Best Spinning Reel for $200 in 2024 | BG MQ VS Stradic FM VS Ballist MQ LT 

I just got a bass pro catalog in the mail I was so excited. Nostalgia trip

Obviously this guy is a local and hasn't been around. In Canada, Shimano spinning reels have been king of the hill for freshwater fishing for 30+ years.

Love your video man before i buy something i just watch your video and i saved a lot of money 👍👍

Shimanooooo … often imitated never duplicated 😎 great video boys. See y’all when that Twin Power FE comes!

Just bought 2 stradic FM’s (2500 & 3000) from you guys and absolutely love them! Super smooth and light. The shop is amazing btw, I’ll definitely be back 💯

I have an 89 wood handled Stradic. It was called the Aero back then. I broke my wooden single handle and replaced it with a Double handle Spirex! Still smooth like butter but the Anti Reverse gave out.

Shimano stradic FH first year made was 2001, so it's 22 to 23 years old.I bought my first one in 2002 and still have it in excellent condition.

The air bail on the Ballistic MQ might appear bigger but it's a hollowed bail, where the BG MQ has a solid bail. I wouldn't say the Air Bail is heavier. I feel you on the BG MQ being very solid, I fished the 3000 size BG MQ for a year and definitely love the big gear in a solid aluminum MQ housing. Love the content, you seem to know your stuff compare to a lot of other reel talkers on RU-vid. Subscribed!

Great video! I still have the original Aero Stradic 2000. It's pearl white with a wooden handle and a aluminum spool and came with a spare. I've caught thousands of Bass on it. My P.B. 12.5 LB. Largemouth and believe it or not, a 140Lb. Tarpon (After a 3 hour fight). Now it's collecting dust because it weights 9.7oz. I have a few 18' Tatula's and 2 Stradic FL in the 1000 and 2500 sizes and just love my Stradics. I don't feel the need to get the FM. My FL''s are perfectly smooth with NO handle play.

Shimano is owesome quality.. i use shimano biomaster 25 years play salt water now still smooth...no problem...💪💪💪

They need to make the drag sound really loud, that way when you get a fish on everyone around you knows and gets jealous lol

Even thought the ballistic mq bail wire is bigger, I think it’s hollow which is what promotes that easier startup . Daiwa reels seem to “break in” and develop handle play pretty quickly. That being said, I’ll probably always stick to Shimano for inshore applications. The Sustain is a killer reel if you are able and willing to pay up for it. I have a review video of the Sustain C3000Hg on my channel

I still run my Stradic FJ from around 2014 lol. I used it a lot for 2-3 seasons then stopped fishing for years till this year (2024). So it’s still pretty fresh. But I chose a Stradic due to getting an overwhelming majority of recommendations for it over anything else.

I own several Shimano reels with the Stradic FM being one of them. The reason you sell so many Shimano reels is because they are just better. I have checked out a few of my friends Daiwa and Penn and they just don't compare. As a side note, if you're willing to spend a little over $400 and don't mind importing a reel from a Japanese retailer, the 2024 Shimano Vanquish is amazing and I absolutely love mine!

Wish you would have done the vanford in this video also. I picked one up for $189 after tax this fall clearance.

I prefer shimano simply because i can service them myself. Plus they have a worm gear for better line lay

Out of the top of my head the Ballistic has a larger looking bail but it’s called the air bail and it’s actually lighter than the smaller diameter bail in the BG.

Stradic FM is top notch hands down. Versatile reel with incredible smooth action but with torque power for a rather light reel. Big Bang for your Buck. Won't regret purchasing it if you must.

I have a BG MQ that I use for yellowtail and it is flawless. Get drag and power and super smooth. I had Stradics over the years and broke everyone and no longer even have one. The BG MQ worth a try.

