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thumperdumper
Posts: 374 Deckhand
KastKing Reels - for you budget people out there...
thumperdumper
Posts: 374 Deckhand
(I live in NE now, but I am from Central Fl - just thought I would put this review up here as well. I put the same one in the NE section - in case anyone is as cheap as me. Enjoy)
So I rarely write reviews unless something catches my attention – also – I am cheap. To put it simply – I am literately probably the cheapest man in the world. If I can save a few bucks I will and that usually means never buying brand names. Give me a Walmart T-shirt over any other T-shirt any day of the week. Egyptian cotton? No thanks, but I will take 25 thread count sheets that cost $10.
So this being said – I am also a fan of Penn reels. My girlfriend’s dad ONLY uses Penn. He has been a charter captain for 15+ years and it is the only reel he will touch. So he got me onto them. I am mechanical by nature and took them apart to analyze them before I bought into the brand name hype. So I found out they were good. Excellent quality in the material, bearings, drag system, design, etc. However – I really hate spending 150+ on them. I just really hate that. A lot. They are also owned by Jarden Co which owns Penn, Abu Garcia, Pflueger, Shakespeare, Strenn, SpyderWire, Coleman, Ugly Stick, Berkley, and Mitchell.
So this brings me to what I am reviewing for all of you budget minded anglers out there…. Now I have NO AFFILITATION with this company. None.
The KastKing Sharky 2 spinning reel. Yea – I never heard of it either. I mean no offense to the company but KastKing kind of sounds like something you get from Hong Kong that lacks quality controls. So I was skeptical. In the description they state that
- Best-in-class up to 41.5LBs / 19KG of smooth, reliable triple disc carbon fiber drag and 30% stronger precision mesh brass gears for more fishing power
- Sharky II spinning reel has a CNC machined aluminum spool that is 10% lighter and stronger with more even line lay, internal grooves for lube retention, and more fishing line capacity. Sharky II has a power launch lip to cast farther. This fishing reel has a unique spool knob sealed with an o-ring system to keep water out of your carbon fiber drag washers for peak performance.
- 10 + 1 high quality shielded stainless steel ball bearings, 30% stronger precision brass gears, reinforced body, exact fit zero-play handle cogs, and a stainless steel main shaft
These reels right now are going for $50-$60 bucks because they just launched them. So 11 shielded bearings for $50 bucks? Carbon fiber drag? They claim you get can dunk them in the water for up to 3 minutes? I also saw a pig fly the other day and he met up with a unicorn and they gave me a winning powerball ticket. So here was my thought; I will buy two of these and if they suck I will return them and it will just be an inconvenience. However, if they worked, well solid win for me.
So I ordered two. A 4000 and a 6000. I fish saltwater so having a waterproof design would be an excellent thing. I got them and took them apart and also took apart a Penn Battle. Side by side. If these people are bull****ting me on quality – I was going to find out quick enough. Well I was impressed. These two reels are very similar in quality.
The differences I saw were:
Bearings - Sharky had 11 and Penn had 5. Difference was that Penn had sealed and sharky had shielded.
The rest of the reel was dang near the same. Both carbon fiber washers, both anti-corrosive metal, the Sharky was slightly lighter than the Penn, but one thing was the topper screw that holds the spool on. The Sharky has rubber on the bottom of it so when it is screwed in to the top of the spool it sealed the top from trickle down water. The Battle had a little tiny bit of rubber but it in no way sealed the top spool. So I took them both to the sink put a piece of paper towel in the spool so I could see if there was water intrusion and held them under running water for 30 seconds each. Low and behold the Penn got wet and the Sharky did not. Nice little tweak on the design I thought.
So the designs and quality being what they were – I went fishing. It was cold and I had no luck with any bull reds but as far as the performance as of now – they are smooth. Very very smooth reels. No odd noises, sounds, grinding, wobbling, and the anti-reverse is really anti reverse. It stops it immediately. There is no play and everything fits very well. I still have yet to test the drag but I imagine it will perform just as well. Next weekend I plan hit up some creeks or maybe the jetties and see if I can hook up to something. For fun, I might take the 6000 and go for small sharks JUST to test it out.
I brought this into Academy to get it spooled with line I had previously bought there. Some high vis line that I did not want to waste (they spool for free if you buy from there haha I am that cheap) and the guy took it a part then called his manager over to check them out because he had never heard of them before. He took a Battle 2 and started comparing them side by side as well.
I will update this review once I have but I don’t know – I figured people might be interested in this company. They also make braid line which I have used (before I knew they made reels) that performs equally as well as PowerPro.
They got some interesting reels so it may be worth the look see for any budget conscious angler. They also have top dollar reels as well for those who have some money to blow. I may order 2 conventional reels from these folks to use for kings once season comes. I was going to get Penns but honestly now I will probably go with KastKing reels. You just can’t beat the price.
They sell them on Amazon, Ebay, and they have a website.
http://www.kastking.com/
http://www.ebay.com/itm/KastKing-Sha...oAAOSwYIhWl3w2
EDIT: So I have discovered a few new things. The Anti-Reverse bearing is a SEALED bearing. This is not shielded, but sealed. Also, the handle cranks bearings which are in the side plate - which is susceptible to salt water intrusion - are sealed.
pretty legit.
