I need to purchase a couple baitcaster reels was looking at the ardent and the quantum's in the $150 range . I like the ardent 3 year warranty. Any suggestions would help. Should I go with a 6:3-1 or 7-1 ratio. One reel is for tossing jigs the other rattle traps , crank baits top water
Thanks
Anthony
Thanks
Anthony
Hey Anthony,
There are a lot of good reels out there, and you can get a great deal with that price range. If you have a little wiggle room with price, I would maybe look into the Shimano Curado, which usually goes for $180. Also definitely check out Lew's reels. They are of high quality and will almost definitely last you. Check out their speed spool series, all of which go for around $150. One final option is the Abu Garcia revo series and ambassadeur series, both including quality reels of your price range. Of course, I don't think you should buy any reel, especially a baitcaster, without actually playing with it in person and seeing how it feels, so take the drive to Bass Pro Shops or Dick's Sporting Goods and play around and get the feel for the reels that you're considering in person. It's definitely worth the trip. And I would probably go with the 7-1 gear ratio, by the way. For your price range, I'm sure you will find a great reel or reels. Good Luck!, Drew
P.S. I've never really gone for the Quantum reels and think there are better options available, just personal preference.
There are a lot of good reels out there, and you can get a great deal with that price range. If you have a little wiggle room with price, I would maybe look into the Shimano Curado, which usually goes for $180. Also definitely check out Lew's reels. They are of high quality and will almost definitely last you. Check out their speed spool series, all of which go for around $150. One final option is the Abu Garcia revo series and ambassadeur series, both including quality reels of your price range. Of course, I don't think you should buy any reel, especially a baitcaster, without actually playing with it in person and seeing how it feels, so take the drive to Bass Pro Shops or Dick's Sporting Goods and play around and get the feel for the reels that you're considering in person. It's definitely worth the trip. And I would probably go with the 7-1 gear ratio, by the way. For your price range, I'm sure you will find a great reel or reels. Good Luck!, Drew
P.S. I've never really gone for the Quantum reels and think there are better options available, just personal preference.
Check out the daiwa tatula too, they run pretty cheap on amazon around 120. IMO they out perform any other reel in its price range, and a lot of more expensive reels for that matter too. Also between a 6 and 7 gear ratio I don't think it's a big difference, I have a mix of both and I couldn't tell the difference.
There are a ton of reels that are good performers that run below the $150 range. Lew's CarbonFire Speed Spools are smooth and only run about $80. Abu Garcia Orra SX is about $100 and is a sweet reel too. Quantum Escalade is about $100 and casts a mile with very little effort. That doesn't even touch Daiwa, Shimano, Ardent, BPS reels or any of the others. It all comes down to what works for you. A good reel teamed up with a crap rod, will give you a less than satisfactory pairing. Gear ratios depend on what you want to be able to do. A 7.1:1 gear ratio picks up a whopping 3 inches of line faster than a 6.4:1 per every turn of the handle. Crank it fast and it will take the slack out of your line a little bit quicker. Find a reel that works good for you. I started at the low end of the scale last year with Abu Garcia Black Max, Silver Max and an Orra SX and caught a good amount of fish on them. "Upgraded" to Lew's reels this year and am very happy with them. There will always be something "better" coming out next year. Whether or not it's really any better is up to the user who is willing to shell out the money.
I had almost this exact same question a few weeks ago and I ended up going on the cheap side with the Pro Qualifier 7.1 and so far I really like it.
If you search for that thread from a couple weeks ago you'll find a ton of great info in there too. The guys on this board were really helpful and informative.
If you search for that thread from a couple weeks ago you'll find a ton of great info in there too. The guys on this board were really helpful and informative.
Hey All,
Noticed that guys seem to be down on Quantum Baitcasters-my first baitcaster was a $60 Quantum reel from Wal-mart, I learned to throw on that reel and used it hard for 2+ years (I was a high schooler, didn't have the money to upgrade) then I bought an Energy PT 6.3, fished that through college on bass, schoolie stripers and blues. After a summer of burning top water plugs for blues and smoking my wrist out, I bought their 7.0 TE and have been using both those reels ever since.
Of course, those two tournament reels are more pricey, but I've noticed their cost has come down since I bought them in 2003 and 2007.
Sorry for the commercial, but my experience with Quantum has been great.
By the way, that $60 reel still works, I just haven't replaced the old rod it went on since an unfortunate car door accident.
Noticed that guys seem to be down on Quantum Baitcasters-my first baitcaster was a $60 Quantum reel from Wal-mart, I learned to throw on that reel and used it hard for 2+ years (I was a high schooler, didn't have the money to upgrade) then I bought an Energy PT 6.3, fished that through college on bass, schoolie stripers and blues. After a summer of burning top water plugs for blues and smoking my wrist out, I bought their 7.0 TE and have been using both those reels ever since.
Of course, those two tournament reels are more pricey, but I've noticed their cost has come down since I bought them in 2003 and 2007.
Sorry for the commercial, but my experience with Quantum has been great.
By the way, that $60 reel still works, I just haven't replaced the old rod it went on since an unfortunate car door accident.