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Hey Stuart! The ve2 and the KE were/are fine reels but they never really lived up to the marketing claims of being able to cast 1/32oz very well. That in conjunction with the fact that my KEs have all had odd clicking bearings I think kk had some work to do. I’m glad that they did improve the kestrel bfs a bit as it now lives up to their original marketing claims and is fairly smooth with no clicking bearings. As far as your statement about sheep I think most people reviewed the KE extremely well when it first came out. I was one of the few who wasn’t so pleased with it unfortunately… KK does have great customer service but I think there’s something to be said about living up to marketing claims and also having better quality control to check for issues like clicking bearings. Anywho, the kestrel bfs seems to be pretty good now but I would love to see the price a bit lower for everyone. Cheers my friend!

Hey obsessed! Hm… currently I would wait for a good aliexpress sale and then maybe look for a silver feather air. I think that reel is my current favorite for under $100. Cheers my friend!

Hey obsessed! Thanks so much! I was in disbelief when I caught the fish haha. Fun times though! Cheers my friend!

Hey Gisli! Yea… they did drop the ball a bit but at least this reel performs much better. I was able to take the reel out again today but didn’t really manage much other than dinks. The reel does cast down to 0.56g though verified. Cheers my friend!

Hey doc! Much appreciated! Been a bit busy with life and also getting sick from the kid countless times lol… Hopefully will stay illness free for a bit and be able to get out more! Hope all is well with you and cheers my friend!

Hey aln! Yep! I would say for distance casting you’ll want a much longer rod than a 5.5 ft rod. Check out the Purelure Zero 762LC, Tsurinoya Elf Ajing C752UL, Acehawk AG Venom C703UL, or the Johncoo Deres C762UL. I currently have a review of the Purelure Zero up and plan to have videos on the other rods mentioned as well. Hope that helps and cheers my friend!

Hey Jacob! Imho, I actually still prefer the silver feather to this reel… but, and it’s a medium sized but, this is available on Amazon so is a bit more accessible to folks in the US. I do wish it was a bit lower in price as well… but imho it’s an improvement on the KE. lol I thought the blue accents were the CDM kestrel bfs haha 😅😅😅. Cheers my friend!

Hey Jacob! Isn’t 0.2 and 2/10(aka 1/5) the same lol.? Gotta love maths… 😅. Cheers my friend!

Hey Irvin! Actually with this kestrel I have been casting down to 0.56g. It’s not as easy to do as with the silver feather but this kestrel bfs can do it with the right rod. That’s very different from the VE2 and the KE. Also, I’m going to have to respectfully disagree with the tiny lures being like needles in a haystack. All the bigger bass, including my 21” pb bass, I’ve caught at my local lake have been caught on lures that are smaller than 1g. So… micro finesse setups work in lakes as well haha. Maybe not every lake but I think in very pressured lakes they do as mine is very pressured. While I had a skunk session today I will say that the kestrel can cast 5g lures with ease but also 0.56g as well. You just need to have a capable rod =). Cheers my friend!

@@BFSFISHINGCHANNEL my friend your right you can catch one on big lakes and i did, thats one of my unfogatable moment in my history of fishing. But, talking about rate of bites and efficiency, larger lure had its advantage in visual presentation, luck is also one of the factor we should consider and also pressured fish. Yet it is more fullfilling when you land your PB on a very tiny lure...😁😁😁 cheers my friend! Glad we were connected through bfs fishing eventhough we were thousand miles apart...😊😊

@@co-polyLINE hey Irvin! I agree that larger lures are more visible but for my lake I think the fish have been so conditioned to ignore larger lures that smaller lures are more effective. I am also glad that we can connect through BFS! Cheers my friend!

@@BFSFISHINGCHANNEL hoping for you giveaway...hope i'll be the one...btw how did you manage to cast a 0.5 gram lure with VE2? What # of braid did you use? I have a 1.3m stream rod that rated from 0.4g to an 8th of an oz...

