i think between you, Rawr fishing and BCSG your vids have taking me down the rabbit hole of bfs, i fish for trout and what ever bite in the waters around slc utah with a kk summer 2k and a shimano sensilite spinning i got on sale for 40$ 7' rod, i have a shimano slx xt i use mainly for bass when i was living in orlando Fl, and i use it here not much luck sadly with it, but the idea of a bait caster casting crappy magnets in my head its so good, so i thank you 3 the apostles of BFS for showing me i dont have to drop 300-500$ in a bfs reel
When I lived in Utah, the community fishing ponds in Utah County were a hoot with ultralight tactics. I got into BFS after moving away from Utah, but that plus the Provo river would be super fun with BFS.
Cleaning and re-oiling the bearings on the GH100 makes a huge difference. Just bought some Hybrid Ceramic bearings for it; lets see how that will turn out. I love the colour combo on the zephyr, reminds me on my Gunki bc xhd 4000
@@mobozzy cheers bud. I've ordered a zephyr, though. After a lot of videos and reading reviews I decided on that. It was actually a tough decision for me lol. Thanks for replying, mate. Tight lines.
Thanks so much man, really help me a lot to choose between them. Im from asia but realy love ur vid & how u do side to side comparison & test. Fyi, i about to buy my 1st bfs reel & im going to choose Zephyr bcoz it has better looking color & style for me, since the performance is about the same based on your video.
I just received my zephyr today, putting on soul yang 2.1m rod, I will put line on this evening or tomorrow morning and try some casting with it with some small jig/ lures 😁 this channel specifically was the reason why I decided to go with the zephyr BFS fishing reel, my big dilemma now is deciding if I'm putting 4 lb test or 6 lb test on the real I would like to be able to quasi cast floating lures ultra light bordering on fly fishing weight into some small creeks and ponds where I know the sunfish will gobble them up just for sport but I just need line to be able to handle that occasional large Bass or large trout that exist in some places here in West Michigan. Thank you once again for all your observations and sharing them with us have a blessed summer Aloha Timothy
I noticed that these Chinese reels are awesome but there's always an area that needs tuning, especially in the handle nob. Needs more or better quality oil
Just got my zep, used it and it cast further than my spinning. Side cast tends to go sideways but I just adjusted my casting and it's fine. Caught 4 Bass this morning and worked fine. I wish it has a drag sound though. For my first BFS, I love it. Money well paid.
I bought mine from alliexpress, and had an issue with the spool bending. I had a difficult time with the customer service, but eventually we figured it out!
I like the pw100 better than the gh100 and the zephr. My favorite reel to this day is still my 12 aldebaran bfs xg with hedgehog studio bearings and avail spool.
Great video..great info..lookin for a Rod for my new Kast King Zephyr now..Lots of ultralight rods out there..you have great info..I subscribed to your channel..
In the UK paypal is an option to pay on their store, and on 11/11 there's a sale which will bring the price down to £37. Not sure if this is the same in America...
I could NEVER get my brakes on the GH100 to that level. I suspect left hand reels on GH100 also got screwed like the Dark Wolf and the Black Knight. makes me wanna try a righty reel...
@@diychad7268 the problem raWr mentiones lies in the implementation of the brakes. All reels with similar design of the brakes (shimano ftb-like) share the same problem - on left hand reels the brakes are implemented wrongly.
Wow- that is as good or if not, even better than my JDM spinning set up! It would be nice if you can do a casting distance measurement on each reel as well. Thank you in advance. I want to get me a set up for this winter!
So question homie. Imnlooking to get a bfs combo. Want a 7'6 length rod tho but gonna put 2lb izorline test on it an tossing only 2 inch minnows an 1/32 ounce mini jigs here in socal. Looking for the best an cheapest combo. Whatcha recommend?? Whatvha think bout the darkwolf reel???
I bet you that the Shimano casitas with a bfs spoil could cast a small lure a longer way than any of those reels and it’s not to much more money for more quality
Liked!! With so many 5 grams or so aftermarket spools on Aliexpress, I wonder why these manufacturers do not make theirs with a sub 5 gram spool? Do you know if any has come up with aftermarket spools for the Zephyr or GH100? And are both your reels with stock original factory bearings and the same treatment on the bearings? Thanks.
The largest market for these is Inland Saltwater or Rock Fishing. A slightly heavier 6lb braid minimum is basically used. 8g to 15g lure weight common. Freshwater BFS with 3lb or 4lb main line is a very tiny part of the market.
Love your videos. I want to buy my first budget BFS reel and your videos help a lot. I am in between gh100, tsurinoya spirit fox and kastking zephyr. There is however another contender on the market which did not have any methodical reviews as your reviews are (weights / feel (built quality) / casting etc.). Tsurinoya dark wolf is the real I am interested in. It looks like as close as you can get to hi end in budget reel. it's got the shimano's FTB brakes as well . Any chance for reviewing this reel in the near future?
