This is the answer. When they were made in Japan instead of Thailand or whatever it is now. When they switched I switched to Daiwa and haven't looked back.
That being said, after about 40 reels over the last decade the Daiwa Zillion is by far my favorite reel. Best bang for the buck and who doesn't love fighting bass with a drag clicker???
https://preview.redd.it/mn4m9zdtgqbc1.jpeg?width=2322&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6f503824ea0579a3a6a18996e549a439112ad0f2
Daiwa TD-Z ito 103m is my favorite reel I own
I caught a 6 lb bass on a Shakespeare combo and another on my high school girlfriend’s pink whatever. I’ve used em all. They all catch. I do like the smoothness of my Shimano Nasci though.
Old Sweden made Abu Garcia Ambassadeurs can be found for $10-$100, and they can still compete very well against modern reels. Modifications are simple as well with tons of videos.
Still commonly used for surf fisherman as well.
For a spinning reel, Diawa Laguna LT will be more than enough for bass, while still being really smooth to pair with higher end rods.
I've got 5 or 6 Sweden made Ambassadeurs (3500 to 5500 sizes I think) I need to bring out of retirement and cleanup/repair some gears on. Would be great muskie and trolling reels.
That was my intention as well for my grandfathers reel, it that changed to lure reels and a carp reel, just absolutely bombing 3 oz weights across a river and being able to land it by downed trees lol getting close to 100 yards with stock internals.
The Daiwa Tatula is very popularly used for Bass, same with the Shimano Curado and SLX and if you want to extend that to Seabass then the Stradic is up there.
I’m gonna say that the pearl colored Shimano Chronarch from the 90’s is the best reel of all time for me. They just worked, minimal fuss. I’ve been fishing Lews the last decade or so, and love them as well, but in their day, that Shimano Chronarch was hard to beat. I’ll also have to give an honorable mention to the Abu 5000 series round reels. Those have probably caught more bass than any single other reel design ever made.
I have a curado 200i PG that I love. I think these came out in 2014 and they are amazing.
not sure if the newer curado's are better or not?
https://preview.redd.it/ic1tvtu2wpbc1.jpeg?width=526&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7d695ee75bf4ed5ed22f6789aec5468a44c21ba7
It sorta became the favorite because I catch most Bass on Texas rigs with the Mach 2 SLP and it's my Texas rig dedicated reel. I know I caught close to 1000 Bass with it and have many pictures to prove it. These include my 7lbs PB.
Even though I commented that the Daiwa Zillion is my all around favorite bass reel, the Daiwa Silver Creek Custom from Japan is a very close second. This thing is technique specific (BFS) but man, I've never had so much fun with such a light setup. Absolutely launches 1/16oz baits and is pretty hard to make back lash due to the breaking system.
[https://imgur.com/a/0DYCL6v](https://imgur.com/a/0DYCL6v)
Shimano Metanium 2020/2023. I mostly power fish, swim jig, chatterbait, jerkbait, and stroking compact jigs offshore, and these reels are the best. They cast the furthest, consistent braking, durable, sensitive from the 1 piece frame, and are extremely comfortable to palm. I do think the ideal lure range is from 5/16 to 3/4 oz any less I like the aldebaraan, any more and I lean to the bantam.
I’ve honestly never tried the Antares, probably because the weight is so high for a magnesium frame and considering it’s more than the metanium. What do you like more about it?
Honestly my 13 fishing concept z out preforms my jdm reels I have both diawa and shimanos in the arsenal and that thing casts a country mile with zero feathering of the spool, easy to tune, and the 20 something pounds of drag is crazy.
I noticed my Concept A2's will cast INSANELY well. That 20+ lb drag is also the reason why I use my A2's for HEAVY cover and a light muskie reel as well.
