Kastking and Piscifun Reels-Are they good?

[@wolfpacak47]

I have the picifun torrent man what a great reel love to see you review it

[@capitolbassfishing]

they are solid for sure

[@garyraffensperger7193]

I own both brands. And both brands have landed plenty of Alaska salmon. Their 300 models (Kapstan and Alijoz) are both good, budget friendly options for big fish like king salmon!

[@Glock-1]

I bought the Phantom ( green one) with the matching color Serpent rod and was so impressed I bought 2 Torrent reels and a Torrent rod and I am impressed with everything I have ever got from Piscifun, I also have a Speed Demon original and I like it also but my Piscifun reels are my favorite. I also got a heck of a deal on a brand new Shimano SLX DC but if it wasn’t such a good deal I would never have bought it because I love my other reels! The Piscifun reels are solid and are great priced

[@capitolbassfishing]

Im with ya, piscifun is solid for sure

[@shiddyangler]

Thank you for your review! I've been fishing for decades now, all on spinning reels, and just recently got into baitcasting. Not wanting to spend a bunch of money, I picked up a KastKing Brutus for around $30. Incredibly smooth, consistent, and a blast to use! Will be ordering a Piscifun Spark next.

[@capitolbassfishing]

Glad I could help!

[@DeeFromBrooklyn]

I just bought three Kastking Assassin. Very smooth. Looking forward to some inshore fishing with it

[@capitolbassfishing]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@robertwhite3631]

I have a Piscifun Phantom x 5.3:1, for slow rolling spinnerbaits and chatterbaits . A Spark Pro 8.1:1 for weightless trick worms and very light Texas rigs on 8 to10 #test. Love them both..

[@capitolbassfishing]

Very nice!

[@fazmo6071]

I did just get a green and black phantom a couple of weeks ago. Took it out and caught 8 bass with it. I really like the feel of it , cast and performed great. Got the 15%off and free shipping . We will see long term. Guess I'm going to order the kast King next. I was going back and forth between the two and decided on the Piscifun. At those prices why not. My most expensive reel is a Diawa Fuego , 100.00 bucks. I love it and don't really ever think I need to spend much more than that on a reel. Keep on fishing !

[@capitolbassfishing]

Yep, I have two DC reels, Lewes Tournement MB, 3 Kastkings, 3 Piscifuns and I like them all but I will never be the $400 reel guy...but just as I say that... Ha ha...

[@greyhunter9287]

I've had three of these reels. The first one came with the handle broken off. Piscifun claimed the problem was with Amazon. The second one started out great but then after 2 months the drag started going out and because the casing is so light (this from a guy at piscifun) I got gear slippage. Again Piscifun offered me an upgrade as I didn't want the same real for a nice discount. Decided to give it a try. Again, started out great. Three months later the it broke. Granted, I fished it quite a bit, but just over 3 months.... well, hopefully you will have better success. Piscifun was good about sending me another reel though what I really wanted was a refund. I tried to trade it in but they have a pretty bad reputation and even though it was brand new out of the box they only offered me $15 bucks for it. Gave it to my brother.

[@capitolbassfishing]

yeah thats not good. Probably not great durability, sorry for your experience...

[@PuReBlOoD3478]

I had the same problem w piscifun. customer service is trash and no phone number to call. voicemail is always full. never again

[@alhenry92]

I've bought both, but bought more reels/rods/line and equipment from KastKing. I Have the Kast King Royale Legend Baitcaster, Kast King Rekon conventional, KastKing Sharky III 5000 Baitrunner (Caught my 1st striper on a few years ago), and the KastKing Centron spinning (the blue and black) 3000 which i've been actively using the most this spring. I've yet to get a speed demon but i want one so bad

[@jamesscarberry3128]

Great video sorry I have to comment, I have 6 Piscifun Torrent’s a couple of the red Phantoms 3 Thunders 2 Persius reels one KastKing Royal Legend but it can’t touch the Torrents . I got rid of all of my ABU reels and Lews have had 0 troubles with any of the Torrents or Thunders use them at the coast 3-4 times a year. 👍🎣🐟🐟🐟Fish On Joe!!!!