So of all the budget/Ali BFS reels that you've demoed and tested, which do you prefer at the top of them? Fishband GH100? I was curious what the major diff is between the GH100 and PW100 anyway. I just ordered an XF50 and am sort of regretting it now after seeing more of your recent vids.
There is a reel that is the improved version of the GH100 now which I think is the PW100 enhanced version. Comes with a drag clicker and spool tension clicker. Apparently the spool is lighter and it comes with better bearings as well. Would be cool if you could review those haha
Very good Side-by-Side review. (Personally, I've gone to the Piscifun Phantom reels! I used an STX for about a year, and put it back in the box! Phantom beats it in all respect, and cost about 1/3 the $$$...!).
PS: If you haven't used the JOF brand of 8-Strand Braided line, you're missing OUT! Absolutely NO backlashes, and casts farther than Mono, at 3 times the strength!
So, I’m about to sell my GH-100; although it’s fun to cast very light baits; I have two other reels that feel a lot better to me, Piscifun Phantom and the Piscifun Spark Pro. If you had to choose between those two to pair up with an Light rod; which would you choose? Can either of those two handle a 1/16 oz bait?
In his test of the Kyorim Black Knight BFS Reel (± identical to the Fishband GH100), Jimmy on raWr Fishing raised an issue about the implementation of the brake system on the left-handed version of the Black Knight and the GS100. What's your take on this? Thanks!
Wow, man... So, normally I'm a user of higher-end reels... Curados and above... but based on your two recent BFS reviews I ordered a Zephyr from Amazon and a GH100 from China. The Zephyr came today (ordered yesterday! Go Prime) so I'm putting it on a GLoomis Pro-Green Med. Light (my lightest baitcaster.) Would that be an appropriate rod for 1/8 oz lures?
I'm think that GH100 suit fishing in canel , narrow spool type decrease friction . Other the rod at zenite or top should l action if u need the precision . Abu reel I'm don't have !
Awesome vid, very insightful and entertaining thanks for doing hard work showing products that appeal to the budget challenge angler(broke A$$ fisherman) i wanted a gh100 o pw100 but i just dnt trust ali express with my cc info; even if the zephyr is more expensive (still within what i can afford) i think i will go for the zephyr, but i was thinking of saving up and getting the abu revoX i seen them go for 89$ and mod it like you did in your video but minus the handle i did not like that color , that reel looked amazing in your vid that was my fav vid by far from you
Its about that time...So watching you for a while .... I put together a Shimano senselite and a gh100 for this year trout season. What you think a out that?????
Your killing me with all that hand switching, have you even tried left hand retrieve. So much less fatigue, I can flip way more times in a hour compared to all that hand switching.
good test. But there is something that always has been on my mind since I watched the first baitcasting reel video on YT. WHY do you use a right handed reel, if you are left handed? I suppose you are left handed otherwise you wouldn't change hand after casting. :D Seriously, this is not a negative critic or something like this I'm just really curious, if there is any benefit holding the rod with your "bad" hand.
I think he is right handed, that is why he casts with his right hand. And also he cranks with his right hand, (i think) it's bc of the fact that the first baitcasting reels was right handed, so he "learnt" to crank with his right hand. I mean when a new casting reel comes out most of the times it's right handed (for example: daiwa tatula 100(right handed)/101(left handed)
I fish the exact same way I shoot a bow left-handed side of gun left-handed skateboard and surf right-handed as well as bowl right handed and write right handed, Ambidextrous/ Dyslexia I suppose, however it means my body uses both hemispheres of my brain it can be a curse or of blessing in certain situations. It makes it easier to do art and music but creates a small learning disability curve. Any who they're probably more like us in the world than not being taught right-handed has been the norm since the German School system of learning has come into play over the last few centuries aloha
Have you compared the Fishband PW100 to the GH100? Just picked up the base model pw100 and also interested in the upgraded version of it but the Zephyr has also caught my eye. Thanks!
THE KASTKING BFS: After using this reel for over a year, it has an herent design flaw, the spool has a micro gap between it and the housing that catches light weight line like 4lb. Since this reel is designed for light weight line this is a pain. It willcatch your line from time to time and really frustrate you. FYI
My dude I don't think u know enough about reels cuz there's no comparison... Those 2 reels are nothing alike. Gh100 is bait finesse. Chronarch mgl is a conventional reel. For 1.5 square bill don't get a bfs reel. It's way too heavy
@@felixliao5801 I know alot about reels. I have several high end shimano and lews. Never had a bfs reel. But in my mind I would imagine it would outperform with a 1.5 due to its shallower spool. I don't understand how a reel could not handle a lure that is around 1/4 of an ounce and yet be suitable for trout and exc..
