Dude because of this video I researched this reel. Just pulled the trigger (Ali today had a seller for around 43 USD) and bought one. Gave your name to my wife for any complaints, this purchase of a third BFS reel is on you! Concerned if will cast
Hey Aaron, nice review... I agree with all of what you said. I did install Roro BFS hybrid bearings in all 4 of my reels. I have both gear ratios in the Micro Monster and both gear ratios in the old version Acura HICC-50's. They work great albeit the Acura's are a bit smoother , so I usually gravitate towards them first. I'm typically tossing 2.5 grams to 10 grams on my gear, as I have standard gear for the heavier stuff (Daiwa Tatula's). I haven't tried any of the high end stuff (Aldebaren, Air TW, Gekkabijin, etc) due to budget restraints. But I will say that these "budget" reels have done everything I've asked them to do without disappointment . I'm 2 years into this whole BFS thing, and loving it !! My BFS gear is just part of my arsenal in the the great pursuit of small/largemouth bass !!
Awesome info - thanks for sharing. My experience was my MM's were smoother than the Accura - but it's probably just tolerances. Great reels - nice to hear they benefitted from the upgraded bearings!
I know I said i was going to run the clock down and wait for more soloking stock on aliexpress after not being able to secure a correct version in your other video, but in the end I gave up and went ahead and ordered the Micro Monster rather than waiting. Rather get it out of the way then having to constantly check stock levels on the website. I just hope they send me the correct reel (1.1.7) as there are are unboxing videos on YT where they unbox it and they either get the wrong reel or the extra spool is missing from the order - I think you suffered a similar issue. Great to hear that the seller is easy to work with should that happen. I'm from Europe so i'll mainly be dealing with pike, perch, Zander, chub and maybe even catfish. It would be crazy if i scored a catfish on 6lb braid
I told you a year ago that the MM-7.1 free spooled better than my Aldebaran. The 8.1 is good, the 7.1 is much better. Both ratios can come with both spools available. I have a new one in a box if you want to test it. Let me know
I thought the review was about the GKA200 purple. After watching your review, I wanted to replace GKA200 with Micro Monster. Read this comment, purchased pink Micro Monster.! I’m so excited hahaha
I think the reason why the acura is more discussed is due to the fact that the spool is rated as a gram lower or that the deep spool is lower in weight also, if I remember correctly. The price point is also nothing to scoff at with an initial sale price of $23 and constantly being able to fond it for under $50, sometimes considerably under. The acura is a very sufficient reel for bfs fishing. Does that mean that all other reels in the budget bfs category are useless? No, but the budget options are all about what you get for your money, and in that, the acura is superior.
yep - fair point. At this pont I now have the Accura. My particular sample isn't as tight as the MicroMonster was. It's a serviceable budget reel. But nothing amazing. Probably rank it #3 of the "clones" behind the original DWU and the MM. The deep spool does work very well even for BFS weights, which is awesome. That's it's main selling point for me. Probably once the fall fishing slows down I'll put together a review of the Acura.
Hey there. Another awesome and informative video as usual. I really like how you break topics down and explain your thought process in your videos. I’m about to jump in on my first BFS set up and I have done countless hours of research on what I think might be the most appropriate loadout for me. I’ve got a rod more or less picked out but looking for an entry level BFS reel just to get a feel for things. Would you recommend this Kingdom reel over the Zephyr? I was thinking about the zephyr but I’ve seen many folks upgrade the bearings on those which I’m not opposed to doing it is an additional cost. How would you say those two match up competitively? Thank you 🙏
First - Let me say I'm not a KK fan at all. Their products, customer service, and business practices are about the worst I've experienced. I started to get into some of their products, but couldn't really justify spending time doing the reviews and giving them publicity after I started trying their stuff and communicating with the company. But even if I wasn't heavily biased by my experiences, I'd still go with the Micro Monster over the Zephyr. I have yet to feel the need to upgrade the bearigns in any of the reels I use consistently. Since the Kingdom can do pretty light weights and handle more traditional finesse weights, I just think it's a good deal. Then the bonus spool is the kicker.
Nice review! I just ordered this reel. I’m going to pair it with the Acehawk Venom. My question is, what line should I spool it with for casting EPF soft plastics? Application will be for lake blue gills and bass with occasional sand trout at the coast. Thanks Alex
Pick your favorite light braid. use some 6" fluro as a leader. I've been partial to Seaguar for the last 8 months or so for my lines. Varivas is also awesome.
I just received mine (may 2024). Upon inspection I am disappointed to see that the side plate bearing is 2.5x8x4 (vs the DWU clones usual 3x8x4) which is impossible to find. The spool bearing is the usual 3x8x4. This is a big minus on my books.
If you had to pick one budget reel what would it be ? Microsoft monster- soloking Acura or the Dark wolf ultra? I’m in the process of building my bfs arsenal I have the rods just need reels I’m gonna buy 3
Probably the Acura Pro. I think the Micro Monster I had was the best casting of the three, but it may have been an anomaly. And the DWU is just sentimental. But the Acura is like $34 right now... just a killer deal for probably the best performer: s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DBHu8wL
Thank you for your time and your advice I’m going with the Acura I can get micro from Amazon for $71 but the Acura is $67 but I do like trying different reels lol
Do you sell reels like this? Just wondering. I love testing new reels just dont have the budget would love to try some out at an even more discounted price.
4:03 but we're talking about bfs right? I don't really see no point in throwing +10g lures with a bfs setup since most people buy them only for the reason that they could throw lures that weight LOWER than 10g right? How does this reel handle with 0-7g lures with since that's what im thinking of getting it for? And how does it compare to the Kastking Zephyr, great video as always btw 👍
0 grams? Ain't gonna happen. 1 gram to 7 - fantastic. I fish BFS almost exclusively, and fish the entire range of BFS from 0.5 to 15 grams - which is why I discuss it. KK - I find most of their stuff to be either underwhelming, overpriced, poor qulaity, or some combo of the three. For my money, the Micro Monster crushes them like Godzilla vs. Tokyo....
@@AaronHuntFishing Okay thank you a lot, and to clarify, 1-7 grams is what i meant really. I just bought a kastking spartacus plus for the 7-23g range but im not sure if i should return it and go for the bfs instead since i haven't used it yet, i was thinking of buying the bfs setup later but i already have decent amount of 7-130g sets so a bfs would be perfect 🤔
I haven't used the older models, but the braking systems have advanced a lot since then. They were still good, but I think after the 15 the new FTB system came out for shimano, and then the AIR system for Daiwa.