[@capitolbassfishing]

Your royal legend is it the original or the newer elite like the one I have in the video?

[@jamesscarberry3128]

Joe Simpson one of the original ones.

[@capitolbassfishing]

@@jamesscarberry3128 I am quite certain that the new one the royal legend elite will impress you but then again for 75 dollars if you are stoked on the piscifun reels why bother they are damn good and cheaper.

[@jamesscarberry3128]

Joe Simpson yeah I’m fully invested in Piscifun for inshore fishing and bass fishing here in Texas, but I have 4 kastKing 60R Rovers and a couple Sharkey2 the first run I use in the surf or the jetties and have never had any problems I even have a 90R I use for sharks removed level wind on it the only weak point.

[@jamesscarberry3128]

The Sharkeys are 6000’s

[@albertsmith792]

Just watched your videos and I couldn't agree with you more in regards to the Kastking RL Elite reels. Prior to finding these reels I was an Abu Garcia guy through and through. I mean I started on the old round 5500s like 30+ years ago till all the modern Revo reels. They were always my bread and butter till one day I was out shopping for new reels and found myself getting tired of spending 1k on 4 to 5 reels. So by chance I was watching a video on KZbin in reference to the Elite and found my new workhorse. I bought one 3 yrs ago to try out so of course I bought the red one and I also bought the 7ft 3 in MH royal legend rod. Both of which cost around what a new revo might cost I might add. I spooled it up with 65lb braid and went to frog fishing. Now I live in florida so I put this thing to the test from Okeechobee to the stick marsh and this thing has been amazing. After 3 seasons of torture all 5 of them are performing perfectly. I have a buddy that had some high end rod and reel combos and he has since transitioned over as well. We figured at that price point if they broke in a couple seasons we would just replace them but they don't break. Amazing reel for an amazing price. Also that red and black royal legend rod is a good find a well and bring paired with the Elite reels makes anyone dangerous.

[@capitolbassfishing]

great testimony, the elite is really good

[@PhotoBob]

My experience with Kastking has been great. I fish 4 days a week in spring, summer, and fall..A little less in winter. I haven’t had a single issue with my reels. I have 3 Spartacus and a Royal Legend plus 2 Perigee 2 rods. I slammed a rod in my door and they sent me a new one for free. I used to fish tournaments with high end gear. I won’t say these are as good as the high dollar stuff but they accomplish the same thing for a fraction of the price. I’m very pleased with Kastking. Plus if I break something or one goes overboard I done really care that much. I’ll buy another one.

[@capitolbassfishing]

+Photo Bob that’s great to know thanks for sharing!

[@yellowdog762jb]

I just got a Piscifun Alloy M baitcaster. I've used it once about a month ago on the Texas Gulf Coast to land a mixture of trout, reds, sheepshead and flounder. I loaded it w Suffix 8/20 braid. It casts well and the drag is very smooth. Of course the reel is also brand new. I have several Shimano Calcutta 200 BSF reels (the green ones) that I normally use use w mono. The Alloy palms better. I'm about to upgrade a Calcutta with hybrid ceramic bearings and carbon disk drag. Once I get to fish that reel I'll decide if I want to upgrade a few more of my 15-20 year old Shimanos, or pick up another Alloy M or two.

[@capitolbassfishing]

Keep me posted on long term, I still use my piscifun phantom often and it does well. Thanks for watching!

[@tpsin713]

Got all my greenies still too. LOL

[@chepachii]

Out of all the Piscifun reels and Kast King which I own a few ( baitcasters) the alloy M is the pinnacle. If you ever have torn one down or watched one you can see not one stone is left unturned in regards to strength. Amazing value. The reel hot on its heels internally is the new carbon xcs ,the internals are similar and it is an awesome tiny reel, but doesn't have the alloy frame. I am interested in the Kastking megajaws elite which looks solid but it is up a bit in price . Cheers.

