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Kastking, yeah that's one brand to avoid

7K views 43 replies 18 participants last post by  tincanary 
#1 ·
I know @piketroller had a less than pleasant experience with a Rover. I had a fellow wanting me to tune his Zephyr BFS, what a pile of plastic and pot metal. I understand their appeal, but at the same time, I dunno why somebody would choose one of their reels when the likes of Abu, Daiwa, Shimano, Lew's, and Pflueger make much higher quality reels for not much more money. Kastking could be a great brand if they were supplied by better OEMs, but as of now, save your money everybody.

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#5 ·
I would put KastKings and the like into “starter reels.” If you haven’t used a baitcaster before, they are a cheap way to see if they are something you want to put more time and investment into (baitcasting skills, rods, differences from spinning reels and others, etc.), at which point you buy a better reel. However, I don’t endorse that strategy. You can get a lot better reel used off of EBay that will last longer—you reel guys already know which ones, so I won’t bore you with my list.

I don’t own any KastKings but I have a couple that are similar (RUNCL and Piscifun). They are pretty smooth out of the box but I have no idea how they are built or how long they will last. When I got my first two baitcasters in the 90’s, it was an Abu C4 and a Quantum CX4–both of which are still operating and still catching fish. Would a pot metal baitcaster last 30 years? You be the judge.
 
#6 ·
I would put KastKings and the like into “starter reels.” If you haven’t used a baitcaster before, they are a cheap way to see if they are something you want to put more time and investment into (baitcasting skills, rods, differences from spinning reels and others, etc.), at which point you buy a better reel. However, I don’t endorse that strategy. You can get a lot better reel used off of EBay that will last longer—you reel guys already know which ones, so I won’t bore you with my list.

I don’t own any KastKings but I have a couple that are similar (RUNCL and Piscifun). They are pretty smooth out of the box but I have no idea how they are built or how long they will last. When I got my first two baitcasters in the 90’s, it was an Abu C4 and a Quantum CX4–both of which are still operating and still catching fish. Would a pot metal baitcaster last 30 years? You be the judge.
I feel the best starter baitcaster would be the Abu Black Max. They retail for something like $50 or $60 but there are often fire sales getting them down to the $30 to $40 range. The cool thing about the Black Max is that it's built on the same platform as the Revo which starts out at double the cost.
 
#8 ·
There are starter reels, and then reels that flat out don't work. The Rover that I tried would get 12 pound mono stuck between the spook and the side plate every couple casts, and then you had to pull the spool out every time to untangle it. You can't even learn how to cast without backlashing if the reel keeps doing that to you.
 
#9 ·
Reel flash is a real thing. It spooks more fish on the trout stream than one might think.

Why am I never catching big trout during the day? One might ask oneself.

The answer could be that your bright clothing, non-stealthy approach and yes, your shiny gleaming reel could be to blame... :unsure:
 
#11 ·
I definitely respect the opinion of @tincannary on reels. But if I may share my outlook...

Kastking is definitely not making "nice" reels. Though, I've recommended them to a few beginners because as far as cheap crap goes, they're on the better end. Some people simply give up fishing after only a few outings and getting a "nice" reel would be a waste of cash.

That said, I would never go for or recommend a Kastking conventional, or baitcaster. IMHO, components need to be more precise on them than a fixed spool reel. I also don't recommend conventionals for beginners.

I like baitfeeder spinners when relevant. My big reels in this category are Shimanos. But I picked up a Sharky III and a Pontus for the small stuff. I've caught many fish with them and they've performed quite well. None of those fishing days would have been different if I had a Shimano in hand. But, if my Kastking goes bad - in the trash, while I will always service and keep my Shimanos which don't really fail anyhow.

Since I've had a decent experience with a couple Kastkings, I appreciated the review @piketroller put out on The Rover because it did settle in my mind a wondering;) I will be getting an Abu 6500!
 
#13 ·
That has to be the worse looking clutch wheel I have ever seen. Doesn’t even look like metal.

