Lew’s Speed Spool LFS or Daiwa Fuego CT

[The Rooster]

I need to make a reel choice in a hurry because I'm gonna have to order one with no way to sample it before hand. I need it to arrive in time for a trip coming next week.

So, little back story on this. Early this year I bought 4 Bass Pro Shops Extremes and I'm not happy with them. They work just fine, but they are not buttery smooth. I need a reel to feel glass slick when I fish with moving baits, otherwise it is distracting and prevents me from feeling what the bait is doing.

I don't really want to spend a ton on a reel though, and in the past I've always been able to get reels with brass gears and aluminum frames and they were smooth. Just these Extremes weren't for some reason. I can literally feel the gear teeth meshing together internally and it sometimes even makes noise. I've tried greasing them but it did not help. Rather than bust them completely open to attempt to smooth them out I'm just gonna sell and buy something else.

I've narrowed my choices down to the Lew's Speed Spool LFS (which seems to be the same reel as the Extreme so I'm skeptical), or the Daiwa Fuego CT. Does anyone have any experience with one or both?  I like the Lew's because it has handle bearings which should help with slickness. But I believe I could add bearings to the Daiwa also, maybe the same bearings from the higher rated Tatula.

[J.W.]

Might take a look at the Shimano SLX as another solid option in that same price range. Also, the Abu Garcia Max STX is a $75 reel that is supposed to be bulletproof and comes highly recommended, but I haven't used one. I also don't have any experience with the Fuego, but my other Daiwas have been good other than a couple that I think came dry from the factory and started making noise. It was just a lube issue, I had to bring them to Mike to go through and clean/lube. They've been fine since.

 

[FlatsNBay]

I don't think that you could go wrong with either. Both have an excellent reputation.

I've got 3 of the Fuegos and I love them. I actually like them better than my Tatula CTs. Solid aluminum frame reel and are still buttery smooth after several years of heavy use. I think that they are one of the best $100 reels out there.

[The Rooster]

I don't think that you could go wrong with either. Both have an excellent reputation.

I've got 3 of the Fuegos and I love them. I actually like them better than my Tatula CTs. Solid aluminum frame reel and are still buttery smooth after several years of heavy use. I think that they are one of the best $100 reels out there.

This is what I was hoping to hear. I know the Lew's has a reputation for dependability and being a work horse reel. Its construction is so similar to the Extreme that I was leary to try one though. That's why I'm leaning more towards the Daiwa. I considered just jumping up to the Tatula but I've read conflicting things about that T shaped levelwind. So I figured the bearing count and the levelwind being the only difference, I'd just go with the Fuego and maybe upgrade the handle knobs with some Tatula bearings ordered from Daiwa.

 The Extremes just aren't smooth. They have a little buzz in the gears, one in particular I can feel every tooth on the gear as I wind it.

Have you ever backed the drag completely off and cranked the handle? You know that feeling it has when it's like that? That's what I want them to feel like. I have some spinning reels that are that way, and I can really keep in contact with what that bait is doing when using those. I even started fishing spinnerbaits on a spinning reel this summer because it was so smooth. I just need to find a baitcaster that is like that for the heavier baits and heavier line.

[J.W.]

I considered just jumping up to the Tatula but I've read conflicting things about that T shaped levelwind.

For me the T-wing is a non-factor. I don't care about it one way or the other, but I'd say go palm one in the store and see if it is a problem for you before buying one. Some people might rest their finger against the line in a way that the T-wing might bump their finger as they wind, but I don't notice it one bit on my Tatulas or Zillions. That said, I honestly doubt they really provide any serious benefit, either. 

[loomisguy]

Glass smooth in that price range isn't going to happen, at least in the long run. Both Lews and Your BPS reels are made by DOYO so going that route is basically a parallel move. But given those choices I'd buy the Daiwa.
The smart play is the Tatula and with the SV spool if it's in the budget.

[The Rooster]

Glass smooth in that price range isn't going to happen, at least in the long run. Both Lews and Your BPS reels are made by DOYO so going that route is basically a parallel move. But given those choices I'd buy the Daiwa.
The smart play is the Tatula and with the SV spool if it's in the budget.

This was my exact thought about the Lew's as well. I knew Doyo made them. There's even a Daiwa version too, the CA80.

What do reel manufacturers do in the higher price ranges to make smoother reels?

It's not about the money, the reason I shop that range. I always try to get aluminum frames with brass gears and they just happen to be made in that price range. Generally I see higher priced reels having aluminum gears, and sometimes magnesium frames, or carbon, and I just feel it's a marketing gimmick. I think the materials are ultimately inferior to the brass gears with aluminum frames for strength. I haven't tried a carbon framed baitcaster but I just don't believe it won't flex under load. I also avoid magnesium framed reels due to the risk of corrosion because magnesium and water don't mix (who's brainless idea was that?). I have a friend who paid $200 for the high end Bass Pro Johnny Morris reel with aluminum gears and the thing feels like a coffee grinder. Far worse than mine do. I had some Abu Garcia Orra SX reels that were slick feeling and I paid under $100 for them. He commented asking me why mine were so much smoother than his and I've always thought it was the brass gears vs aluminum in his. I finally wore them out, they needed parts that were no longer available so I replaced them with these BPS Extremes.

I also wonder if the house brand reels are truly made as well as the name brand reels. Lew's vs Bass Pro. Maybe they go an extra step to polish parts or make sure they are better in some way for the name brand reels, in order to protect the brand reputation. Maybe better quality control. I figure for a reel that's commonly on sale half off, the BPS Extreme maybe was made using parts that would not meet spec for the Lew's reels. But I'm only guessing. I don't know.