[@yellowdog762jb]

@@capitolbassfishing I've had the Alloy out a few times now. Under one year of usage isn't the best indication of durability. But every trip has been in saltwater and so far it has not suffered any ill effects. For whatever reason, every trip we've caught a lot of oversized reds (+27 inches long). I'm using braided line and the drag is tightened down decently to tame those big reds. So far the drag on the Alloy has held up and stayed very smooth.

[@synaptik111]

Nice review - I've got 3 of the 4 Royal Legend Elite gear ratio reels (no 5.3:1) and like each of them. Very smooth and you can't beat the price.

[@capitolbassfishing]

Yeah a winner for sure

[@beerbeforebreakfast]

Yeah i love the Phantom(more brakes, mkre money) but the Phantom X (less brakes, less money) is really amazing also. I love casting it.

[@capitolbassfishing]

honestly I think the red phantom (less brakes) is better - casting etc.

[@neilrobinson7615]

Hi Joe, I have to disagree with you. I first bought the Phantom, then all 3 different gear ratios of the Phantom X. The first impressions on these reels was very good. However after only a couple of months of fairly heavy use, I have found them to be useless. The braking systems will not work in rainy conditions. In dry conditions you have to constantly clean and lightly lubricate the brake ring or it squeals and won't cast properly. Another issue is that they are so prone to admitting rain water that the bearings will become corroded very quickly and need replacing. Another issue is that the thumb bar spring is very weak and after a short time with start to fail and engage on the cast. Fishing these reels side by side with a Daiwa Tatula 100 there is no comparison. The Tatula has performed flawlessly in the same conditions. My conclusion is that the Piscifun reels are total junk and should be avoided apart from for an angler who is only going to use them very occasionally, and in dry conditions. When it comes to Kastking, I had a similar experience. I bought a Sharky 2 spinning reel, used it once, thought it was pretty good and bought 4 x 4000 and 4 x 6000 sizes. All 4 x 6000 sized reels snapped at the foot! This was when targeting fish in the 20lbs size. The 4 x 4000 reels performed slightly better and did not break at the foot. The gearing is poor quality and will start to grate after light use. The bail arms are weak and will also fail after moderate use. If you want a tough budget spinning reel that can cope with heavy use, go for the Okuma Epixor, the best reel for the money in my experience.

[@capitolbassfishing]

good to know and good feedback, as I only see 2-3 lb bass on the regular and dont really fish in salt, surf or rain for that matter. My conditions are much easier and probably enable these cheaper reels to last longer...

[@jamesscarberry3128]

I have Couple of the older Sharkeys have caught 50# black drum and 25-30 # bull reds off the beach and jetties never had a problem with them but I have heard it from other people when they up graded it.

[@neilrobinson7615]

@@capitolbassfishing I'm using the baitcasters mainly for Giant Snakehead in Thailand which are a much stronger fish than bass. The Piscifun baitcasters are strong enough, they do have a good drag. It's the brakes, bearings and thumb bar that will let you down. It's a pity because they look good and initially perform very well.

[@capitolbassfishing]

@@neilrobinson7615 yeah I would imagine these reels may have a tough time with large fish

[@beerbeforebreakfast]

Yeah they are not for someone fishing and slamming fish all year long. They're for price point and less use but you want something pretty good. They are perfect for me.

[@bassman769]

I’ve never tried any of these reels. They do look like they could get the job done. I may have to try one each and see for myself but great vid Joe and awesome reviews!

[@capitolbassfishing]

thanks, they are cheap $$ but not sure if they are 10-20 year type of reels but initially they work really well and very smooth.

[@danielfonvielle9487]

I have a Spark Pro and it's compares very well to the Lews Mach2 speed spool at half the price.

[@capitolbassfishing]

rock on

[@terranceduckett8176]

The kastking crixus baitcaster combo

[@MIKE57208]

I have the 8:1 elite. Very nice reel.

[@capitolbassfishing]

wait they make an 8:1? thats awesome

[@MIKE57208]

It’s red.