@@co-polyLINE hey Irvin! I actually didn’t cast 0.56g with the ve2. Just this reel, the kestrel bfs. Hope that helps! Cheers my friend!

Hey Greg! That’s a great question and I have to come clean that I have never actually used the deep spool haha. I’ve only really stuck with the shallow spool as I don’t encounter many situations where I need a ton of line. Also, when you swap to the deep spool and do add line it will result in a heavier spool so it stands to reason that it won’t be able to cast as low of a weight. My guess would be that you could probably still manage 2-3g lures but I couldn’t tell you how far… sorry about that 😅 just never had a good reason to chuck the deep spool on. Cheers my friend!

@@BFSFISHINGCHANNEL The reason why I asked is because I'm a bank fisherman and last year I was throwing a 3in weighted wacky rig on my trout spinning rod (5ft with 4lb test ) and had a bass 6+lber almost spool me but line broke near reel at a lake near me .I have a zephyr now and I don't want to get in the same situation. At least with the deep spool I will stand a chance. Going to order the reel next week and if you would like I will let you know how low it can go as to help other anglers who need to know .Thank you anyway

@@gregchilders7643 hey Greg! Wow that’s crazy! Ooc do you know how much line you had on your spinning setup? Usually for bfs reels we typically only add about 50m to help keep weight down. I’ve been fortunate enough to get into a 5lber on bfs gear and even though it pulled drag a good amount I don’t think it would have spooled me. I also had a 4lb leader but it was tied to 0.6goh braid. As far as your offer about sharing information ofc! Please do share your experience with the deep spool as I don’t think many have tried casting low weights with it yet. Much obliged and cheers my friend!

@@BFSFISHINGCHANNEL It is a size 500 reel so about 100 yards of 4lb test. The fish hit it at the end of cast then ran 30 yards jumped and then peeled another 20 before the line broke. I landed a 5lber this winter in a canal with the zephyr on 4lb floro. Like you mentioned the shallow spool is perfect for ponds and creeks . I have a pair of Bass pro shop prolite finnesse baitcaster (model PRL05HB) had for about 30 years (I'm 60) one is on a eagle claw Featherlite 4ft 10in rod and the other is on a 7ft 6in ml rod.they are good for 1/8oz spinnerbaits and jigs. I will let you know how the deep spool preforms

@@gregchilders7643 hey Greg! Wow… sounds like quite the fight! Gotta love hearing about experiences like that =). Anywho, please let us know what your results are like! Much appreciated for offering to share that with us all. Cheers my friend!

Hey Abel! Haha yep! Stay tuned for that. I tried to get some footage for that second video today but was a trip to skunk town lol… will have to try again on Monday! Cheers my friend!

Hey John! Yea I do agree with you on that. They did miss the mark with the Kestrel Elite and the Valiant Eagle 2. While they were very easy to cast reels the overbraked aspect just made them not live up to the claims their advertising material stated. I guess it’s never too late to fix mistakes but they could’ve had so much more back then. I do like that they are still making efforts though to “fix” things. It shows that they’re still in the game which is always a good thing. Anywho thanks so much for stopping by and cheers my friend!

Hey TK! Interesting you say that! Ooc what about the slx isn’t making you happy? Maybe I can suggest some things you can change or upgrade? What do you want the reel to do? Cheers my friend!

Hey ad! Thanks so much for the kind word! Cheers my friend!

Hey ad! Come back for the part 2 video! Will be giving away the kestrel elite =). Maybe you’ll be the lucky winner? Cheers my friend!

Hey Eric! Hahaha i know i can always count on you for a good chuckle. Apologies for the lack of content lately… been getting smashed by illnesses the kid is bringing back from school and then just busy with life in general… hopefully things will calm down a bit tho and we’ll get back at it! Hope you are doing well and cheers my friend!

Hey dragn! Yea I actually don’t hate the zephyr myself. I have one that is quite smooth and I actually was able to pick it up for around $35 off of aliexpress. Pretty good value there. Kk does have some products that are quite nice but on occasion their QC can be a bit lacking. Hopefully they’ll continue to improve things. Cheers my friend!

