Kalex XL3 Baitcast Low Profile Fishing Reel

My son thought he was ready to transition to a baitcaster and the Kalex XL3 looked like a good value entry level reel. I tuned the reel to a specific lure and I could cast it just fine in about 5 minutes. I enjoyed it so much, I bought the exact same reel for me! My son, however still needs a little more practice with it. Adjusting to a baitcaster can be a challenge.I used this reel on a throw-away 2 piece 7' Zebco rod, with Yozuri 12# hybrid line and caught some nice Walleye, Small Mouth Bass and Northern Pike in the BWCA of Minnesota. One Walleye was about 6lbs and fought like a banshee while we were trolling at about 1.5 mph. I did not want to take an expensive set-up into the wilderness canoe area in case the rod & reel got smashed on a portage or broke camping.* The most appealing aspect of this reel is the value. You will not find a better baitcaster for less.* The next best thing is the durability. I wrangled some decent size fish on this reel and it withstood the test. It is a solid reel even after a year of abuse now, see update.* I also like the aggressive 7.2 gear ratio. It really makes crankbait lures show off their action. Retrieves effortlessly.* It is easy to tune to a specific lure. Separate drag, brake and spool tension knobs just like the expensive big boys. Plenty of videos out there on tuning baitcaster.* The low profile of this reel is nice. The geometry of the line on the cast and retrieve is very efficient.* It looks sleek and modern. I normally don't fall for "fashion first" but this reel is fashionable and functional.* Bird's nests and back lashes are inevitable but the spool is easily accessible to sort out a mess of line.I would most definitely buy this reel again though I don't imagine it wearing out anytime soon.I hope this helps you make an informed decision!~MahaloUPDATE 6/16/2021I added a picture of a 28 inch Northern Pike I caught late spring in MN. She weighed every bit of 8 pounds. I used the Kalex XL3 baitcaster with Yozuri hybrid 12# line (treated with KVD line conditioner) on an Abu Garcia 2 piece rod. She didn't fight savagely but was very strong and consistent. She tried to cross under my canoe but I tightened up the drag and redirected her aft and into a net. After over a year of abuse and very little maintenance I still recommend this reel.I can't help but wonder if some of the lower reviews are from folks that are not yet die hard baitcaster users... Or maybe they are snobby which I don't understand since this is made by the same company (Pure) that makes Penn, Abu Garcia and Berkely.Perfect, no. Great value, YES!

I ordered the wrong one for Christmas. My grandson was happy when he got the right one

To be quite honest, this reel is a surprising value for the money. I started out today and caught 3 bass on it, 2 of which were over 2 pounds and it had no issues. I am used to $100+ reels, I have a concept Z, slx 150dc, and quite a few more, not meaning to brag or anything, and this reel felt surprising good. I was going to buy it as a joke, and ended up liking it a lot. The retrieve is smooth, the casting could be smoother, and is a little noisy (you can tell the bearings are not the best by all the noise), but it casts quite far. That’s what I was doing later today was testing with a 1/4 ounce weight. Anyway, I was surprised with this reel, and I’ll be using it in the future. The drag is also good, near what is advertised. If anything occurs I’ll update this review, as for now I’ll continue using it.

I’ve always used spinning equipment, pretty much exclusively Shimano (my go-to reel is a 25-year old Spirex that fishes as well today as it did the afternoon I bought it). But I’ve been fascinated by baitcasting lately, so I bought this reel and another on amazon - a FibLink - as well as two Daiwa Sweepfire rods so my 18-year-old son and I could chase bass at our nearby lake with a new approach. I was a little skeptical of both reels given their price points, but holy crap, they’re both really nice. Done some dry casting with each today and they’re both super smooth. The Kalex came nicely packaged and was pretty sweet right out of box. So was the FibLink. If you’re not hung up on brands and are thinking about pulling the trigger on one of these, go for it. I will try them both out later this week and will post back if there are any issues in retrieve with fish on the line, which we’ll certainly have.

I Purchased this real March 8 2021 For $21 and some change to make a first Bait casting set up For my friend. For $21 it was worth it for sure especially if you are looking to get into baitcasting on a budget, it casts decent, reel is smooth, not the greatest but it would get the job done and have fun doing it. The thing is that didn't say it was on sale or nothing but for $63 I'd stay far away get a kastking For $45 Far superior. I wouldn't pay more than $30 for this reel. I hope this helps anyone looking at this product.

A very great reel. Second baitcast reel I ordered on Amazon. Got a sougilang first. Did not like it because the line would get tangled into the spool reel easily. So kept looking and found this kalex. Was at a good price and also didn’t want to spend a lot on it. Being my first left handed reel. It is an awesome reel. Put it with 10lbs line going to 14 lbs liter. Holds quite a bit of line. I have caught some drum, sheepshead, trout and redfish. It holds up great. Have it on a 7’6” falcon rod. Casting is great alot better than I thought it was going to be. All in all great reel I recommend trying it out.

Ive had this reel for a couple months now and i gotta say, ive hated this thing sense day one, started with braid thinking it should be fine and then first cast completely back lashed with breaks turned all the way up, then i i went to mono and even with 10lb mono it bound up again, for some after that the drag stopped works as well so when i good hooked up I couldn’t even reel in the fish with it all the way tightened up, lost a 2lb fish cause of it. Spend an extra 10 bucks for a abu black max or a cheap diawa, heck i think even a shakespear would have done better.

The media could not be loaded. The spool just stopped turning!never even got to use it'!thanks for nothing!