Any good Chinese reels from Amazon?

[aws]

Hi

Has anyone had any experience with chinese brand spinning reels?  Are there any "better" brands to look for?  

[Cosmos]

29 minutes ago, aws said:

Hi

Has anyone had any experience with chinese brand spinning reels?  Are there any "better" brands to look for?  

Piscifun or kastking. Both are quite solid brands. You can YouTube them - many reviews on both brands 

[aws]

Thanks

[GBW]

5 hours ago, Cosmos said:

Piscifun or kastking. Both are quite solid brands. You can YouTube them - many reviews on both brands 

Yeah both, so I see, read and hear are decent.  I'm a Shimano fan so no other tid bits of help here.

Edited May 10, 2022 by GBW

[AKRISONER]

Still personally a believer that buying a quality reel is a far better investment as it will basically last you 30+ years. 

[aws]

Pflueger and quantum are my brands. They are marked “made in China”.   

[CrowMan]

Regardless of where the products are manufactured....I'm also a believer in supporting your local retailer...when you can. Whether it's a big box store or your home town shop, bricks and mortar retailers offer real people giving local advice. Over the last few years many local fishing shops have disappeared.

Especially with rods and reels, I would personally have a difficult time purchasing something without feeling it "in hand". As a die hard gear junkie, one of my simple pleasures is wandering the aisles of a fishing store and feeling or eyeballing the merchandise. Whenever I'm on the road, I always make it a point to stop at a local shop and support it with even  a small purchase...sometimes the local knowledge you gain is well worth it. I would hate to lose that experience to a Jeff Bezos vision of on-line convenience. 

Or maybe I'm just an old fart who should get with it....

[aws]

CrowMan

You make a good point.  I still have a gift certificate from my local guy  (Steve in Lambeth)   I am shopping for grandkids who live in south africa so you see my dilemma.  It is hard to get there to shop around.

[CrowMan]

As I said..."when you can". 

I buy on-line too...some stuff you just can't find locally...like feeding my JDM addiction..

[AKRISONER]

1 hour ago, CrowMan said:

Regardless of where the products are manufactured....I'm also a believer in supporting your local retailer...when you can. Whether it's a big box store or your home town shop, bricks and mortar retailers offer real people giving local advice. Over the last few years many local fishing shops have disappeared.

Especially with rods and reels, I would personally have a difficult time purchasing something without feeling it "in hand". As a die hard gear junkie, one of my simple pleasures is wandering the aisles of a fishing store and feeling or eyeballing the merchandise. Whenever I'm on the road, I always make it a point to stop at a local shop and support it with even  a small purchase...sometimes the local knowledge you gain is well worth it. I would hate to lose that experience to a Jeff Bezos vision of on-line convenience. 

Or maybe I'm just an old fart who should get with it....

still stop in peterborough pro tackle every single time im in town. I think the traditional tackle stores are dead because they are not specialized enough. You arent going to get far if your competing to sell canadian tire tackle with canadian tire. 

The way to survive is to cater to the crowd that takes fishing to another level, which is the exact business model of a peterborough pro tackle or a gagnons. 

[BillM]

I'd spend the $$ you're going to pay for a new AliExpress special reel on a used Shimano or similar.  

[CrowMan]

Good news is that manufacturers are recognizing this trend and are realizing that if they don't want their products to to be on-line (or big box store) commodities, they need to protect the little guy. 

Last year, Daiwa introduced the "Kage" product line. It features some of their best technology at a reasonable price point. It's only available from INDEPENDENT Daiwa retailers. I have one of the rods and a MQ reel...for the money they are excellent products. I was always a Daiwa fan, but this marketing strategy only reinforces my fondness for the company and their products. 

[AKRISONER]

2 hours ago, BillM said:

I'd spend the $$ you're going to pay for a new AliExpress special reel on a used Shimano or similar.  

pick up an old stradic, get it serviced or do it yourself and have a reel for the rest of your life

[BillM]

20 hours ago, AKRISONER said:

pick up an old stradic, get it serviced or do it yourself and have a reel for the rest of your life

Yup, the old Stradic FI's are great reels.  My newest spinning reel is a Sustain FE  

[Canuck]

Daiwa BG. Much much better value but prices are up, like most things.  I do have a Kastking line counter trolling reel that seems pretty solid for a graphite frame reel. Not sure about their spinners.