KastKingZephyr Bait Finesse Baitcasting Reel, Carbon Fiber Fishing Reel - Drag Clicker Version, 7.2:1 Gear Ratio Fishing Reel - 5.6oz Lightweight Bait Finesse System Freshwater Saltwater Casting Reel

Ive had this for almost 9 months at this time, and its casting just like the day I purchased it! Very durable and the value for the price is unmatched. Fishing with light baits (finesse senko, no or light nail weights) up to chatterbaits and the like. Very versatile. Accurate casting and very smooth retrieve, way less winding noise than other more expensive options. High gloss frame looks sleek, and its held up as well. Im hard on gear and this has taken it!

Okay first I have read all the reviews. I have stage 4 cancer and take a few drugs so I’m not too steady. I’m letting you folks know this because using reels like this are hard for me to use. Okay now the reel. I only had the money to purchase one. I took it out of the box and looked it over. Very nice looking. I only use Berkeley fire line. Period!! Filled the reel with 14 pound line. I put it on a 7 foot ugly stick. I went fishing. People said that you could not use a small lure so I picked a small bass pro 2 3/4” square bill. Small lure. I cast it the first time and I had a birds nest. I adjusted the button on the left side to to half way. I adjusted the button on the right side till you could hit the release button and it dropped to the floor and stopped. I cast it again. And it cast good but still a little backlash. I turned the button on the right side a little bit more and tried it again. Man it cast so sweet. I cast it about 100 times and never had a problem again except when I hit a tree over my head that I didn’t see. Lol. A week later I went fishing again and I wore this reel with that same crank bait and never had a single back lash. I truly love this reel. It’s so smooth after you set it up correctly. It takes time to get it correct. Take your time and play with it till you get it correct. It’s really worth the effort. All I can say is that when I get some more money I’m purchasing another one. Also don’t throw it so hard. I just swing it and it just cast so smooth. I love this reel

Bought the reel after seeing quite a few test/reviews on Youtube. It's a very lightweight and small reel, fairly easy to set up for casting if you know what you're doing. The magnetic brakes are good enough for it's intended use, Casts down to 1/16 oz fairly comfortably, 1/8 oz easily. Since it's supposed to be a BFS reel I've kept it under 1/2 oz but it handles that well too. As long as you pair it with the right rod, line, lure/bait and cast technique it's a great reel,With all of the above said though, I wouldn't recommend it to a complete novice to baitcasters.There are better BFS reels available but not at this price point in my opinion. It is a good platform for modifying as well. If you tune it with faster bearings and a lighter shallow spool, it punches well above its class.

I have used baitcasters for decades (I prefer them over spinners) so I tried this reel for ultralight fishing. It is well-made, works well, looks nice, and has good documentation. I used a light practice plug to test it out and everything went fine. Then... I put a drop of oil on the spool bearings and...I had trouble adjusting the pressure for the practice plug. I had to dial the magnetic brake almost all the way down to prevent backlash. In other words, when they say "ultralight", THEY MEAN IT!It is exactly what I was looking for! I want to use it to throw light spinnerbaits for trout and for that it is ideal.Thanks Zephyr for making the reel that I have been waiting for!

Great reel for the price point. I wanted to ditch my spinning reel and try my hand at BFS, but didn't want to shell out $500+ on a rod and reel that may not fit my fishing style. Enter the KastKing Zephyr. Entry level price point, with big boy performance. To be clear, I will be using this for bass fishing and this more than handles the baits I want to throw. I was able to throw small jigs and tiny crankless swim baits with ease. I had my sppol tension too high when I first was testing the rod and led me to think the drag was broken. It was entirely user error and I got it figured out quickly enough. If you are using this for trout fishing and want to throw tiny baits like a trout magnet, you may need a slight upgrade in the bearings department. The bearings won't necessarily increase you casting distance, but they will allow you to cast lighter lures. All in all, this will work perfectly for me using some 8lb test to throw lures I previously needed a spinning reel for. This was paired with a KastKing Perigee II ML action rod and performed beautifully. These were my first KastKing purchases, but surely won't be my last!UPDATE 2/24/23:The reel is still performing great and has easily becoming one of my favorites. I recently made the swap to braid on this setup. I was easily casting 1/8oz lures 10+ yards further than I was previously. I should have made the switch earlier but I'm lazy and hate tying leaders. For anyone struggling getting distance with those super light lures, ditch the fluorocarbon for braid and you will reach the promised land. One thing I will also note: I'm really tough on my gear, and do a lot of bank fishing. This reel may feel "cheap," but it has taken a considerable amount of abuse and still performs like new. I also recall reading reviews that mentioned their line getting wedged on the side of the spook. I'm not sure if this is an issue that was corrected by the manufacturer or if I've just been lucky enough to not experience it, but that has not been an issue for me. I can't recommend this reel enough if you're in the market for a BFS reel. Give yourself time to get past the learning curve of casting it and the "flick" motion needed. This should also be paired with a light/slow rod for best results.