[@synaptik111]

+1 on the 8.1:1 -- Love it

[@19DESERTFOX91]

first off make sure you buy off amazon and test the reel so if you get a dud like my Phantom X so you can return it for a new one. second, I think, most of the hate comes from people who compare these reels. to higher-end reels. keyword and I think you nailed it FOR THE MONEY these reels are great. And even with that $28 dollar phantom X paperweight I still don't think either company is terrible especially for starter reels and budget mined people. If your going saltwater, targeting huge fish like tiger musky, or money is not a concern then these reels arent meant for you.

[@capitolbassfishing]

ya know whats funny though...once I lost a spinning reel drag cap screw and dropped it in the water...called kastking usa...they sent me a new one free in two days. Service with Kastking is good

[@jpeppalax9980]

hey joe, if I want to get into bass fishing but don’t have lures, what cheap bait can you recommend that won’t cost that much. Thank you!

[@capitolbassfishing]

Plastic Worms and Plastic Baits, set them up texas rig style...plenty of youtube how to videos too.

[@handy-capoutdoors4063]

What would you suggest as a good first baitcaster without breaking the bank. I've been thinking one of the pisifun because I have a awesome ice real from them.

[@capitolbassfishing]

Kastking Royal Legend Elite. One of my FAVS. Casts like butter.

[@capitolbassfishing]

Love these reels...if you are on a budget check these out!

[@capitolbassfishing]

they are both great!

[@Gabe7467]

Ive got a kastking royale legend 2 that i used every day for about six months straight and caught 40+ fish on it some reaching 5lbs and burnt it out so now it sounds like you stepped on a cat every time you cast it.

[@capitolbassfishing]

cheaper manufacturers I am afraid...longterm they may not be the best

[@Gabe7467]

@@capitolbassfishing yea i still recomend them to people who are just getting in to fishing but me personally im gonna upgrade to a shimano.

[@charlesgurnea2004]

I have both but have phantom and the elite ive backlash the elite alot more then the phantom

[@capitolbassfishing]

Exactly opposite here...I am sure its user dependent.

[@steelhead1414]

I bought a piscifun spark pro it seems to function well.... but just does not have the same "feel" of the higher end big names, but for the price its a good buy. It will definitively never be a piece you pass on to your grandchildren, like an old bantam, abu....

[@capitolbassfishing]

for sure...its a use it today and buy another one later

[@jeffreybabino8161]

Nice reels can you use in salt water fishing thanks 😊

[@capitolbassfishing]

Yes you can!

[@derekshaw2826]

I have royal legend caught many large pike on it cant fault it recently swapped it for shimano slx DC still prefer my old kastking 🤣🤣🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@capitolbassfishing]

dont blame ya, kastkings are great!

[@sls1794]

I have three phantoms, two phantom x in blue and orange, five torrent, one flame, two last king reels, I have used for a couple years here in the Midwest caught plenty of 4-5 lb bass on them never an issue keep them greesed and oiled. Have a shimano curado works great but the cap fell off the thumbbar its pretty cheap thumbbar. Nothing has fell apart on piscifun or kastking just saying.

[@capitolbassfishing]

+Sls true it’s decent stuff for aure

[@ivanjovanovic580]

Can you make a review of Piscifun Spark pro ? Thank I have phantom and i love it!

[@capitolbassfishing]

I will try!

[@stjester]

I dare any major brand fan to test it against the flagship of piscifun. These companies are destroying the overprice reels on the market with an overkill price and quality

[@BigDirtDawg]

I’m doing it right now. I bought 2 piscifun alloy m’s. They look exactly like my daiwa zillion sv. I don’t expect them to be able to compete with the zillion but if they come anywhere near it i’ll be extremely pleased.

[@jeffreybabino8161]

Are these reels hard to work on thanks 😊

[@capitolbassfishing]

Not at all

[@charlesgurnea2004]

Lol i have everthing all of kastking reels but the megajaws and i have the phantom and the spark pro love them all and i us them is saltwater

[@capitolbassfishing]

no rust or salt issues?

[@charlesgurnea2004]

@@capitolbassfishing no

[@CrunkyOMan83]

i got all 4 royal elites got it on sale for 50-55$ each, and i got torrent. Caught my pb on torrent, but they reel itself is too bulky, i perfer the super low profile reels like elites. Getting megajaws very soon and royal legend II baitcasters.

