Kalex1499524 XL4-L Low Profile LH Bait Casting Fishing Reel

It’s been great to learn on. At the price I paid, which was $20 or so, I have nothing to complain about yet. Been throwing a lot of heavy spinners and swimbaits on a 7ft medium action rod. I have been targeting pike but only got some 2-3 pound bass so far, we’ll see how it handles something larger.

The reel was a little smaller than I expected but when I. Used it it was very comfortable and smooth. Built and functions as well as a $150 Shimano or Garcia. There is a little button on the left side that I can’t figure out what it’s for. It Pushes in and pops back like a button but doesn’t do anything so I’m assuming it is just aesthetic. It has brass gears. I was expecting plastic at this price. Has a large comfortable handle and smooth drag. I’m actually quite pleased with it.

I bought this because of the price point, as I'm looking for a good reel at a great price. An uncut gem.This feels pretty solid, casts fine, not great, looks nice, and palms well.It's pretty lightweight, the handle length is middle of the road, sounds and feels pretty smooth when you reel it, and holds enough line for what it's for.It also has a really nice brass main gear which seems solid and well cut, which makes the reel smooth and quiet. I didn't count the bearings but I saw plenty enough to belive that it has the amount, or close to it, the manufacture advertises. The box that this came in is probably the biggest box for a reel, although it's just a big cardboard box that's designed to be shipped well without any frills. Nothing wrong with that.Few issues, though.First and foremost, the reel handle is not your standard reel handle with the elongated hole, instead has a square hole. It also feels a little bit flimsy compared to other reel handles even at this price point. This means that I will have a hard time finding a replacement if it breaks, and I certainly can't swap out for a longer or better handle.The other issue is the drag. It's got this weird plastic looking drag that kind of looks like it was never really meant as a drag or they just didn't finish it up. It's got some sort of writing on it as if they just took a random piece that was something else and punched it out to make a drag. But that's not the biggest issue with the drag. It's just not all that strong and barely works unless you tighten it almost all the way. I've bought cheaper reels and reels that didn't have any drag work as well as this one. I thought this might be a defect or a bad batch or something, but I got a replacement and the replacement has the same issue.Another is quality, which at this price point is not major but definitely worth noting. The first reel had issues with the brake control knob. It was partly melted on the back side and the knob itself was discolored as if it was either used or maybe scratched? Hard to tell. To be honest I didn't notice it until a close look. The replacement was fine. The side plate also has an area with some tolerance and doesn't exactly match the side of the reel, so you have this kind of sharp lip that protrudes. I can totally see my line getting damaged or shredded by this area. There was also a lot of grease all over the reel.Lastly the reel kind of feels like something is holding it back, even with spool tension knob completely off and magnetic break set to 0. It's like it's got really old grease or something. This doesn't seem to major casting issues because it casts OK, not great, but it just feels like it's sluggish for no reason.

Ok. Let's start off by saying, "I bought this thing to RE-learn how to use a bait casting reel." Said it. It reels smoothly. It looks fine. It functions like a bait casting reel should but would be better for smaller fish. I put it on an appropriate pole and took it to a pond. I adjusted it so the lure wasn't suspended in mid air not moving and not falling like Hans Gruber from Nakatomi Tower. I rared back and then let it go. I kept my thumb on it "lightly" so it wouldn't go whackadoodle on me and what do you know? It went about 15 yards and no backlash. I tried it again and spent the next 5 minutes getting the birds nest out of the reel. Tried it again and it worked. I try and try to get 15 casts in a row without a backlash. So far, I can't do it. I have caught some fish with it and will say a 3.5 pound large mouth bass seemed to be all this reel would handle. I don't often catch bass much bigger and I'm glad. I wouldn't want to.Fast forward just a bit. I got another bait casting reel. I bought it from a retail store that has large fish tanks in it. It also cost considerably more. I take it out and every 30 or so casts, I lose my mind and forget what I'm supposed to do and cause a backlash. Caught a 4 (ish) pound large mouth on it and reeled it in with NO trouble what so ever.So what do I want to really say here? It's worth every penny I paid for it. I used it as a training reel and I'm glad I did. I will still use it from time to time but will make sure I pay very close attention to what I'm doing. If I figure out something revolutionary that allows me to use this reel without a backlash, I'll update. In fact, I'll update this next spring as the weather is cooling off a lot and I will be putting my stuff away for a while.Would I recommend this? Sure. As a starter reel. You master this thing and you'll do well with any bait casting reel.

These reels are great for entry level bait casting, I would recommend them if they were back to ~$25 (I got the blue 12 bearing for $16 and the green 11 bearing for $13) I have no clue why Kalex has almost quadrupled the price of the reels... If you’re new to bait casting look for other options since you can get brand names for a more affordable price, but if the you happen to be here when the price goes down again then I say buy it on the spot.

First and foremost, these are not bad reels. Especially considering they can often be had for under $20 if you watch them trend on Amazon. That said, they do seem to be assemble with an abnormal amount of grease even by Pure Fishing's standards. So, if you have any mechanical ability at all, I would strongly recommend removing the handle side plate and use a clean cotton swab to remove some of the excess before hitting the water. I think you'll find that it performs much better and the reel will be less susceptible to some of the failures others have reported.

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