Hey earth! I will agree… I thought the elites price was a bit nuts when it first launched at just over $200 and imho it still is a bit nuts at $199. The good news is that this is much much much more affordable. I would still choose the silver feather over this but this is available on Amazon and so has that advantage over the silver feather. As far as the Acura is concerned, the SF and this Kestrel BFS both actually outperform it by just a tad. However, the Acura smashes both reels in terms of value. It’s a hard reel to beat in that regards no doubt. Cheers my friend!

Hey Maurice! You’ve got me on that one… all I know is that DMK manufactured these reels for kastking. I am not sure who actually did the R&D for the reels… Cheers my friend!

@@BFSFISHINGCHANNEL Maybe I missed it during the video, are the braking system the same as the silver feather?

@@mauricezaoui9195 hey Maurice! No I didn’t really go too in depth regarding the differences in braking systems as the kestrel is similar to the ve2 and kestrel elite. I’ve covered the braking systems in the reel’s respective reviews. In any case, the ve2, KE and kestrel use a FTB clone and the silver feather uses a system that has a ring of magnets that move about 0.5mm closer to the spool. Hope that helps and cheers my friend!

@@BFSFISHINGCHANNEL I see, I'm looking forward for your comparison review!

Hey Ricardo! So far the sub 3g performance looks pretty good! Will try to get some comparisons in. Cheers my friend!

Hey Jeff! Man… I went out today to test out the reel and it was just a major skunk fest lol… will have to try again on Monday. Wish me luck! Cheers my friend!

Hey drink! Haha yea the frame I think is exactly identical to the ve2. Kind of a trip actually lol. Glad you were able to mod your ve2 to your liking! This one seems to be fairly decently braked out of the box tho. Pretty cool stuff! Cheers my friend!

Hey wya! Appreciate the kind words and for the support! If you have any questions about BFS don’t hesitate to ask! Cheers my friend!

Hey cass! I’m back! Sort of haha. Real life stuff just keeps happening whether it be getting sick again… or just being plain old busy… hopefully I’ll get back into the swing of things soon though and keep pumping out content soon. Thanks for stopping by and cheers my friend!

Hey Dan! Wow I really appreciate the kind words! I wish I had more time to just pump out content but I have other responsibilities that I need you to consider but hopefully will get back in the swing of making content regularly again. Thank you again for the kind words as it does keep me motivated and means quite a bit to hear. Cheers my friend!

@@BFSFISHINGCHANNEL My pleasure buddy! 🍻

Hey Patrick! I still haven’t really mangled the paint job on my silver feather yet so I’m not sure I’ll be able to test the durability of the paint job on this kestrel as well. Maybe I should do a small spot test on both reels or something… cheers my friend!

@@BFSFISHINGCHANNEL I'm always around dirt and rocks fishing and when I catch a fish I don't just drop the rod lol but don't take the time to set it down real soft like a egg either. Only light scratches on silver feather but sun shinning on it you see them.

@@patrickhartman6818 hey Patrick! Ah yea at some point all reels will get scratches over time. That said, for these carbon framed reels it won’t really damage them per se. You don’t have your baby them like you would a magnesium frame reel. If those get scratches and chips and the metal is exposed then oxidation will kick in and that’s not a good thing… Anywho, it’s always good to try and take care of your gear but not always possible. Cheers my friend!

Hey Patrick! It’s not too shabby! I mean I think I still prefer the silver feather but it’s nice to have other options and it’s nice that this is available on Amazon. Cheers my friend!

Hey Pacman! I just got back from taking it out today but it was a major skunk fest… lol. Nothing of note to have filmed sadly… At least it was a chance to get out and hopefully I’ll be able to take it out on Monday again. Hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! Cheers my friend!

Hey Willie! Thanks for dropping by! Cheers my friend!