Read more: http://forums.floridasportsman.com/showthread.php?212926-KastKing-Reels-for-you-budget-people-out-there#ixzz3yTfNRchV
So I rarely write reviews unless something catches my attention – also – I am cheap. To put it simply – I am literately probably the cheapest man in the world. If I can save a few bucks I will and that usually means never buying brand names. Give me a Walmart T-shirt over any other T-shirt any day of the week. Egyptian cotton? No thanks, but I will take 25 thread count sheets that cost $10.
So this being said – I am also a fan of Penn reels. My girlfriend’s dad ONLY uses Penn. He has been a charter captain for 15+ years and it is the only reel he will touch. So he got me onto them. I am mechanical by nature and took them apart to analyze them before I bought into the brand name hype. So I found out they were good. Excellent quality in the material, bearings, drag system, design, etc. However – I really hate spending 150+ on them. I just really hate that. A lot. They are also owned by Jarden Co which owns Penn, Abu Garcia, Pflueger, Shakespeare, Strenn, SpyderWire, Coleman, Ugly Stick, Berkley, and Mitchell.
So this brings me to what I am reviewing for all of you budget minded anglers out there…. Now I have NO AFFILITATION with this company. None.
The KastKing Sharky 2 spinning reel. Yea – I never heard of it either. I mean no offense to the company but KastKing kind of sounds like something you get from Hong Kong that lacks quality controls. So I was skeptical. In the description they state that
- Best-in-class up to 41.5LBs / 19KG of smooth, reliable triple disc carbon fiber drag and 30% stronger precision mesh brass gears for more fishing power
- Sharky II spinning reel has a CNC machined aluminum spool that is 10% lighter and stronger with more even line lay, internal grooves for lube retention, and more fishing line capacity. Sharky II has a power launch lip to cast farther. This fishing reel has a unique spool knob sealed with an o-ring system to keep water out of your carbon fiber drag washers for peak performance.
- 10 + 1 high quality shielded stainless steel ball bearings, 30% stronger precision brass gears, reinforced body, exact fit zero-play handle cogs, and a stainless steel main shaft
These reels right now are going for $50-$60 bucks because they just launched them. So 11 shielded bearings for $50 bucks? Carbon fiber drag? They claim you get can dunk them in the water for up to 3 minutes? I also saw a pig fly the other day and he met up with a unicorn and they gave me a winning powerball ticket. So here was my thought; I will buy two of these and if they suck I will return them and it will just be an inconvenience. However, if they worked, well solid win for me.
So I ordered two. A 4000 and a 6000. I fish saltwater so having a waterproof design would be an excellent thing. I got them and took them apart and also took apart a Penn Battle. Side by side. If these people are bull****ting me on quality – I was going to find out quick enough. Well I was impressed. These two reels are very similar in quality.
The differences I saw were:
Bearings - Sharky had 11 and Penn had 5. Difference was that Penn had sealed and sharky had shielded.
The rest of the reel was dang near the same. Both carbon fiber washers, both anti-corrosive metal, the Sharky was slightly lighter than the Penn, but one thing was the topper screw that holds the spool on. The Sharky has rubber on the bottom of it so when it is screwed in to the top of the spool it sealed the top from trickle down water. The Battle had a little tiny bit of rubber but it in no way sealed the top spool. So I took them both to the sink put a piece of paper towel in the spool so I could see if there was water intrusion and held them under running water for 30 seconds each. Low and behold the Penn got wet and the Sharky did not. Nice little tweak on the design I thought.
So the designs and quality being what they were – I went fishing. It was cold and I had no luck with any bull reds but as far as the performance as of now – they are smooth. Very very smooth reels. No odd noises, sounds, grinding, wobbling, and the anti-reverse is really anti reverse. It stops it immediately. There is no play and everything fits very well. I still have yet to test the drag but I imagine it will perform just as well. Next weekend I plan hit up some creeks or maybe the jetties and see if I can hook up to something. For fun, I might take the 6000 and go for small sharks JUST to test it out.
I brought this into Academy to get it spooled with line I had previously bought there. Some high vis line that I did not want to waste (they spool for free if you buy from there haha I am that cheap) and the guy took it a part then called his manager over to check them out because he had never heard of them before. He took a Battle 2 and started comparing them side by side as well.
I will update this review once I have but I don’t know – I figured people might be interested in this company. They also make braid line which I have used (before I knew they made reels) that performs equally as well as PowerPro.
They got some interesting reels so it may be worth the look see for any budget conscious angler. They also have top dollar reels as well for those who have some money to blow. I may order 2 conventional reels from these folks to use for kings once season comes. I was going to get Penns but honestly now I will probably go with KastKing reels. You just can’t beat the price.
They sell them on Amazon, Ebay, and they have a website.
http://www.kastking.com/
http://www.ebay.com/itm/KastKing-Sha...oAAOSwYIhWl3w2
EDIT: So I have discovered a few new things. The Anti-Reverse bearing is a SEALED bearing. This is not shielded, but sealed. Also, the handle cranks bearings which are in the side plate - which is susceptible to salt water intrusion - are sealed.
pretty legit.
Read more: http://forums.floridasportsman.com/showthread.php?212926-KastKing-Reels-for-you-budget-people-out-there#ixzz3yTfNRchV
