The Diana BG3000 cast and retrieves like butter.but.after five or six outings it developed an annoying 'catch' at the point of going from the completed cast to the reel-in. To begin reeling in, one hast to crank it back then forward to begin reeling. A real pain in the butt.
Daiwa BG spinning series have integrated the largest drive gear in the history of Daiwa spinning reels. The benefit to having this oversized gear increases gear-tooth contact points, this provides smoother and extended gear life as well as more power and increased torque. The Daiwa Saltist delivers on quality and durability, but this does come at a price. I think that the Penn Spinfisher V is an excellent reel for about 2/3 of the price and for the budget conscious the Okuma Azores or staying with the Daiwa brand one of my all-time favorites the Daiwa BG SW will get the job done extremely well. The old BG we remember will still be a budget offering and remains in the Daiwa line. Meet the Black Gold Saltwater BG 5000: 'Alan Hawk' went over the clutch in some detail. It does have stainless springs inside (rather than less expensive plastic leaves) but it is not particularly well supported by the body, imo.
I bought this one for my son's birthday last year and was just on the verge of trading in my ole Mitchell 300 (at least 40 years old) for another Diana BG3000. I just got around to addressing this problem and after my attempts to fix it failed I looked up the warranty period.du, du, du.
I missed the one year term by about 15 days. Maybe the 3 stars is a bit generous. I'll give my ole Mitchell 300 5 super duper stars for sureUpdate: DO NOT BUY THIS REEL. IT WILL SPOIL YOUR FISHING EXPERIENCE. GET A ZEBCO AT WALMART.YOU'LL BE HAPPIER.
It's a great reel, compared to other reels, this feels smooth and has a ton of power behind it. Do a bit of research and you will find mostly praises for this reel. For around 100 dollars, it cannot be compared. It feels smooth, steady, and provides you with confidence that is required to handle bigger species. I use this for everything including saltwater and freshwater.
The only thing I had trouble with was fitting the 4000 sized reel on to a Shakespeare elite 7-foot medium. The foot of this reel was a bit too large for the reel seat of the Shakespeare but I forced it in somehow.
I do surf fishing with this and trout fishing by switching my leader. I have a 15 lb braided line and when targeting different species, I change my leader from 20lb to 4lb. Recently pulled a 2lb Monkeyfaced prickleback out of a hole with this combo with relative ease.3 Months UpdateI really enjoy and recommend this reel, I will buy multiple sizes for different rod setups. I fish on mostly on jetties and I have fallen and banged this reel up, it still runs like a champ. I try my best to take care of my tackle, but accidents do happen.:/I paired mine with a Shakespeare Elite:Update 9 months:I pair it now with a UglyStik Elite Spinning Fishing Rod (Salmon/Steelhead) with is a much better pairing for this reel size.Still no problems fishing saltwater with it.
I just do a simple rinse with tap water and everything function flawlessly. No squeaking, just dings, and scratches from fishing off the jetty and resting my reel/rod on the rocks. Caught 23inch lings and halibut with relative ease. I fish twice a week so I am extremely happy with the purchase. If any other reels I have fail I will replace it with this one again.Update (18 months) 1.5 yearsStill going strong, accumulated more dings to the reel from falls and such, fishing once a week at least I still haven't serviced it yet (I should) and it is still working as it should.
Only thing I did to the reel is to sand the top of the spool since it became rough due to me falling and banging the reel on the jetty rocks but the reel is still surviving and works as it should. This is my only rod and reel I bring since going to the jetties and having reliable gear means a lot to me. My father just broke his Penn reel that I bought for him I will be replacing it with this one since my experience with it is such an excellent one.2 Years without a hiccup.Great reel, I fish with it once a week in saltwater, if you rinse it off every time after you fish and do maintenance yearly (I did my first one after 2 years) I believe it will last a very long time. This is an outstanding reel, it has a rubber gasket around the spool to make it easy to spool braid without any hassle or need for a monofilament backing. The handle just screws on, it seemed kinda shady to me but it hasn't loosened or threatened to come off yet so i'm pleased so far.
The BG 3000 is a small reel, the action is very good and smooth and with practice you can make it reel without even using the handle. It's built like a tank and it is easy to adjust the drag. I combined mine with a 7 foot ugly stik with 20lbs test green spiderwire and it's been phenomenal so far. The Diana BG3000 cast and retrieves like butter.but.after five or six outings it developed an annoying 'catch' at the point of going from the completed cast to the reel-in. To begin reeling in, one hast to crank it back then forward to begin reeling.
A real pain in the butt. I bought this one for my son's birthday last year and was just on the verge of trading in my ole Mitchell 300 (at least 40 years old) for another Diana BG3000. I just got around to addressing this problem and after my attempts to fix it failed I looked up the warranty period.du, du, du.
I missed the one year term by about 15 days. Maybe the 3 stars is a bit generous. I'll give my ole Mitchell 300 5 super duper stars for sureUpdate: DO NOT BUY THIS REEL. IT WILL SPOIL YOUR FISHING EXPERIENCE. GET A ZEBCO AT WALMART.YOU'LL BE HAPPIER. I waited several months to put a review up for this reel.
Right now I have a Daiwa BG, a Penn Battle II, Penn Fierce II, a few Shimano Siennas and some other odds and ends. I've also fished with some Stradics as well.
I can flat out say that this reel is much better than the Battle and loses nothing against the Stradic. This reel hits the sweet spot as far as quality. If you want to get a solid quality reel with everything you need and nothing you don't, this is it for the right price.
Daiwa Bg 4000 Vs 5000 4
Any higher than this and you start getting into diminishing returns and features that may not translate to anything useful.