KastKingCentron Lite Spinning Reel, Size 500 Fishing Reel

Works pretty well, nice and smooth. Pleasantly surprised considering the price.

I paired this with a 4’6” Shakespeare Microlite rod and 2 lb test and this reel is outstanding - an incredible value at this price point. I’ve really gotten into ultralight fishing lately and while this isn’t my favorite reel that I own, it’s not far off and is about half or one-third of the price of what I would consider my “favorite.” Highly recommend.

Been using a few of them lil 3 ft dock runner ugly stiks this year but the reel that comes with them are junk so I've been on a mission to find a good replacement. I'm normally a solid pflueger guy as I have president models 24,30,35, and 40 plus a supreme 30 and a supreme baitcaster all in my current rotation. Was originally just going to buy one dock runner and stick a president 20 on it but ended up getting a couple clearance dock runners without reels for real cheap. The president 20 is a great reel but I was having an issue of justifying the price because first the ugly stik combos are only $15 and I don't really want to pay the same for a president 20 as the rest of my presidents since it has not only 1 or 2 but 3 fewer bearings. So for basically the same price as the president 20 retails for I got a lews laser lite 75, a quantum drive 05 and the summer 500. First I think the only difference between the summer and the centurion models other than color is the push button collapsible handle. It adds a tiny bit of weight and seems like a good idea but upon initial inspection I deemed it to be the weak link that would break first on this reel. So the good, it is plenty smooth for a $20 reel. No complaints. It also holds more like than a standard 05/50/500 series reel will hold. Other than the collapsible handle it feels sturdy like it would hold up for quite a bit of use. The max drag is about double what other reels in the size category offer. The bad. It's really more like or equivalent to any other companies 25 or 2000 series reel. It's not as small as an ice fishing reel as advertised. It's heavy AF. They say the body is made from graphite but it feels like freaking pot metal. Was the first thing my dad said about it when I went to his house to show it off. The bail is abnormally thick. And the kicker for myself.. the bail snaps back mid cast about half the time leaving you flinging bait everywhere, having your lure come flying back at your face etc etc. Thinking this might just be a lemon. Going to take it out one last time tomorrow. Will prolly return if it doesn't drastically improve overnight. On the fence if I'll give it another chance with a replacement. For $5 more the quantum is just as smooth, way lighter, smaller, faster ratio, and all around the best deal I've found out of the 3 so far.

I purchased this to use on my drop shot rod (St. Croix Legend Tournament). I know, I know, why put a cheap reel on an expensive rod?! Well, I just never really saw the need for a high dollar spinning reel. Baitcasting is another story, I go quality. For spinning, I usually use Plueger Presidente or Shimano Sahara (budget quality). I decided to give KastKing a try. This reel did not cast well on this particular rod (this was most likely the fit on my rod. The eyes protrude on this rod and I think it was made for a 2000 size reel). I also use 15lb braid with a leader. The line does not spool up even on this reel. All the line bunched towards the bottom of the spool. I was getting terrible wind knots. Again, this is not as big of a problem with straight mono, but it didn't work for me. The drag is not very smooth either. It works, but not very smooth.Now, I know it sounds like I'm beating up on this product, but that's not my intention. It didn't work well with my initial setup, but overall it's not too bad. I switched it to my ultralight rod with straight 4lb line for panfish, and it works better on that setup. Line still isn't even on the spool, but it's not as much of an issue with straight mono. For the price, it's not bad at all. However, I need a pretty smooth drag on a drop shot reel, because I really play out the fish. All in all, I'd buy this reel again, just not for an application that needs a super smooth drag. If you're looking for a budget option that will catch fish, this will work. I did catch quite a few fish in the 1-3lb class, and didn't lose any because of the drag, I just prefer a smoother drag. I would consider trying one of the higher end KastKing reels, so I'm not turned off by the brand. Honestly, for the price, I couldn't really ask for more.

I dropped my rod and reel combo in the lake about a week ago. I went back today and found the combo in the shallow water. Took it out and used it to catch my next fish. The reel is a little rough, nothing some reel grease couldn’t fix! This was the perfect addition to my Dock Runner Ugly Stik