I'm a budget angler. My choice of tackles is mostly value for money products which I feel is reasonable & deliver's satisfactory performance for the price I pay.

I'm doing a review of Shimano's latest budget reel offering, the FX series. I own two of the series, a 1000 & another 2500 models. Both have performed well helping me to catch fish after fish. Although both reels cost less than RM 60, they have proven to be reliable & relatively tough. Easy to maintain too. The mostly hard graphite construction means the reels are light & rust proof. The aluminium spool also holds line well with even line laying even on braided lines. I mostly pair the Shimano FX for bait fishing since casting accuracy & distance is not a priority but reliability & toughness is.

My only complain of the FX series is the 1000's handle knob which is not ergonomic to handle. Often feels awkward especially when fighting a sizable fish beyond 1kg. The drag on both reels isn't top notch but is relatively smooth. I've fought a 2kg Pacu with the FX 1000 spooled with 10lb mono line & it performed admirably.

Being budget reels, it is advisable to service them regularly, especially after a long fishing trip (multiple fish fights) & after saltwater fishing. Although it's mostly graphite construction, some parts are still made from aluminium, especially the screws which tend to get rusty.

See how evenly braided line is stack on the spool?

Check out Shimano South East Asia website for more details.