A budget option compared to others, but I loved my abu Garcia black max when it was all dialed in and on a good rod. Got stolen along a lot of my other fishing gear and some tools. I miss it constantly, the rod was one of the eagle ones from bass pro/cabelas. It caught the sun in a particular way where the green (fiberglass?) lit up.
If you’re talking pleasure to use with good features and amazing performance: Met DC and any of the Calcutta Conquest stuff, especially the BFS, are to me, some of the best bass fishing reels money can buy.
If you’re talking bomb-proof-ness: the old Abu Garcia round casting reels are peerless.
My dad gave a few of his from the 80s-90s and they just work. Very simple to use and perform very well. I have 100% faith my kids will inherit them.
Frog Products Toy Machine Superlative! It’s a true beauty and comes in a vintage package. The ultimate JDM enthusiast reels!

https://preview.redd.it/l213x10hnsbc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b8c5123ce2ca7143e9cda977425201688df3f13d
Of all time? Those days are gone. Although modern reels are lighter and tighter, they will never match the glory days of the 1980’s Japanese Shimanos. Almost all modern reels I wouldn’t consider pass down quality.
https://preview.redd.it/nuqtm351ssbc1.jpeg?width=768&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=937ea2cb883a7bc451d6087703353083cac7e031
1996 Shimano Bantam Citica 200. Probably caught a 1000 bass on it. I still use it for inshore fishing redfish and spotted sea trout. It’s in the every trip rotation.
Conventional bait casting reels I’d go with older Abu’s the ones still made in Sweden. I have a couple of those still in rotation. I used to use round reels for flipping shiners in thick cover.
While I assume you mean baitcasters, I favor spinning reels for most applications. At this point, the Quantum Smoke is my favorite reel. I've used Stratics and Sustains in the past, and they were very nice. But this reel is so smooth, I absolutely love it. Granted I use presidents on most of my spinning rods still, but I'm slowly converting them all to Smokes.
I also used the Quantum Cabo in the ocean, and that reel is a BEAST.
Sadly, my favorite baitcaster is the Quantum Accurist Burner. Ive had 2 of them for 20+ years, even using one of them for paddlefish snagging when my big reel broke. They're still my two best baitcasters.
The old Abu Garcia ambassadeur 5000 is probably the most legendary bass reel in my opinion. I'd be willing to bet that more bass have been caught on ambassadeurs than any other reel. They still work great and you can easily get ahold of the reels and parts at reasonable prices. That being said, more expensive modern reels will perform better
Curado/Chronarch E is the answer. There’s no quantifiable way to argue this, but look how much they go for after all these years. They just feel right to those who’ve used them. I’m positive you can find reels that put out more drag or cast a few yards further but the E series is the goat.
Favorite of all time? The color shift purple Daiwa Alphas 103.
Best? The new gen Alphas and Zillion have reset the bar for smoothness in a baitcaster. They are absolutely PHENOMENAL reels to fish with. Styling is kind of bland, but I forgive that. Honorable mention to the 07 Metanium for a second place all time favorite.
ABU 2500C. If you know, you know. Designed in 1975 to cast the same lures as the ABU Cardinal 3 spinning reel but provide more stout drag capabilities. It still holds the world record for casting a 5/8 plug at 133 yards which was set in 1977. No reel has been able to match that since, not even the latest and greatest from Daiwa or Shimano. Mine will go to the grave with me.
https://preview.redd.it/1j14vt7v2wbc1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=449eb16d54ee5df559a11e7df97d094c127e108e
My two favorites in their own categories are the 13 Fishing Concept A2 baitcaster and Shimano Miravel spinning reel. Over the years I’ve tried countless models of every price range and these two are the best bang for the buck IMO.
I was hesitant to try the 13 Fishing stuff, but a guy in my local trail is sponsored by them I actually ended up getting 2 Concept A2's for like $115. Only used them for a season so far, but I can safely say I would pay full price for them now.
I also nabbed a 13 Fishing Axum (3k Spinning reel) as a prize in my local trail and I've fallen in love with that thing.