Black max was my first bait caster. It even brought in a medium sized flat head on the Saginaw ( pole was bent in half). the black maxx is still going even though I have nicer stuff.

Seems like kast king was all the rage a couple years ago when I was getting into bait casters. Glad I never bought one. I think the Kast king assessories are ok IE their pliers with side cutters. Nice pliers for $20 bucks and this will be the third year of having them. However, thier reels not so much


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#14 ·
Seems like kast king was all the rage a couple years ago when I was getting into bait casters. Glad I never bought one. I think the Kast king assessories are ok IE their pliers with side cutters. Nice pliers for $20 bucks and this will be the third year of having them. However, thier reels not so much
I actually own a couple of their rods, not bad at all. Same with their braid, their Kast Pro is 4 carrier spectra made in America like Power Pro but for a fair amount less. It does bleed color like a stuck pig though.
 
#19 ·
There reels are hit or miss. There baitcasting reels are junk at best. That being said,I use kastking sharky 2 bait runner reels for flathead cats which have had the crap kicked out of them over the last five years without failing. I also have 4 of there catfish rods which have performed to the same level. Wasn’t my first choice but for what I consider a budget friendly reel the sharky reels have been as solid as my shimano bait runners have been.
 
#21 ·
I have Pontus & sharky 3 in 2000,3000,4000.

Have used the pontus & never had a problem I would say great drags & the bait feeder is really cool when it is singing to ya with a king headin to Wis.----lot's better than the old way of a rubber band & open bail!

Just bought the sharky's << what a gooffy name :)----but they even seam nicer---I will find out this year, got 3 3000's & 3 4000's to go on new Stryker rod's for the pier & surf------ Pics later as needed !!!
 
#23 ·
I’ve got a frat brother I just started fishing with recently. He’s started to take fishing more serious in the last couple years. He has a couple kast king set ups. He said they work great and has great things to say about them.

However, he’s the type that will just leave his rods and reels laid up next to the house all summer rain or shine. Also, in the back of a pick up truck for weeks on end. I’m guessing that’s the demographic kast king is targeting.


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#24 ·
I've been known to leave my loomis rods, and Cardinal spinning reels in the back of my truck for weeks on end. And in summer, I'll keep my trolling rods, planer boards, net, and lures in the back of the truck. I have a locking cap, though.

If TC says they are not well-built reels, I trust his word. He knows reels.
 
#25 ·
Thanks for info on their reels. Greatly appreciate detailed reviews. I know someone that runs ALL kastking and raves about it. Now I know why lol. You get what you pay for. I will be gladly staying with my shimano that has never gave me issues. I typically run the Nasci and have had no issues so far with casting and jigging.

Tight lines.
 
#28 ·
An older post but fits what I've been looking at without starting a new topic. The last few days I have been going over reviews for BFS baitcasting rods and reels and this thread popped up via google. I've always enjoyed ultra lite stuff so it makes sense to me. A zephyr has the appeal of its price point but your above review nixes that and there is no way am I buying something like a Conquest.

I use a black max for bass and pike, which is a tank of a reel relatively speaking, and doesn't like the little stuff. Tincanary, you tear these things apart and rebuild them, I can't think of a better reference to ask. What would you recommend for tossing really lite stuff without breaking the bank?
 
#29 ·
What would you recommend for tossing really lite stuff without breaking the bank?
Shimano SLX BFS. The exchange rate is excellent right now and you can get one for about $160 shipped. Cheaper than even the Curado BFS. Both reels are almost the same, save for the color and the Curado having 2 more handle bearings. The spools and internals are all the same.

 
#30 ·
I should add, when buying JDM reels, they have no warranty once they leave Japan. That said, the Japanese retailers are really good with returns in the event you do get a defective reel. I've purchased 7 reels out of Japan the last couple of years and have yet to receive something defective.

