oz Ultralight Baitcaster Reel, Super Smooth with 17.6 LB Carbon Fiber Drag, 7.2:1 Gear Ratio, 39mm Palm Perfect Lower Profile Design

For the money, this reel is a 10/10. I got the right handed version and I’ve landed well over 100 smallmouth this fall using this reel, including my pb, over 5 pounds. Drag works well, it casts a mile once you get it set up for the lure you’re using, and it’s smooth. Fighting dozens of 3+ pounds smallmouth, there’s no sound or roughness in the reel. I own a few expensive reels, and they all work great, but this one has been my go-to for months. It’s light, doesn’t backlash even with braid, and it still works like it’s brand new. I’m genuinely impressed with kastking’s quality with this one.

I am a Texas saltwater Wade fisherman and used this reel on 2 trips so far. My friends like to wade deeper and I am not tall so this reel took multiple wave splashes and was dunked several times. I did light cleanup while at the coast and major cleans after returning home. The reel performed excellent comparing to $250 daiwa coastal. No rust and bearings are smooth. Drags worked very well on several redfish and 3, 5 pound speckled trout. I love the light weight size too. If it eventually dies, I will throw it away and buy a new one for $40.

This is a good reel for the money. It came with good packaging and some helpful paperwork for adjusting the settings. I've always had the big brands, but on a recent trip to Bass Pro I was shocked at how much the costs have gone up, so I started shopping Amazon and found this one. I really can't tell the difference, it's a little light. I like mine a little heavier, but it casts good so far, and the drag settings are just fine. I've got a few backlashes but it depends on what I'm throwing and all you have to do it adjust the settings. So far I've only had the reel for about 1.5 weeks and landed about 15 bass with this up to roughly 5lbs. I'd like to compare this to some of the other competing brands, but I would not hesitate to buy this again or try one of the other models.

Smooth and drag is amazing! Caught many big fishes

I know, a $400 reel just screams durability and ability to catch whales. But I like these Kastking reels. I especially like this one. This is her husband by the way, my wife doesn't fish. Eats Mcdonalds fish, but wouldn't fish if her life depended on it. These reels are sturdy, INEXPENSIVE, and when you get the hang of of it, all bait casters are fun to use at the beginning, they work just like any other casting reel. I caught a 6 pound Bass on one and he wasn't any harder to land on this reel as he would have been easy to land on a $400 reel. Normally Kastking installs audible spool tension knobs, this one is quiet. No tick tick when you turn it. It also has a spring loaded brake cover knob which makes removing the cover a bit more challenging. My others have the down for off, up for latched. But this one allows me to throw lighter baits a bit easier without all the backlash issues.