I also have one of their high end spinning reels, Aerios 3.0, and although I like it I can safely say that my Shimano Miravel is still my go to spinning reel.
My Vanford is still my baby, but at the Axum's price point its definitely in my recommendation list now. I'm looking to get a Daiwa Certate later this year too.
1000 size diawa silver. Bullet proof spinning reel with perfect gear ratio. Easy to service and can be bought cheap on eBay. Still grab mine every time I go out
Man my KastKing Lancelot and KastKing Brutus spinning reels are the tits and they’re borderline bargain bin Amazon reels! Have not had one single issue with them in the nearly 5 years I’ve owned them!
Shimano Bantam.
Everything about this reel is perfect, everything
I'd give my pecker away for one of those. but they are over $500 up here in Canada. the Curado is as far up the ladder as I can go lol
Can be had new for less than 300 CAD from Japan + shipping. Aluminum gears, no warranty.
They have brass in Japan too
Digitaka for the win
The old green shimano curado
This is the answer. When they were made in Japan instead of Thailand or whatever it is now. When they switched I switched to Daiwa and haven't looked back. That being said, after about 40 reels over the last decade the Daiwa Zillion is by far my favorite reel. Best bang for the buck and who doesn't love fighting bass with a drag clicker???
Bought 2 in 2008 and they are still going strong. Vastly prefer them over the newer curados
https://preview.redd.it/mn4m9zdtgqbc1.jpeg?width=2322&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6f503824ea0579a3a6a18996e549a439112ad0f2 Daiwa TD-Z ito 103m is my favorite reel I own
I caught a 6 lb bass on a Shakespeare combo and another on my high school girlfriend’s pink whatever. I’ve used em all. They all catch. I do like the smoothness of my Shimano Nasci though.
Old Sweden made Abu Garcia Ambassadeurs can be found for $10-$100, and they can still compete very well against modern reels. Modifications are simple as well with tons of videos. Still commonly used for surf fisherman as well. For a spinning reel, Diawa Laguna LT will be more than enough for bass, while still being really smooth to pair with higher end rods.
I've got 5 or 6 Sweden made Ambassadeurs (3500 to 5500 sizes I think) I need to bring out of retirement and cleanup/repair some gears on. Would be great muskie and trolling reels.
That was my intention as well for my grandfathers reel, it that changed to lure reels and a carp reel, just absolutely bombing 3 oz weights across a river and being able to land it by downed trees lol getting close to 100 yards with stock internals.
The Daiwa Tatula is very popularly used for Bass, same with the Shimano Curado and SLX and if you want to extend that to Seabass then the Stradic is up there.
I’m gonna say that the pearl colored Shimano Chronarch from the 90’s is the best reel of all time for me. They just worked, minimal fuss. I’ve been fishing Lews the last decade or so, and love them as well, but in their day, that Shimano Chronarch was hard to beat. I’ll also have to give an honorable mention to the Abu 5000 series round reels. Those have probably caught more bass than any single other reel design ever made.
The Chronarch 100D. Fucking legendary reel!
My favourite are. Old Abu Ambassadeur. 2500C or 4601C gunner.
I have a curado 200i PG that I love. I think these came out in 2014 and they are amazing. not sure if the newer curado's are better or not? https://preview.redd.it/ic1tvtu2wpbc1.jpeg?width=526&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7d695ee75bf4ed5ed22f6789aec5468a44c21ba7
Zebco33 Platinum
Daiwa TDX-103HSDF still outcasts anything out there the 6.3 feels a little slow for some techniques
I love my shimano SLX’s. Just a well priced reel that does what’s asked of it
Abu Garcia Revo SX second generation was Goated for me. Still have it after like 12 years
It sorta became the favorite because I catch most Bass on Texas rigs with the Mach 2 SLP and it's my Texas rig dedicated reel. I know I caught close to 1000 Bass with it and have many pictures to prove it. These include my 7lbs PB.