Yw

Great video

@@willieharkless782 appreciate it Willie!!!

Hey Tim! Haha even I couldn’t tell you in this particular video. Too much bokeh(background blur) to see. Will keep your suggestion in mind for future videos! Cheers my friend!

Hey there! This is the Purelure Silver Feather Air. Hope that helps! You can find review videos on my channel. Cheers my friend!

Hey Carlos! At this point, I would say that the two reels can in some way be two different reels now. The micro monster still uses a long shaft spool making it a full gram heavier than the Soloking Acura pro’s short shaft spool. They both share the same number of bearings now however the Acura pro has 5 salt resistant stainless steel bearings whereas the micromonster does not. In general, if you aren’t looking to fish salt water or extremely light lures the reels will be comparable so I’d say go with whichever you can find cheaper. Hope that helps and cheers my friend!

@@BFSFISHINGCHANNEL Thanks, very helpful. In doubt I think I will go with the more popular Acura

Hey Richard! I heard that they have raised the price… that’s a bit unfortunate imho as the rod really could use some more guides and the biggest selling point was the price to begin with… Hope your rod gets to you safe and sound! Cheers my friend!

Hey cast! Hmmm I just took a look and don’t even see the Magic L 5’6” UL in stock? I did see the heavier split grip handle versions listed for $60? At that price, it’s not really as good of a deal imho… The rods need a few more guides imho… Anywho, thanks for the update! Hopefully they restock the version I tested and list it for the same low price but we’ll see what they do. Cheers my friend!

Hey Zoltan! Haha yea Seasir did a bang up job with the cast-x. I think the updated version with the deep spool is actually even better and can accommodate the shallow spool from this reel as well. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and cheers my friend!

Hey Syj! Either reel will be great but the Acura pro should be a bit cheaper and has a short shaft spool vs the DWU. Hope that helps and cheers my friend!

Hey makire! Yep I do believe you can use this reel in the salt. I would still take to giving it a decent rinse and making sure it dries after every use though as salt buildup will still destroy any reel. Also, doing a presume and coating the interior components with a thin layer of grease is always a good idea as well. Hope that helps and cheers my friend!

@@BFSFISHINGCHANNEL thanks man you're the best! Have a wonderful day

@@makiredulla hey makire! Appreciate the kind words my friend! Let me know if you ever have any other questions. More than happy to help =). Cheers!!!

Hey dwa! Love the enthusiasm! Casting 0.56g lures on BFS setups is pretty fun =). Cheers my friend!

Hey joel! I have links to where the rod can be found in the video description! I believe the going price is about $129. I would consider waiting for a sale as the price can go down a bit when a decent aliexpress sale is on. Hope that helps and cheers my friend!

Hey anime! Yep the castx is still a great reel for the price. However, if you can bump your budget a bit higher to around $30-40usd I would recommend taking a look at the Soloking Acura pro or any one of the other dark wolf ultra variant reels. Hope that helps and cheers my friend!

Hey upstreamer! You are likely missing the c-clip that was present when you first took the spoon pin out. No worries though, I have a video showing you how to use some braid as a quick replacement for a missing c-clip. Cheers my friend!

Here you go! th-cam.com/video/SWdW23vxMCQ/w-d-xo.htmlsi=nfq3IiCDBfP-2ftx

@@BFSFISHINGCHANNEL You're right. I completely forget about the C-clip. Shoot! Thank you. 🙏

@upstreamer1661 hey upstreamer! No worries! Glad we were able to figure it out! Cheers my friend!

Hey Aldo! If you can go for the micromonster then I’d say that that is probably the better reel for sure. Also, try to take a look at the Soloking Acura pro which is a sister reel to the micromonster. Cheers my friend!

Hey Richard! The reel casts great but it does have a few hiccups imho. It’s extremely well made but I think the WeChat mini app, and the Bluetooth implementation need a bit more polishing. They do have a non Bluetooth version of a smaller 50 size coming soon and I will be testing that out. Cheers my friend!