[@capitolbassfishing]

+DeezRMyDays 😎 cool

[@CrunkyOMan83]

@@capitolbassfishing bad news 2 of my royal legends parts failing had to order parts, after having them for 1yr of use. I don’t recommend kk unless they use better bearings. I’m pretty much done with kk baitcasting reels.

[@fisherfreak11]

They are both American companies

[@capitolbassfishing]

as I am finding out.

[@gizmocarr3093]

The truth is lots of reels are made in China and Korea. Just because it’s Brand Label is Lew’s, Bass Pro, Quantum, Cabela’s, Pflueger, Pinnacle, or Shakespear. Before people whined about buying Chinese products, they whined about buying Japanese products. The truth is it might not be marked as made out of the Country, be assured it is 99% of the time. Orvis, Hardy, and Loomis reels included too. KastKing and Piscifun are established in America like Bass Pro. However, don’t make anything close in profits. That said: I have one KastKing and two Piscifun reels they work fine and are remarkably inexpensive for as good as they perform. Being older, I believe fishing reels and rods have improved as much for the seller as the user. I wonder if they will stand the test of time. Being so inexpensive anglers are less likely to take proper care of them. Good fishing rods and reels last a lifetime if you take care of them. Most often when good rods fail or reels fail it is not the fault of tackle, it is the fault of the one using it. If you only had one rod and reel, they would not be the best choice. However, if you have twenty likely they never will wear out.

[@capitolbassfishing]

all true, and I think my biggest takeaway is exactly what you said just now...surprised how good they perform for the price

[@gizmocarr3093]

@@capitolbassfishing Piscifun Phantom I bought two original Phantom reels however, I bought them from the Piscifun store on AliExpress they came with two line spools. One deep spool and one shallow spool. The shallow spool saves line when using small diameter line like braid or light monofilament lines. The spools are not fragile like BFS spools and provide the strength to handle heavier applications. I use ten and fifteen-pound braid and rods rated for casting lures from 1/8th to 3/8th ounces. It is referred as Versatile Baitcasting Fineness fishing (VBF). The first time I used this setup I caught two bass that scaled over four-pounds on a quarter ounce Rebel crankbait. The cool thing, I replaced the treble hooks with single in line hooks. You mount the bottom hook bend facing forward and the rear hook point facing up. This not only hooks fish as good as trebles it also reduces snagging lures. I discover that both Japanese and Australian fresh and saltwater anglers rig their lures like this. The reason is they say that fish hooked on single hooks are less able to dislodge single hooks and pull free. Saltwater guides say that fish that take a long time to land don’t pull free as often too. Hard bait lures sold in Japan give anglers a choice of buying them with or without hooks. I buy tackle because it does things my other tackle can’t do or doesn’t well. That is my reasoning for using tackle not sold in America.

[@BigDirtDawg]

almost all reels are made in china, malaysia, thailand or korea now. The only reels left made in Japan are super high end Daiwa and Shimano reels. That’s basically it. It’s hilarious when people say chinese junk when they are fishing a brand name reel that is made in china

[@toite3x3ninjah]

Alloy m

[@capitolbassfishing]

It’s realitive....for $30-40 yes. If you have $100 or more to spend - daiwa, shimano would have better products

[@carlolgren3135]

I debated for a while whether to leave a comment but it really seems like a bad time to be promoting any products from China considering the state of the world at this time

[@capitolbassfishing]

not promoting china, reviewing reels that happen to be chinese but I get your comment for sure and please dont take this video as a "pro china" ad, its not meant to be

[@nanhinting7447]

It's about fishing tackles and fishing not "politics". Take it easy man and enjoy "fishing".

[@Regit777]

I’ve had both reels and they were both trash, neither lasted a month. Don’t bother.

[@mercadeomercadeo1888]

Man kastking and Piscifun are american Brands....Made in china like everything. Please read before. And after this....... piscifun is better for me

[@BB-cz5my]

paid shill

[@capitolbassfishing]

Paid? I wish.