I switched to Shimano back when the Stradic ci4+ launched in 2016. I now own a Stradic FL and ci4+, Vanford, and a Sahara. Along the way I picked up a Daiwa BG and Ballistic LT. In my experience, Shimano makes better reels. The BG has been great but my Ballistic LT was a bit of a disappointment. Not as smooth as any of the Shimano reels and I’ve had the bail snap shut when casting multiple times. I’ve wanted to try out an MQ reel from Daiwa but seeing as it’s hard to service one yourself is a bit of a turn off. Daiwa doesn’t sell an MQ side plate tool and doesn’t sell magseal oil. You’d have to buy non authentic tools and oil from eBay. Not to mention how expensive the non authentic stuff is. Hopefully they begin to sell or include an MQ side plate tool with their reels and sell the magseal oil.

Do u know where I can get a bail for the white stradic reel? Thanks

I got a daiwa bg MQ 4k for about a year and caught a 30 no problem

Just got a chinese reel thats insane quality so smooth the handle will start moving by itself 80$ feels like $500 reel no joke

Good comparison forgot to mention warranty and service turn around 👍

That ballistic mq it’s 🔥🔥🔥 super smooth reel

Hej.Jestem z Polski nie mówię po angielsku właśnie chcę zakupic stradic 2000 lub daiwa Baliistic który jest lepszy według Ciebie?

Great video. Thank you for not being obnoxious. The best reel review I have seen.

The new Tatula MQ for $199 is the best I have owned… yes I like it better than my Stradic

Thats true that all companies copy the original one. In all products on earth

I would like to see Shimano Vanford vs DAIWA 21 emeraldas air lt3000s-cxh

Has anyone noticed the Shimano reel has significant rotor vibration when you turn the handle quickly. And the spool will shake at the same time. I went through 6 Vanford and 5 stradic FL and 2 FM, they all have the same problem. Design problem? Quality control? I don't know. It might not bother some people but it bothers me. It is like the the steering wheel vibrate when tires arent balanace.

Great video 😊 would like to se a comparison Abu ambassadeur beast/ shimano tranx 300 / daiwa tatula 300

the shimano nasci is the best budget spinner ive owned

I have the stradic 2500 & 3000 FM. And absolutely love them. The only thing i didnt like about them was the new drag washers. Switched them out for carbon fiber washer and 10x better now. Im actually wondering how the daiwa mq reels are. I used alot of their reels too but sold majority of them. Their Aluminum reels are great but their LT reels are absolutely junk. I wouldnt tell a beginner to get an LT reel. Any flex issues Or cheap ish feeling with the MQ ?

Stradic all day every day even on Sunday! I am a Shimano fanboy no denying it although historically I always equated "salt" to Penn and not Shimano. Daiwa makes great reels as well and I own a few including the basic BG which is a tremendous reel and value for what it is. In my humble opinion the sexiest reel ever made belongs to Daiwa and I don't own it. Wonder if the presenter knows what reel I am talking about?

Good morning, I live in Miami and I can't find a good place to repair or maintain my Shimano reels, if you could help me I would appreciate it.

The daiwa ballistic is my favorite spinning reel i own, thing kicks ass

Fishing is funny...I went down the rabbit hole until I was spending 200 on a reel and even more on a rod, and at the end of the day....I still grab the $59 daiwa reel and $99 tatula rod combo I have 90% of the time. I just can't stay away from it.

I use Daiwa Baitcaster reels , Shimano Spincaster reels, and of course Okuma rods!!. Salmon has no chance! 🤙👋

I think the older Stradic Fj with the pearl white paint and chrome accents looked way nicer than these new all stainless colored stradics.

love the butt hurt daiwa fanboys in the comments ahahaha its great. there is a good reason why almost everyone from all continents mainly fishes shimano

Hey, what do you think about Shimano Vanford versus the Daiwa Ballistic MQ LT for an all-rounder. I am looking to purchase something that is best in both worlds.

I saw some reviews that the new FM is not as smooth out of the box and has a ticking noise once per revolution or something. Any truth to this?

I only use shimano and diawa, I’ve never sold a shimano but sold many of my diawa’s 🤔

Always liked daiwa better. Anytime I tried another brand I always ended up going back to daiwa.

The stradic is amazing. Prefer Shimano spin and Daiwa bc.

