Opinion: Best SW spinning reel less than $300?

[howardrf]

I love my Quantum Cabo........smoooooth.

[JerseyCoast]

Originally Posted by makokeith

I've had two battles go bad on me. Nice reels but the geers suck. No more penns for me. Picked up a saragusa sw at somerset and it seems very nice. Getting real good reviews.

2?? dam..... out of all that we have sold, I have 1 come back and it looked like it was 10 years old and was only purchased a month prior. ( lil abuse )

Thats interesting to hear. The Gossa is a great little reel, but its more than the Battle too.... different class.

What size Battle?? I like to keep up on this stuff for my customers.

[SplitShot]

Been using the Battle 5000 for Snag/drop the last 2 summers and no problems so far.... also have the battle 3000 for light bucktailing and its been a trooper too..... like everything you buy these days, you hope the one you bought won't have any problems...

Also have the New Cabo 50 which I use for throwing plugs for bass on the boat... really sweet how light they made that compared to the older model which was a real workhorse.

95% of my saltwater fishing are for bass and fluke

[Fin Reaper]

Had a Stella, very nice but IMHO performance fell short of the price. Chief complaints were bail didn't want to trip by turning handle and knuckles got hit by bail...probably just operator error but oh well. Used an older model Penn Slammer 460 that I got NIB on clearance for $45.00!...GREAT reel but a bit heavy. Latest and greatest is my Shimano Saragossa SW, best of everything.

[TAB95]

Originally Posted by howardrf

I love my Quantum Cabo........smoooooth.

X 2
Unbeatable drag.

[makokeith]

Originally Posted by JerseyCoast

2?? dam..... out of all that we have sold, I have 1 come back and it looked like it was 10 years old and was only purchased a month prior. ( lil abuse )

Thats interesting to hear. The Gossa is a great little reel, but its more than the Battle too.... different class.

What size Battle?? I like to keep up on this stuff for my customers.

4000. Same gear both times. My friends is going also. Easy fix but sucks you can't upgrade to a better gear. I will fix them and keep using them but I won't buy anymore.

[Ryelof]

I went fishing last year with Don from Canyon on a sea bass trip, Don switched to a small set up with a 4000 on about a 5 ft. rod and hooked a fish. He stood there and fought the fish.....it turned out to be a 12 lb. bluefish........I was impressed. I am waiting for the 5000 series to be available.