BFS has been a thing in Japan for over 20 years now. Initially, it was trout fishermen outfitting the Abu 1500C and 2500C with lighter weight spools to fish trout in the mountain streams of Japan. A little down the road it was adopted by bass fishermen to offer smaller presentations in highly pressured waters. It's just now starting to catch on here with the release of the Curado BFS and Daiwa Tatula SV 70.

Here's a guy fishing mountain streams with a glass rod and 2500C outfitted for BFS. Make note of his casting technique to get into tight spots. This is where BFS shines.
 
#35 ·
I should add, when buying JDM reels, they have no warranty once they leave Japan. That said, the Japanese retailers are really good with returns in the event you do get a defective reel. I've purchased 7 reels out of Japan the last couple of years and have yet to receive something defective.

BFS has been a thing in Japan for over 20 years now. Initially, it was trout fishermen outfitting the Abu 1500C and 2500C with lighter weight spools to fish trout in the mountain streams of Japan. A little down the road it was adopted by bass fishermen to offer smaller presentations in highly pressured waters. It's just now starting to catch on here with the release of the Curado BFS and Daiwa Tatula SV 70.

Here's a guy fishing mountain streams with a glass rod and 2500C outfitted for BFS. Make note of his casting technique to get into tight spots. This is where BFS shines.
Never knew i needed something so badly before. Oh man does that look fun and effective. Bet it would work wonders on the paint. Was about to pick up a 5wt....think i know what I'll be getting instead LOL
 
#31 · (Edited)
^^^Priceless guidance!
Thank you for sharing this wisdom.
Japan has made many contributions to quality control and I am grateful for all the wonderful products I've enjoyed from their discipline: ie. Sony Walkman, Budokan edition, circa 1986. And, the wonders of Daiwa!
 
#34 · (Edited)
Yep, that's the one!

It was basically an homage to a concert hall in Japan that had all this acoustic architecture incorporated to enhance hall effect and resonance of sound. That was the rage in the 80's prior to the digital take-over. In other words, when analog methods were employed to experience the depth of sound - before it became "modeled" in digital sound processors.

So, Sony made this Walkman that paired with a set of headphones. At the time, ear-bud-ish headphones just came to be, and electronic miniaturization was ruling the persistence of vision. The Budokan headphones disrupted the trend by embracing the studio-style noise-isolated big-magnet headphones.

The Walkman itself was only slightly larger than a tape case, so this is where miniaturization was still shown off. Then there was essentially a bass boost function and a sort of equalizer, to shoot sound to your ears compensating for how your own head hears things. The breakthrough was having that much control over a basic mosphet circuit in a tiny, pocket sized device!

I could not afford this, at all!!!

But, my dad was an early dicta-phone adopter for his law practices. So I had access to a pretty good Sony tape recorder. My dad was friends with this neighbor since they were both carpenters - window/door gurus.

Anyhow, I got a little famous in the neighborhood for hounding all the adults around to borrow vinyl LP's to record to tape. I got caught dumpster diving on multiple occasions to recover discarded records.

So I became known for having this ridiculous tape collection, and known for dubbing copies for anyone who was interested. There was a cultural fountain flowing in my neighborhood at the time, all centered around music and motion picture.

So, the carpenter friend of my dad, he was a show off and always needed to tote the latest and greatest portable audio device... well the Compact Disc came to be, and so did the DAT... he bought into both... and suddenly the Budokan Walkman was like yesterday's crap to him.

Knowing I had this rediculous tape collection, by this time I recorded tons of radio, got pirate live sessions at flea markets, and so on... like my bedroom was just shelves of tapes - this carpenter gave me his Budokan Walkman and headphones. It was like the best thing ever!!!

It was also kind of finicky and started to have trouble... the auto-reverse would switch over mid-tape... probably my fault in a way because it really wasn't intended for 120 minute reels. I didn't know enough then to realized, high definition resolution was only achieved on 15-40 minute tapes - the Budokan motor wasn't very strong and wasn't designed for my cheap little pirate boy self!
 
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