Why you check out those cheap reels....

[foakes]

At one time, I did some part-time work for an older guy who was a friend.  He worked side by side with me —- because he needed someone reliable to do some of the heavier work.

He had 320 acres of almonds and Thompson Grapes.

I just replaced and replanted older trees that fell over during heavy winds.  Pulled wire, dug holes, staked new trees, gave each 5 gallons of water to start, chain-sawed old trees into firewood, etc.  Just basic stuff that was needed.

Don had an older Dodge pickup with a tool box in the bed.  He also always carried 2 shovels and one hoe.  These were old tools, but were made from top quality steel.

At the end of each day of work, he would rinse off the tools in water —-then spray the steel with WD-40.  Also about once a month, he would take his angle grinder and put a 60° sharp edge on the shovels and hoe.  When I asked him why he did this —- he just replied that he didn't have to work as hard as his tools that way.

The first half of his working career, he was a master carpenter —- the second half prior to retirement, he farmed.

Maintenance is key, and it should be done by the operator —- whether it is a shovel or a reel.  Then, you know it was done properly.  We can trust what people do or say —- but verification is the next step.

Good post, MolBasser!  Thanks.

Best, Fred

[Lunker Larry]

How the  Piscifun Alijoz 400 working for you ? How does it cast ?

A lot of Muskie guys have bought these reels and they've been holding up pretty good. You always have some that say a reel is junk but overall they've been standing up to the heavy baits we cast.
They are a very smooth reel and cast a mile.
Don't know if they're still doing this but if something breaks they would replace the reel with a new one with proof of purchase since they do not have a parts inventory. Makes sense as it is probably cheaper than developing and managaing a huge parts development and supply.

[quang tran]

Thank Larry If It work it count and 3 times cheaper than Daiwa or Shimano ,I'm betting on 1 on Ebay

[MolBasser]

Thank Larry If It work it count and 3 times cheaper than Daiwa or Shimano ,I'm betting on 1 on Ebay

Just make sure to open it up and lube it properly and you will do well.

"A lot of Muskie guys have bought these reels and they've been holding up pretty good. You always have some that say a reel is junk but overall they've been standing up to the heavy baits we cast."

The stuck free spool button is 100% a lack of lubrication issue.  When you open up the reel and see how the parts work, the issue becomes obvious, and it is a simple fix.  If that is the only complaint, then this reel is a cheap winner.

[jurelometer]

If you are not using high drag and winding under high load, I could see these budget 400 reels potentially working out as well. The difference between premium and  budget in low profile levelwind reels is not so large.

Those brass gears and that pressed on cast aluminum (I presume) gizmo to hold the eared drag washers on the Piscifun does not impress me. That Piscifun Alinox 400 has a listed max drag of 35 lbs, which seems laughable, and even more unrealistic than what the equivalent Daiwa (22lb) and Okuma (30 lb) models  list on their specs. Shimano lists 18 lbs for the high speed Tranx 400, which is more reasonable.  So I am a bit suspicious about the Piscifun if you push it, but then most folks don't.

The sad truth is that as much as I enjoy fishing them, none of the large saltwater low profile baitcasters are that well built.  They are all just beefed up bass reels, not a redesign. This means that is not that tricky for an Piscifun and similar brands to make a competitive product to the high dollar big name offerings.  Having said that, a reel is only as strong as the weakest link, so if you are pushing the reel towards its limits, I would expect these budget reels to fail first, and fail at the spots where the big name brands have beefed up the design with hardened stainless gears and large diameter nested drag washers.

I do quite a bit of fishing with my low profile Daiwa and Okuma 400s with the drag buttoned down in the mid to maybe upper teens.  The reels can handle it, but they don't like it, and it shortens their lifespan.  When I move  the drag to 11 on the Spinal Tap scale to stop a big snapper or yellowtail, you can see my face all scrunched up and flinching.  I am kinda waiting for that zing-kapow to happen. So I am even more wary of competing products that don't have the stronger parts.

If you do catch a bunch of  bigger fish at high drag settings, I am curious as to how well it holds up for you.  Durability is a big challenge for this entire class of reels.

-J

[quang tran]

I agree with  jurelometer 33Lbs drag is a joke . I already bought it waiting for shipping ,10 lbs drag is the most I can expect on all level wind reel . I used Kastking Zephyr and notice the gear quite strong compare to Daiwa or Shimano .Will try it out this Summer

[Lunker Larry]

Thank Larry If It work it count and 3 times cheaper than Daiwa or Shimano ,I'm betting on 1 on Ebay

Don't know ebay prices but they go on sale regularly on Amazon. Amazon Canada has them for $119.99 down from $149.99. They come in right and left handled. First one I bought was $111.99 a while back.

[quang tran]

I pay a little higher but free shipping

[Dominick]

I pay a little higher but free shipping

     Dominick

[MolBasser]

If you are not using high drag and winding under high load, I could see these budget 400 reels potentially working out as well. The difference between premium and  budget in low profile levelwind reels is not so large.

