Take Home Point: Best of the budget/affordable reels from the online fishing companies (E.G. Kastking, Picifun, etc.).Extremely light weight relatively to size, strong carbon fiber/aluminum design, and solid performance for most people’s needs.BUT really not much internal difference compared to the $30-$60 reels with marginal benefits.Long Review:I received this reel and initially loved it so much that I went and ordered another one. However after using the reel a second time, I decided to return the second unopened one because while I do believe that the Picifun Carbon X is currently the best reel from the budget/affordable online fishing companies; there is not enough benefits compared to the $30-60 reels to justify buying another one. But on the positive notes first.1. Lightweight: because of the carbon fiber on the neck, body, and rotor of the reel, the 4000 size is incredibly light and strong. The aluminum spool is also designed to minimize the amount of aluminum used and thus the weight. I would highly recommend the reel for the anglers constantly casting.2. Smooth: Working the reel feels smooth and solid. I did not feel any slippage or straining in the gear system when reeling, but I cannot say that for larger fish (60+ lbs). Furthermore, as you can see in the pics, the internal is as described with a high gearing ratio plus brass pinion. Nothing seems flimsy or plastic in the internals.3. Gearing and retrieval: Gear ratio simply means that for 1 turn of the handle, the rotor spins x times. In this case, the rotor spins ~6 times for every turn. This is important because when you need to reel in a fish quickly, for example, away from rocks and obstacles, you want speed. Also important for lures since faster retrieval means your lure can spend more time at the top if it’s going fast.4. Screw in handle: both convenient and annoying. Being able to remove and attach the handle simply by spinning the handle is super nice for storing and transporting the reel. However, if you are fighting fish, one might occasionally and accidentally spin the reel in the other direction. This loosens the handle which is annoying in the middle of the action.5. “Sealed” drag system: There is indeed a rubber seal in the reel cap so that less water gets into the top of the drag system. BUT, the entire bottom of the spool and drag washers are quite exposed to water especially if you fish the surf and occasionally dunk the reel. So I don’t quite get what the big deal is given that water will eventually go from the bottom of the drag washers to the top.The drag washers are large carbon fiber ones, and the sound of the drag clicking is also quite nice. Not annoying or uneven.As to the main negative that made me return the extra reelNot really significant improvements for most people to justify the $80 Carbon X over the cheaper Picifun Honor XT or Viper II:The internals of this reel is not that different from the $40 Picifun Viper II. This does makes servicing the reel super easy. But that also means the main function of the reel (to retrieve line) is comparably the same across the fishing reel line up.I would be more excited if Picifun took the external design and applied to a better internal system even if it was more expensive. Two most desired improvements would beA. they could better seal the reel for surf fisherman to prevent sand and saltwater buildup inside the reel.B. Add carbon fiber to the internals and replace the remaining plastic and salt susceptible brass and steel.

If you have not heard of or unsure of a Piscifun reel, let me tell you that you do not have anything to worry about; Piscifun makes an awesome reel. The Carbon X in particular is a beautiful reel that gets fish in the boat. It has incredibly smooth bearings, casts like a dream, and has a great drag! I have been fishing almost my entire life and have owned and used many brands of reels, from very cheap to rather expensive reels. Piscifun has delivered a budget-friendly reel that performs as well as if not better than some of the expensive reels I have owned. I have this particular Carbon X 2000 spooled up with 8lb fluorocarbon line for drop shot fishing for bass. The first time I took it out fishing I was very impressed with how easily I was able to cast with it and also with how smooth it was retrieving the line due to the quality bearings. The handle is very comfortable and ergonomic. I fished using this reel most of the day and was very impressed with how much I like the reel. In addition to it working well, it looks great! The black goes with any rod you might put it on and all the cut outs on the spool look rad! Speaking of the spool, it’s braid ready if you want to spool it up with braided fishing line. The reel body and rotor are made from carbon fiber so the reel is super light weight and very strong. This also makes for less fatigue when fishing for an extended period of time. All in all, I am in love with this reel! I will be replacing at least one of my other spinning reels with a Piscifun Carbon X and will be looking at purchasing other Piscifun spinning reels to replace the remainder of my spinning reels.

Ordered the Carbon X because I wanted something light and durable, something that I could fish with all day with minimal fatigue. Piscifun did a great job with this reel for sure. I have it strapped on a medium/fast power rod and the entire combo is incredibly light. In the hand, you can hardly feel the weight of this reel, it's extremely comfortable and there is no doubt in my mind that you will love this reel as well. The Carbon X has an extremely smooth and powerful drag as well. I opted for the 2000 size because I generally prefer a smaller reel, usually do to weight. I will for sure be ordering the next size up when I order again. Bigger spools provide for better line management and quicker intake of line. When drop shotting I've noticed that the fish swim at the boat quite a bit so with the quicker gear ratio of this reel and the bigger spool, catching up to these fish should not be an issue. The spool is braid ready so there is no need to tie on mono or fluorocarbon backing when getting your reel setup, simply just tie the braid to the spool and start loading er up. Overall construction of this real is top notch, I've already taken it apart to oil it as i do with every reel i own whether used or new and it appears as if there aren't any cheap components that will let you down, great stuff here! The last thing i want to comment on is the appearance, man this thing looks sick! I lied, the last last thing i want to comment on is the price point, how in the world is it possible to get a $200 reel quality wise for under $80, it shouldn't be possible but it is and it would be wise to take advantage of that right now!

Excellent fishing reel and light weight

Very nice, smooth reel.

Feels good matched up to our egi rods, feels very smooth and light so gives great balance to rods.

I ordered the 1000 size reel and couldn't be happier with my purchase. The weight is so low it's like it's barely attached to the rod. I went out fishing with my brother and he commented on it's good looks too. I have another much more expensive Shimano reel and the drag on this is a lot smoother. Bear in mind if you are using braid, when you tie the initial knot to the spool to get the line on there, make sure to secure the original knot on the spool with a little bit of tape. I would buy another one of these in the morning!

A bit pricey for it's size being a 500 model.