KastKing Verus Baitcasting Fishing Reel, New Assassin Version, Only 5.4 oz. Carbon Fiber Frame & Side Covers, Carbon Fiber Drag System & 11+1 Double Shielded Ball Bearings, 8.1:1 Gear Ratio

I haven't had the time to try-out this device yet, but if function follows form, I expect great things out of this reel. This is a thing of beauty, a real work of art. I am VERY impressed.

Great budget reel

The KastKing Versus Assassin is a good value for a cheap reel. For the price, it's very light, very smooth, and has a nice drag. I spooled it with 17lb mono and it casts well. I caught a 20” Striped Bass on my first trip with the reel. I was casting a 2.5oz metal jig, which is about as heavy a lure as I’d feel comfortable pitching with this reel. It also casts smaller 1/2oz jigs well too.There are several versions of KastKing reels that all use some variation of the Versus or Assassin name. This is one of the cheaper versions and it does NOT have a centrifugal brake, only a magnetic one. That being said, it still casts well but is less adjustable than a high end reel with both a magnetic and centrifugal brake. This may limit your ability to cast super light or super heavy lures, but anything in the 1/2oz to 3oz range should be fine.This reel is super light weight but still feels sturdy. The drag is plenty strong and smooth. The retrieve and level wind are both nice and smooth too.This reel is a great value and performs as well as many more expensive reels. Just be aware that it only has magnetic brakes, and no centrifugal brake, so it slightly limits fine tuning.UPDATE: I have taken this reel on dozens of trips and have caught over 100 striped bass on it. Some of the metal parts are starting to get corroded, but the reel still works fine. The handle and side plate are starting to feel a bit loose, but still work fine. The reel's basic magnetic brake system does not do well casting baits lighter than 3/8oz or when casting into a heavy wind. But, this reel is a fraction of the price of a higher end Daiwa or Shimano reel with better brakes, so you get what you pay for.My biggest criticism of this reel is that lack of aftermarket parts. I'd like to add a bait finesse spool (BFS) or some upgraded bearings to try to improve casting performance with lighter baits, and there just aren't and upgrade parts available for this reel. it's not just this reel though, lack of parts and upgrades is an issue with any reel that's not a major name brand (Shimano, Penn, Daiwa, Abu, etc.). If you don't want to tune or upgrade this reel, it's not an issue, but for only $20 more you could buy an entry level Daiwa, Shimano, or Abu bait caster reel with nearly endless upgrade potential and way better parts availability.In summary, this is a nice reel for $60, but I would spend another $20 and get a something like a Daiwa Fuego or Shimano SLX, even if you end up with an open box or lightly used Daiwa or Shimano.

Haven’t used it yet but I spooled it up with 17lb seagaur abrazix and a 7’ medium heavy casting rod and it feels extremely light weight. Can’t believe it’s taken me this long to try a kastking reel.

I have spent to

This reel has a great price point. It catches bass with 40lb braid n heavy leader. Through the thickest pads n weeds even. However with the braided line , the casting range is a bit mediocre. When reeling in the lure , it seems gritty in the gearing. Could be the line I am using- not sure.

The media could not be loaded.  I have been using the Kastking Royale Legend and Legend GT for years. Lately I found this Kastking Verus weighs 5.4, and bought two of them right away. This reel, combined with the lightweight KastKing Perigee II rod, provides great physical relief, you will appreciate it when you get older. It works great, and I will buy more of them.

Its just great.

Works great. Smooth, lightweight, looks great and easy to maintain.