KastKingRoyale Legend II Baitcasting Reels, New Compact Design Baitcaster Fishing Reel, 17.64LB Carbon Fiber Drag, Cross-Fire 8 Magnet Braking System, Available in 5.4:1 and 7.2:1

I picked up this reel for smallmouth and trout fishing. It performs better than I expected it to. Performance wise it is a great casting reel. I can’t comment on the durability only time will tell. I have my doubts but I have been wrong many times before. I haven’t had any backlash . However I have been using bait casters for a long time now. Would I recommend it ? I sure would . For the price you can’t go wrong.

suprising quality for the price. well lubricated out of the box and even better when taken apart. It even held up well to a day of saltwater with minimal cleaning

Works

A year ago I'd never heard of Kastking . Last year I bought a Kastking boonie hat for my daughter to go fishing with and she really likes it .I decided I wanted a new baitcaster reel to put on an old (old old) pistol grip Uglystik 1st gen so I didn't want to spend the big bucks I'd spent on the reel already on it . Ok so they make cool boonie hats but does that equate to fishing gear . I read a bunch of reviews , watched a bunch of YouTube videos and decided to give this one a try , especially since I could get a lefty for the same price as a rightie .Man I'm glad I did . I'd never spooled my own braided before but decided to try out some Kastking power line . It was super easy to fill (after watching a bunch of YouTube videos to see the best way for me ) and in hardly any time I was casting a practice 1/2oz rubber frog .The first cast was SO SMOOTH I got a huge birdsnest so I locked the brakes down as tight as they could go then loosened little by little until I was almost birdsnesting but not quite and that frog was going at least a 1/3 farther than it did on the prior reel and the leftie handle took about 2 casts to feel natural , no more switching hands after casting .I am blown away at how smooth it casts and reels back in .I'm gonna keep the old reel that I paid 3 times as much for about a decade ago just in case but I'm not going to buy another rod to put it on .If you're new to Baitcasters and don't want to spend a fortune or if you're an old hat to them , like me , but don't have a big budget for another toy this reel is a blast to use .I liked my reel so much when they went on sale again I bought another 7.2.1 AND a 5.4.1 to use on a couple of rods I already have. I plan on using the 5.4.1 on a kayak specific used rod for its slower retrieval .I'm using Kastking Hammer 30# braid on a 7.21 and the 5.4.1 Kastking Super Power 30# braid on the other 7.2.1 .What I have found on these reels is if you over fill , even just 10 yards , they are much less forgiving than Lews versions for bird nesting . Fill to about an 1/8" below the black part of the side , not even with the black (which shows about 1/8 oz red trim ) like I did initially . I couldn't get it to work right to she my self , no matter what I adjusted until I realized I'd over filled the reel. I took about 10 yards back off and now I'm tossing 1/8 swim jigs at least 20 yards on a 5'-6" rod , and heavier lures much farther , with no back lashes . I think the extra smoothness is why it's less forgiving . That spool is really moving when it gets cast .

Works nice and smooth. Reels quiet and easy.

Reel is a touch heavier than my others I have but still runs just the same with no issues.

Love at first cast. Believe it is a great first casting reel.

I bought the reel 2 years ago but I have hardly used it, I loved it up until my drag just stopped working out of nowhere, I’ve never had a reel do that but everything else about the reel is good