KastKing Kapstan Elite Saltwater Spinning Fishing Reel, Up to 55LBs Max Drag, IPX6 Waterproof & Corrosion-Resistant Bearing System - Ideal Fishing Gifts for Saltwater Fishing

Got this for salmon fishing and it has held up well to some really big fish on strong fast runs. The drag is smooth and powerful for those 20+ lbs. fish

Some reels are listed as "salt water" reels because they use corrosion-resistant parts. This reel takes it to another level by also having waterproof seals that keep salt water out. The reel even has an IPX6 rating. The multi-disk carbon drag system is similar (or superior) to the aftermarket upgrades I've paid extra to add to other reels. It is buttery smooth but can apply some serious pressure! (30lbs. in the case of my 3000 size... that's double what my trusty Penn Battle has!) The shielded stainless steel ball bearings are in the right places to insure strength and smoothness, like on both sides of the crank and at the top and bottom of the spool. The gears are premium manganese-brass alloy. The reel body is aluminum. This reel is a tiny bit larger and heavier than some in its class. For just two ounces more weight than my old favorite saltwater 3000-size reel, this reel offers more bearings, an IPX6 waterproof rating, better gears, and double the drag stopping power. And I think it looks great, too. So far, I think this reel is unbeatable in its price range. If everything performs as expected, it should be a big winner! Time will tell, and I'll update my review with any positive or negative revelations.

I purchased this reel out of curiosity about the quality and performance. I have not used it fishing yet but plan to in the next two weeks and will update my review at that time. The reel arrived on time and well packaged. It has a great look and feel to it with very smooth cranking and bail closure. It seems balanced and the finish is really nice. It is set up so it can be used for right or left handed cranking. One minor thing is that I travel a lot and wish it had an extra cover for where the crank handle attaches. This would protect it from dust and protect my gear from the grease if the handle is off of the reel. The reality is that I will travel with it in the box as it is set up to protect the reel! Once again, nice reel and I look forward to getting line on it next week and then getting out on the water to test it more thoroughly!

It's awesome It's not cheap made I'd put it next to my slammer any day. It has a nice power handle that helps get the big boys in with ease. This is the first product I ever bought from kastking. It's a solid reel everything about it feels solid it I have no problem landing decent size mahi mahi or any other large fish.

This is a great starter reel, lots of line capacity, performs well, and salt water safe. I pulled a lot of whiting and sting rays with this reel. But a few negatives would be that this reel is heavy, like crazy heavy, so i would recommend this be used for dead bait fishing from shore or a pier. There are a few Allen key screws that’s attached to a metal plate that connects the handle to the reel. These screws will come loose and you will feel the handle give a little creating a very small amount of latency between your push and the reel starting, so expect to have to tighten that down every season. For size it is big and hefty, much similar to your entry level PENN battle reels. I still feel that this reel does out perform the Battle III series and for sure does better than the Wrath series but that’s not saying a whole lot. If you’re looking for a heavy reel that is salt water safe but can’t afford a DX or go JDM and need a high drag? Then this is a decent choice. I did not notice any wild sounds or clicks after the 8 months I used this reel for primarily surf fishing pared with a St Croix Triumph 10’ cause at time I was looking for a reel, I was looking for something to match with the green rod and wasn’t really looking at the stats.

Edit: Kastking tried to help solve my issues and suggested sending another one incase the one I got turned out to be defective. Happy to say the new one has been good so far, not sure what the deal was with the first one I got but overall pretty happy about the replacement. Thanks again. Sure its smooth out of the box but no really compared to the same price point of its competitors. For over 150 its feels like a scam. The quality is just not there with the very flimsy bait arm with crazy amount of flex to the subpar drag system. The line roller barely rolls and that is going to be a huge problem with braid. It does look cool but nothing screams buy me, just get a penn,shimano or daiwa

I have 10 penn spinfisher reals . They are all over 4 years old and are still smooth . This real is a couple months old and already sticking . The knob on the reel falling off non stop didnt really bother me but the reel itself now becoming useless so fast is . Oddly i splurged on the real since it costs as much as a penn rod/ reel combo. But its sad its junk Update: kastking sent me a new reel free of charge without me requesting it . I wanted to test the reel before updating my review . Its been a few months and many hours of saltwater fishing . The new reel has held up perfectly . The first one musta been a lemon. I really like the reel . Its very smooth. I will update again if things change . I expect any higher end reel to last at least 1 year .

One month in and the bay line broke. It’s past the return window and now I can’t return or replace it…