I just lost mine in the water out on my brand new kayak for the first time… gone… I’m beyond upset about it.. maybe can hook me up with a new discounted Shimano Stradic???

I bought so many Daiwa over the years but always end up selling them away.

Carnegie said never be the one who invents a thing. Be the one who best markets the thing. He was the Elon Musk of his day. However, Shimano seems able to do both and with internet speed turnaround times it looks like that is the best strategy for putting gizmos in a box and selling them. Also Shimano has a huge r&d capacity due to their bicycle parts business where they command the market as well. Did you ever notice how much alike Ford, GM, Dodge, Toyota, and Hyundai cars and trucks look alike? That’s not an accident.

I have 25 yo Stratics no Diawa has ever made it 10.

No one makes a quality reel like Daiwa, I mean even there low end reels are top notch imo.

I have 150-200$ Which is best for surf spinning reel I will use real cut small fish or shrimps or calamari cut small pieces And looking for long distance I have daiwa bg60 it said Black Gold BG20 Heavy Action Saltwater Spinning reel 3 bearings Stainless Steel Ball Bearing,/ 4.7:1 gear ratio / 21.7 max drag , Its old so i was thinking maybe the reels are better

I have just opened s stradic 5000FM and found it very disappointing. All the gear used to turn the worm shaft are plastic, the main gear bearings are shot, that's the reason most Stradic FM sound as if something was touching, then the spool shaft end piece, that aluminum knuckle dragging on the worm gear is completely corroded and falling in pieces on mine, just bad aluminum can't resist humidity haha, the reel has never seen salt water. Had the reel 2 years and it is basically junk, I have Stradic 4000FI I use for branzino that stayed in the boat all season that are 15 years old and in better shape than this. Noisy, lots of play in handle meaning the gear clearance is too big or just approximative ( hold the rotor in one hand and turn the handle with the other), cheap insides. CI4, Vanford, SW are much better bang for the buck even at higher price tag. I have TP 4000 a real beauty inside and out. All the reviews saying a stradic as good as a stella is pure crap and a lie, a spheros sw as good as a stella don't spend your money on stella that is also pure crap and a lie..i had a complete set of spheros sw, right out the box some showed gear issues, misalignment, strange inconsistancies in the manufacturing that do not happen with saragosa (different factory? different quality control?) 5 months later and after being rinsed at every outing and often cleaned using penn reel cleaner (great product by the way) the paint was peeling of the rotor, reels had never been knocked, again pure crap. Managed to sell those for half their price after 6 months, no one was going to give me more than that. In opposition a 1k $ reel still resale 500 ten years later even with spare parts starting to fade. Buy one and keep it 10 years, the latest reel does not bring more fish.

Shimano into salt? Daiwa into bass? I guess all my Coastal's aren't serious.... Where's the funny fat guy? At least he spoke truth. By the way the first iteration of the Ballistic was out years before the Vanford and one year before the CI4's that turned pink after a week's worth of sun.

FL > FM

Fish don't care what kind of rod or reel you have. Get bite!

Your a Shimano fanboy bro but it’s ok I still got luv for u ha love the vids man

You spend way too much time on how the reels look similar. I could not care less. I just want the best reel for the money. Also, the bail is not a thick wire on the Ballistic it is a hollow tube and is very light. I'll take the Procyon MQ over any of these for $50 less.

You can spend your money all the time about reel

I love my shimanos. But diawa does a few things better. I think if we could take a shimano and use a daiwa bail wire. Diawa handle. And the diawa gear setup. It would be the perfect reel.

Except Daiwa blows Shimano out of the water for reel quality on most of their reels. Penn is default for saltwater by the way. That’s all they do.

Shimano did it first Daiwa did it better

Fanboy lol

Loll Shimano sucks!!! Go Daiwa you'll get the same with the legalis for a hundred dollars!

I swore the title to this vid was best real for 200 bucks not “dude crying that Diawa is kicking shimanos butt in market share so im gunna complain they stole their color schemes”??? Who cares, there are certain colors that look good together (blue and gold, red and black etc) what’s it got to do with anything.