KastKing Megatron 200 Baitcasting Fishing Reel, Wide Spool High Line Capacity Casting Reel, 7+1 Double Shielded Stainless Steel BB, 8 Button Magnetic Brakes, 6.4:1 Gear Ratio, 28.6 lbs of Smooth Drag

Purchased this on a whim. Wanted a larger baitcaster for my crankbait rod and figured that, for the price, the Megatron might be worth a try. I had previously purchased the Centron baitcaster from Kastking and was not terribly impressed; the Centron is usable, but it's very much worth about $35 and no more. Smooth out of the box...but rapidly started feeling geary and hollow after one day of use. You can feel the Centron flexing under load. Not bad, but I don't expect it to hold up for a year.The Megatron, on the other hand, is completely bonkers. My personal comparison of the Megatron is against a Daiwa T3 and a heavily customized Shimano Citica E. The only area in which either of those reels performs noticeably better than the Megatron is in the casting department. Which, given that each of those reels cost over three times what the Megatron costs, is hardly surprising. And anyway, the Megatron (no clue how they avoid copyright claims with the name, BTW) is fairly large for a modern low-profile baitcaster and has a deep, heavy spool. The T3 is a much smaller reel with one of the most impressive magnetic braking systems ever put in a fishing reel, and the Citica has centrifugal brakes...'nuff said. The Megatron does just fine, especially throwing lures in the 1/2 - 3/4oz weight range. Mine is paired with a 7'11" fiberglass crankbait rod, and it'll cast a country mile.Overall, I'm blown away with how good the Megatron is. I've only been using it for a couple weeks so there's still a chance I may have to modify my review if it doesn't hold up over the long haul. So far the Megatron is holding up beautifully. The retrieve is like butter, the drag is quite smooth with power to boot, and it's in a very affordable package. And while both the Centron and the Megatron are built with composite frames rather than using aluminum, the Megatron has none of the frame flex that hurts the Centron. One thing I check on any composite-frame reel is to try to flex the reel foot and the thumb bar by hand. The Centron can be flexed visibly without much effort, and that reel started feeling rougher and almost hollow after only a few casts. The Megatron, on the other hand, feels rock-solid and doesn't distort even a little bit under pressure; in that regard it feels almost identical to my Daiwa T3, which was one of the first reels with a carbon frame and which has performed well for me for years. The Megatron still feels brand-new after multiple outings of heavy use.The only minor things to mention are that the drag sometimes sticks slightly on startup, and the thumb bar has a pointy corner that may be a tad uncomfortable depending on how you grip the reel while casting. That said, I'm extremely nit-picky with my reel drags and the Megatron's drag is very good, in fact better than the drag on any other baitcaster I've used at this price point. And the thumb bar thing really isn't a problem, especially after getting more used to the reel and adjusting how I position my thumb when pressing the bar.The Megatron isn't perfect. But for what you pay, it's close.

These Megatron 200 reels are very good, high quality reels at a very reasonable price. I own 2 now, and have a third in my cart! I really appreciate the single black color and cork knobs. They match up well with my Fenwick HMX casting rods. They are lightweight, smooth, user friendly, and problem-free. Both of mine sling great distances without backlash. The star drag, tension knob, and brake dial all provide audible and tactile clicks. They are really easy to dial in, whether throwing a half ounce spinner or 3-4 ounces of spawn sac, sinker, and float....as I mentioned, they are very user friendly. The drag system has a wide range and very powerful top end capable of stopping big fish. I have one loaded with approximately 110 yards of 80 lb. Power Pro braid, which successfully battled 3 King salmon this summer in rivers, with the other loaded up with 30 lb. Kastking Extremus braid which will be going after Kenai River coho salmon in a couple weeks.I can't speak for long-term durability yet, but I also own/use a few Kastking Royale Legend II 200-series bait cast reels which have been problem-free for 3 seasons. These Megatron 200 reels are the real deal, and from a functionality perspective, are the equals of my Lew's and Abu Garcia bait casters!

Covers a lot of water fast on each cast. Smooth reeling and lots of adjustable drag when needed. Fun to have in the fishing repertoire. May purchase more similar products in the future. Priced well for the quality.

To start off this reel is more like a 300 size it’s the same size and my diawa lexa 300. This reel for the price can’t beat it I would bet that. The drag is super smooth and handles large salmon no problem. It’s super easy to use and casts like a dream. I can cast 1-8oz about 40 yards and I am using a 10’6 13-30 rod. The red grips are a little big but it’s not to bad. It’s comfy to use and vary worth it.

I am finding it very hard to buy any gear these days before I check to see if Kastking makes something similar to what I am looking for (and often at half the price!! ) This is definitely the case with the 200 series MegaTron baitcaster. The wide reel is engineered to hold large-size reel amounts of line, but in a smaller -- and lighter - hand fit. Speaking of the hand fit, the drag adjust (oversized - love that) and cast control are perfectly sized and placed for easy adjustments while casting or battling your catch. Out of the box it is a beauty to behold, and is packed with the features and materials generally found in higher priced reels, including corrosion-proof brass gearing, stainless steel hubs and a multi-layered carbon disc drag system. And, all of THAT is sealed inside a salt-water-ready housing which is a HUGE feature for me as a kayak guy whose gear generally gets wet every time out! Another thing I appreciate is the oversized handle and knobs that enables easier fighting of BIG tackle busting fish. This is just a solid, beautiful, high performance reel and at the price (under $80 when I bought it) it is nothing less than an absolute steal.

Great buy! Nice quality and functionality is great. My fisherman bought one and asked for another. We also have bought other Kast King products. Great company

Bought this on sale and catches biggins first fish I caught was a nice 3 pounder. It casts right where I want it. Cork handles are comfy and the drag is smooth. Great reel would buy again. 2nd reel I've bought from them. Great quality.

This bait caster is NICE! Husband loved it! High quality and it is so smooth! It was easy to spool the line. Sleek looking for sure!