Those brass gears and that pressed on cast aluminum (I presume) gizmo to hold the eared drag washers on the Piscifun does not impress me. That Piscifun Alinox 400 has a listed max drag of 35 lbs, which seems laughable, and even more unrealistic than what the equivalent Daiwa (22lb) and Okuma (30 lb) models  list on their specs. Shimano lists 18 lbs for the high speed Tranx 400, which is more reasonable.  So I am a bit suspicious about the Piscifun if you push it, but then most folks don't.

The sad truth is that as much as I enjoy fishing them, none of the large saltwater low profile baitcasters are that well built.  They are all just beefed up bass reels, not a redesign. This means that is not that tricky for an Piscifun and similar brands to make a competitive product to the high dollar big name offerings.  Having said that, a reel is only as strong as the weakest link, so if you are pushing the reel towards its limits, I would expect these budget reels to fail first, and fail at the spots where the big name brands have beefed up the design with hardened stainless gears and large diameter nested drag washers.

I do quite a bit of fishing with my low profile Daiwa and Okuma 400s with the drag buttoned down in the mid to maybe upper teens.  The reels can handle it, but they don't like it, and it shortens their lifespan.  When I move  the drag to 11 on the Spinal Tap scale to stop a big snapper or yellowtail, you can see my face all scrunched up and flinching.  I am kinda waiting for that zing-kapow to happen. So I am even more wary of competing products that don't have the stronger parts.

If you do catch a bunch of  bigger fish at high drag settings, I am curious as to how well it holds up for you.  Durability is a big challenge for this entire class of reels.

-J

Every company lies about drag pressure.  Every, single, one.  The weak link of the piscifun is the gear train.  All brass.  It won't hold up to season after season of yellowtail, but that is not what it is built for.  If some aftermarket SS gears were made and put it, it would compete with any other low profile.

Also, I don't get the slam on low profile reels, as all reels do essentially the same thing.  I mean, they aren't made, nor advertised, to land thousand pound marlin.  They do what they are designed to do.

[jurelometer]

Every company lies about drag pressure.  Every, single, one.  The weak link of the piscifun is the gear train.  All brass.  It won't hold up to season after season of yellowtail, but that is not what it is built for.  If some aftermarket SS gears were made and put it, it would compete with any other low profile.

Yeah, agree with you on drag rating. A reel rated for 30 lbs of drag should be able to be set to 30lbs on a full spool and pulled until empty more than once without any adverse effects. Many more reels would fail this test than would pass. But I think that these low -profile ratings are exaggerated more than most.  I just bought a Penn Fathom 15XN two speed lever drag with the same max drag rating as the Alijoz 400.

If these reels are not built to withstand multiple years of use on species like yellowtail, Piscifun  probably shouldn't put it in the product description - from the Piscifun site:

"[...] has a maximum Drag Power of 38 LBS making it suitable for saltwater scenarios where large bait and big fish are targeted."
And


"Suitable Fish Species:

Musky, Northern Pike, Redfish, Snook, Tarpon, Yellowtail, Bass with Large Swimbaits（Striped Bass, Black Sea bass"

Source: https://www.piscifun.com/products/alijoz-400-baitcasting-reel-saltwater-bait-clicker

Also, I don't get the slam on low profile reels, as all reels do essentially the same thing.  I mean, they aren't made, nor advertised, to land thousand pound marlin.  They do what they are designed to do.

Regarding my "slam" on low profiles.  Don't get me wrong, I do like fishing them.  The larger saltwater versions are marketed and frequently used for the type of fishing that I do. And now there are 500 sized models with essentially the same design, marketed for even larger fish.   

Many buyers either don't have the opportunity to get many hours in working the reels at higher loads, or target species that don't  put as much load on the gear.  There is a big difference in pulling a bunch of 20lb yellowtail off the rocks vs chucking plastics for calicos or redfish.  But a subset of us do have the opportunity to work these reels hard. IMHO, they fail in multiple ways sooner than they would if the reels were designed from the ground up instead of being a beefed up bass reel.

I did a whole thread on a 400 series Komodo over a span of five years with higher loads usage here:
https://alantani.com/index.php/topic,30706.msg357468.html#msg357468

I like the Komodo compared to the competition because it does not have a disengaging levelwind, making it a more versatile reel and less subject to wear on the levelwind assembly. But it has its problems. Some unique, and some shared with other brands. 

If you look for posts by Cor, you will find some nice writeups on the Shimano Tranx under higher loads over time.

I wouldn't be surprised if your Piscifun holds up OK relative to the competition if not pushed too hard.  I am looking forward to seeing an update after you get some time on it.

-J

[JasonGotaProblem]

Literally every crap reel you can buy would hold up just fine if you don't push it too hard and rinse it frequently. Personal opinion: What matters is how they perform when you abuse them. I've never been one for the "fancy" but I buy quality stuff so I don't have to be careful with it.

I'm looking forward to hearing how this one does when you put it through it's paces.

[oc1]

Piscifin? I've heard of them.  That's not the case for a lot of cheap reels these days.  Kastking is another name that pops up in the maybe-not-so-bad category. 

Way back when, Penn reels were sort of like an Ocean City reel, but Penn had adopted short-cuts in design and manufacture that made them less expensive.  Penn were the original maybe-not-so-bad fishing reels.