I have the Diawa cross fire 3500 series on both of my speck poles spooled with 14 lbs DuPont stren mono and I simply love them (around $40 each) and the poles are just the basic medium 10-14lbs test $40 poles you buy at the discount racks.
I have the Diawa cross fire 4000 series on both of my redfish poles spooled with 20 lbs DuPont stren mono and I simply love them too (also around $40 each) and the poles are just the basic med-heavy 12-17lbs test $40 poles you buy at the discount racks.
my poles last me about 5 years and the reels about 10 years so I never saw the need for high priced gear, that way there is no crying if they get broken or stolen.
im all in at $80 per rod and reel combo unless I find a sale
what I do is when you find a really good reel you like and are comfortable with, go buy some spares so when you need a new reel in a few years you aren't wondering whats good and what is crap out there, things are just getting more expensive while being made with less long term quality every year.
I only have 2 poles but I bought 6 more crossfires when I found out how much I loved them so I should be set for 10-15 years on reels
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