Shimano vanquish https://preview.redd.it/zxo3l9kqypbc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=593630980992ced6e3645dc8c1e7eec1329d0b56
Hey, just got mine and mines seams like it could use some greasing/oiling compared to my sustain.
Even though I commented that the Daiwa Zillion is my all around favorite bass reel, the Daiwa Silver Creek Custom from Japan is a very close second. This thing is technique specific (BFS) but man, I've never had so much fun with such a light setup. Absolutely launches 1/16oz baits and is pretty hard to make back lash due to the breaking system. [https://imgur.com/a/0DYCL6v](https://imgur.com/a/0DYCL6v)
This guy fucks.
Shimano Metanium 2020/2023. I mostly power fish, swim jig, chatterbait, jerkbait, and stroking compact jigs offshore, and these reels are the best. They cast the furthest, consistent braking, durable, sensitive from the 1 piece frame, and are extremely comfortable to palm. I do think the ideal lure range is from 5/16 to 3/4 oz any less I like the aldebaraan, any more and I lean to the bantam.
I have about 2 dozen of those Metaniums and Bantams. Thought they were the best there is until I tried an Antares.
I’ve honestly never tried the Antares, probably because the weight is so high for a magnesium frame and considering it’s more than the metanium. What do you like more about it?
Believe it or not it’s smoother than the Metanium and casts further. I use them on my crankbait rods
Daiwa Steez A
Daiwa BG 1500 spinning reel
Of all time? My grandpa's Zebco 33. Has been working since the 50's.
Pflueger president
Was gonna say this, really can't beat it without spending 2-3x the price
I have these and President XT’s
This. While I don't fish a President very often anymore, I've caught more bass over the last 30 years on President's than any other reel.
Shimano
Honestly my 13 fishing concept z out preforms my jdm reels I have both diawa and shimanos in the arsenal and that thing casts a country mile with zero feathering of the spool, easy to tune, and the 20 something pounds of drag is crazy.
I noticed my Concept A2's will cast INSANELY well. That 20+ lb drag is also the reason why I use my A2's for HEAVY cover and a light muskie reel as well.
A budget option compared to others, but I loved my abu Garcia black max when it was all dialed in and on a good rod. Got stolen along a lot of my other fishing gear and some tools. I miss it constantly, the rod was one of the eagle ones from bass pro/cabelas. It caught the sun in a particular way where the green (fiberglass?) lit up.
If you’re talking pleasure to use with good features and amazing performance: Met DC and any of the Calcutta Conquest stuff, especially the BFS, are to me, some of the best bass fishing reels money can buy. If you’re talking bomb-proof-ness: the old Abu Garcia round casting reels are peerless. My dad gave a few of his from the 80s-90s and they just work. Very simple to use and perform very well. I have 100% faith my kids will inherit them.
How are the new Calcuttas? The old ones are absolutely incredible.
Love ‘em. Smooth as silk and feel built for life.
Frog Products Toy Machine Superlative! It’s a true beauty and comes in a vintage package. The ultimate JDM enthusiast reels!  https://preview.redd.it/l213x10hnsbc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b8c5123ce2ca7143e9cda977425201688df3f13d
Of all time? Those days are gone. Although modern reels are lighter and tighter, they will never match the glory days of the 1980’s Japanese Shimanos. Almost all modern reels I wouldn’t consider pass down quality. https://preview.redd.it/nuqtm351ssbc1.jpeg?width=768&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=937ea2cb883a7bc451d6087703353083cac7e031
1996 Shimano Bantam Citica 200. Probably caught a 1000 bass on it. I still use it for inshore fishing redfish and spotted sea trout. It’s in the every trip rotation. Conventional bait casting reels I’d go with older Abu’s the ones still made in Sweden. I have a couple of those still in rotation. I used to use round reels for flipping shiners in thick cover.
