In the budget spinning reel class of reels, there are a lot of contenders from at least a half dozen big name makers. The competition seems fiercest in the $30 class of mail-order spinning reel. At this price-point, most of the competition focuses around numbers of bearings, instant anti-reverse, and buzzwords. But being the owner of hundreds of reels from low to high-end, I've got to say that for $10, the Daiwa Sweepfire spinning reel delivers the best price-performance over any reel under $40.

It's got great looks, is very smooth and crisp, has a predictable bail mechanism and very smooth drag. It shares the same spool design as all Daiwa ABS reels, and I'm especially impressed by the simplicity of the design in both numbers of parts and the ability to quickly take-down and service things like the rotor bearing or the drive gear assembly and bushings. The sizing of the reels is interesting. Rather than offering a 1500, 2500, and 3500 size, Daiwa skipped the 2500 and only seem to offer 1500, 2000 and 3500 model for our US market. The 2000 size has the same body and gearing as the 1500, except the spool arbor is slightly slimmer and thus holds a little bit more line. Clearly the target market is on light line 4 lb and 6 lb test for the 1500 and 2000 models.

While reels costing $40 can offer up to 10 bearings and Instant Anti-Reverse, I've discovered that most such reels have too much slop engineered in so that all those cheap bearings can have enough wiggle room to turn freely. This makes the drivetrain feel "mushy" and leaves a couple of degrees of play in the handle and rotor, even though there's a clutch roller bearing that's supposed to provide -instant- anti-reverse. And to add insult, often, in low-end spinning reels, the needle-rollers in the clutch bearing are hardened steel, not stainless, and certainly not marine-grade stainless. This spells certain death for a reel used in saltwater even when lubed with a protectant.

The Sweepfire is modest and retro and yet, still surprisingly featured in other areas for $10! It has the old-school dog-pawl anti-reverse. But the fairly fine spacing on the teeth means only a modest backward rotation before the anti-reverse stops. This makes the anti-reverse much more reliable. The single rotor bearing looks like it's got stainless balls and housing. The bail mechanisms on these reels are no different than the same Daiwa Samurai 10Xi with 10 bearings. The polymer cast body is more rigid than the Daiwa Regal 4i and Samurai 7i, and the front drag is amazingly smooth and has a clicker. And finally, the aluminum alloy spool is an ABS, large diameter, long stroke Daiwa design that is the same across most of Daiwa's leading line of spinning reels.

Now, mind you, this ain't some $200 - $500 hand machined reel that's got every bell and whistle and as well as fully sealed, coated, corrosion resistant bearings and thick gold anodizing on every thing. But because the reel is simple, a quick 5 minute disassembly, a cleaning of the factory grease inside that's probably not saltwater resistant, followed by a light lube job with a good saltwater resistant vehicle bearing and gear grease on all bushings and exposed metal inside the reel, and a thinner grease lube on the main rotor bearings can yield 90% of the same protection that should last a good fraction of a busy fishing season in most types of water before requiring service.

But where this reel shines is at the local freshwater lake or pond. I teach a class to kids on beginning fishing and donate much of the gear out of pocket. To make my budget go farther for the kids, I'm constantly on the hunt for reels that work well, work reliably, and are easy to service and replace. I've purchased dozens of these Sweepfires from 3 different stores and have been highly satisfied by the purchases. It definitely enables me to equip the kids and let them keep the tackle at the end of the course. Plus, if they take care of their equipment, I don't see why it wouldn't last for years to come. It's amazing what we can get for $10. And every time one of my kids catches another fish on their budget rod and sweepfire combo, it makes me look kind of foolish with the custom $1000 rod and reel outfit not doing any better. 5 stars