@@bigmikefishingchonicles9950 Yeah, Berkley calls it their Lightning Rod Ultra Lite Trout rod, BCLR802UL, lure 1/32-1/4 oz./line 2-6lb. Check Amazon, I just received another rod today. They have them in both casting and spinning. Good luck!
@@shooter0311 thank you and that's great to know cuz I'm looking at putting together a BFF trout rod combo so I'm here digesting all these videos and everybody's comments your observations are much appreciated thank you
When did "carbon" become a fancy word for "plastic"? Does Shimano own Fishband? How can they not be in violation of sum patent law with they're brake system?
Well it isn't a direct competition to the Shimano reel it copies, the aldebaran BFS if I'm not wrong. Difference is literally over a hundred dollars. And the Shimano is obviously better
when I get a backlash on my gh100 using anywhere from 4lb to 10lb test the line get behind the spool I think I have a defect or a lemon its very frustrating have you had this problem?
@@THEREELTEST so what should I be looking at purchasing now for a bfs trout caster? Rod and reel combo suggestion for 12-16" creek trout tight places hard to get to casting 1/8-1/16oz lures jigs? Thanks in advance God bless you
Hi I have a ? maybe you can help me out with, Would this Zephyr cast unweighted fluke 's and senko worms with just a worm hook in them further than my slx dc or piscifun phantom for bass fishing on a med power bass rod with 10lb braid that I always use? Thank you
@@PHFishingBiking I throw a unweighted senko great distances with my kast king royal legend elite series........I switched up a little and threw a spool to a spirit fox in it......just took a Dremel and cut a cunt hair off spool shaft and added some boca hybrids not orange seal knock offs.......I have let a few people throw it and they want one.....I think that reel and the perigee II pole (1 piece, medium casting) is something people can have the feel of a rig that is 5xthe cost, the distance I cast with it is ridiculous. And accurate like a laser
For me switching between baitcaster and spinning reel sucks ass and it takes time to adjust. So I went full baitcaster. Yeah with light lures spinning reel will cast a bit further but baitcasters has also advantages like accuracy, control, weight, longer like new performance, easy maintenance and more durable. Also forgot to mention fun factor. :D
It’s usually the bearing on the pinion for the crank just needs oil. My dads abu c3 he’s had for 10 plus years that he never cleaned started doing it I cleaned it and lubed up the reel and it hasn’t started doing it again so
@@clariidfisherman3702 just reel oil I think it was eagle claw branded bc that’s what he had but now I’ve been using just the bass pro shops brand reel oil and grease
Thanks for this great test, You use fluorocarbon line, 4 lbs, could you tell please, what is the diameter of this line and how much meters of the line you get on the spool? Here in Germany most people are fishing there baitcasters with braided lines. Is it better, to do it with fluorocarbon? Thanks a lot
Fluorocarbon is one of the thickest lines out there. It is also stiffer than regular nylon monofilament. It is very dense so it sinks very well. The biggest advantage is that it has a refractive index that is similar to water's, so it is the most invisible line out there. It is the hardest to cast, naturally because it is so stiff and springy. It holds memory as well. It has very very little stretch, so it is more sensitive than nylon. It is also more expensive. I use fluorocarbon as a shock leader for Snakehead, which is kinda like the pike. My personal opinion is that fluorocarbon is inferior to braid because it is thicker, stiffer, denser, holds more memory, and is a pain to cast. The biggest advantage is invisibility, especially in high poundages, and the little stretch makes it good as a shock leader. I stick to braid.
@@danielkinn782 that's what I use. 3-4ft fluorocarbon leader with braid mainline. I only use it as a shock leader tbh. I don't really like fluorocarbon. I mainly fish topwater for Snakehead and it ruins the action a bit
Kastking and I phone are both Chinese products designed in US by most likely multinational team of people. St Croics on the other hand is American product and its evident in its price.
What if the designer and developers in the USA are also Chinese-Americans? Just like most technologies in US are actually develop by Chinese scientists and researchers. Asians dominate in Science and Math fields.
Change the bearings in the zephr to full ceramic hyper bearings and it cast way further and smoother but mineningot from alliexpress and it doesnt squeek watch rawfising henchanges the bearings to ror bearings and the other bearings it out does the gh100 by alot
Rawrfishing thats him reel man he changes the bearings i did what he did and blowes gh100 out of the water awsome shows u guyes have even got the schimano slx dc cuz of ur show man thankyou thankyou
Clicked off the vid when the bible passage came up. I respect your right to hold those views and broadcast them. Respect mine for finding them repulsive. Good day.
When covering water and moving about in rivers, creeks, ect. Being able to flick and retrieve trout magnets 20+ feet on a dime is something spinning reels cannot do. Why drive a sports car when a Prius can get me to the same place, it's about the flavor of the experience.
Hi, I had a look inside one of this " Made in China " reels and are to expensive . Poor copies , poorly made by people which don't have a clue what they are doing or why.