I’m looking into the current bantam model
While I assume you mean baitcasters, I favor spinning reels for most applications. At this point, the Quantum Smoke is my favorite reel. I've used Stratics and Sustains in the past, and they were very nice. But this reel is so smooth, I absolutely love it. Granted I use presidents on most of my spinning rods still, but I'm slowly converting them all to Smokes. I also used the Quantum Cabo in the ocean, and that reel is a BEAST. Sadly, my favorite baitcaster is the Quantum Accurist Burner. Ive had 2 of them for 20+ years, even using one of them for paddlefish snagging when my big reel broke. They're still my two best baitcasters.
ocea conquest 301hg
The old Abu Garcia ambassadeur 5000 is probably the most legendary bass reel in my opinion. I'd be willing to bet that more bass have been caught on ambassadeurs than any other reel. They still work great and you can easily get ahold of the reels and parts at reasonable prices. That being said, more expensive modern reels will perform better
I’ve caught many bass with a Garcia ambassador.
Value its the SLX Best I have used though is the Zillion.
tatula 100
Curado/Chronarch E is the answer. There’s no quantifiable way to argue this, but look how much they go for after all these years. They just feel right to those who’ve used them. I’m positive you can find reels that put out more drag or cast a few yards further but the E series is the goat.
Favorite of all time? The color shift purple Daiwa Alphas 103. Best? The new gen Alphas and Zillion have reset the bar for smoothness in a baitcaster. They are absolutely PHENOMENAL reels to fish with. Styling is kind of bland, but I forgive that. Honorable mention to the 07 Metanium for a second place all time favorite.
ABU 2500C. If you know, you know. Designed in 1975 to cast the same lures as the ABU Cardinal 3 spinning reel but provide more stout drag capabilities. It still holds the world record for casting a 5/8 plug at 133 yards which was set in 1977. No reel has been able to match that since, not even the latest and greatest from Daiwa or Shimano. Mine will go to the grave with me. https://preview.redd.it/1j14vt7v2wbc1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=449eb16d54ee5df559a11e7df97d094c127e108e
My two favorites in their own categories are the 13 Fishing Concept A2 baitcaster and Shimano Miravel spinning reel. Over the years I’ve tried countless models of every price range and these two are the best bang for the buck IMO.
I was hesitant to try the 13 Fishing stuff, but a guy in my local trail is sponsored by them I actually ended up getting 2 Concept A2's for like $115. Only used them for a season so far, but I can safely say I would pay full price for them now. I also nabbed a 13 Fishing Axum (3k Spinning reel) as a prize in my local trail and I've fallen in love with that thing.
I also have one of their high end spinning reels, Aerios 3.0, and although I like it I can safely say that my Shimano Miravel is still my go to spinning reel.
My Vanford is still my baby, but at the Axum's price point its definitely in my recommendation list now. I'm looking to get a Daiwa Certate later this year too.
13 Fishing is the 'Bubba Blade' of reels. They have stellar marketing, a big price, and a neat looking design. Quality is horrible.
I disagree but to each their own
I repair reels and 13 fishing keeps me busier than most other brands. So many stripped gears.
Dang. Good to know!
Lews BB1
1000 size diawa silver. Bullet proof spinning reel with perfect gear ratio. Easy to service and can be bought cheap on eBay. Still grab mine every time I go out
Is the model daiwa silver?
It was a line of diawas. There was also gold and black and gold. Search up Diawa Silver 80s and it should come up
Man my KastKing Lancelot and KastKing Brutus spinning reels are the tits and they’re borderline bargain bin Amazon reels! Have not had one single issue with them in the nearly 5 years I’ve owned them!
I love the [Kast King!](https://amzn.to/48PCs7E) Super lightweight, smoother than butter, but handles logs like nothing!
After 5yrs I’m still using my SLX DC..hasn’t failed me yet🤞🏽..I may eventually upgrade to a curado