Best Saltwater Spinning Reel Under $90 (3+ Years Tested!)
- By: Luke Simonds
- on
- Found In: Fishing Tips, Weekly Newsletter: 09-07-25
Most reels under $100 just don’t hold up in saltwater. They’re not rated for it, and it usually doesn’t take long before they’re toast.
But after testing out a LOT of different reels over the years (I’ve probably bought more reels than I should admit), there’s one budget reel that has really surprised me. I’ve had it for over three years now, caught countless fish with it, and it’s still running smooth.
Don’t miss this video, I share a simple maintenance tip that can add years to the life of your reels.
👉 Click here to get the Daiwa Legalis 2500
Why This Reel Stands Out
- Price: Comes in under $90, making it accessible for anglers on a budget.
- Weight: At just 7.2 oz, it’s extremely light and perfect for long days of casting lures.
- Capacity & Drag: Holds over yards of 10 lb braid and has a 22 lb drag (way more than you’ll need for inshore fishing).
- Proven: I’ve caught everything from slot reds to one of my biggest black drum ever on this reel.
- Durability: My first one is over 5 years old, and even after abuse, it’s still functional.
This reel isn’t rated for saltwater, but if you rinse it properly and follow the basic maintenance tips as shown in this video, it can last way longer than you’d expect.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for an affordable spinning reel that can handle saltwater better than most in its class, the Daiwa Legalis 2500 is my top pick under $90.
We’ve got them in stock right now in our online tackle store if you want to grab one:
👉 Click here to get the Daiwa Legalis 2500
And if you know of another reel under $90 that deserves some testing, drop a comment on the video, I’ll happily check it out and see how it stacks up.
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STOP WASTING TIME ON THE WATER!
Do what the “SMART ANGLERS” are doing and join the Insider Club.
Here’s what you’ll receive today when you join:
- Weekly fishing reports and TRENDS revealing exactly where you should fish every trip
- Weekly “spot dissection” videos that walk you through all the best spots in your area
- Exclusive fishing tips from the PROS you can’t find anywhere else
- Everything you need to start catching fish more consistently (regardless if you fish out of a boat, kayak, or land).
Sounds great! Any suggestion for bottom fishing? I’d like to get a solid reel size 4000-6000 with a 4:8 ratio? Thanks in advance
If you’re focus is on bottom fishing for strong bottom dwellers like grouper, big snapper, etc, then you’ll be best off with a level wind reel which allows better protection of the line from getting compromised against the boat after a hard run since the line is kept above the rod… also very helpful when in need of saving some energy since you can rest the rod on the side of the boat.
But if you want a multi-purpose setup where you can pitch lures/baits out to fish while also dropping down, my favorite sizes are 3000 or 4000.
Kastking Spartacus II 2000 series has been amazing for almost 2 years. Still smooth and fishes well. I like my Otis reel more, but this is my number two reel. Very light weight and handles all day casting. I have a Shimano Sedona and a Penn Battle III DX both in the 3000 series. Otis and Kastking are the ones I use. Let the rest of the family use the other reels.
I’ve been field testing the Piscifun Nautix reels for over 2 years for use with guests and clients. They are on par with the Penn Fierce reels but cost $30 less.
Piscifun ? Seriously , c’mon . Stay away from Chinese garbage , get a lower end Shimano .
I bought my first Shimano Sedona in 2019 and since then have added 3 more. They have performed flawlessly and I’ve even dunked them wade fishing. They get rinsed and dried after every use and every 3 months I put reel oil in a few spots like Tony’s maintenance video suggests along with wiping them down with CorrosionX. However, when I do have to replace them, I will be replacing them with either the Otis or Diawa BG.
Thanks for making time to post the helpful details Brett. I need to get better habits like that… I haven’t oiled any of my reels for over 5 years (nor do I dry them off after rinsing), so they surely would last longer if I start doing that again.
I agree. I have 4 of them myself. Very good reel and it has minimal line twist after spooling it and after repeated use. I’ve never had any issues with mine and I’m not the best about maintaining them properly.
I might just have to give the Legalis a try.
“…reels UNDER $90….”
Was going to suggest Penn Fierce III (got the 1000 yrs ago, a powerhouse for such a small package, still use it and use it heavy, when it gets selected for the mission…otherwise, sits in rack waiting its turn…and that’s the worst thing for these reels, in general)…but now it’s Fierce IV, and a much-higher price at ~$150, so scratch. Too bad, I’d buy another III (w/ A-R switch!) if they still made ’em. You have an old review on the bigger size, ‘metal body’ [thumbs-up].
SHIMANO SEDONA – just bought one for $80, still in box for now. Have used in past – many years, like above, 1000 platform – has hauled in beasts and in close-quarters, too (I use a lot more force on the fish than the avg bear out there). Got about 4-5 yrs of heavy use out of that one. I tend to go for smaller footprint reels with lots of moxie/functional reliability/resiliency, metal-framed a plus for me, and I make hundreds of casts a trip, an extra 1/2 or 1 oz not an issue for me. Will probably look at getting another the next size up, as the spools seem shallower now than they were a decade ago.
Thanks for sharing your findings Leonard! I used to be a big fan of Sedona reels back in the day until I started fishing mostly saltwater… once I put more time in chasing reds, snook, and seatrout vs. bass, the Sedonas were not lasting very long at all. Note: This was 15+ years ago, so they very well may have made some improvements since then.
“They don’t make ’em like they used to.” That’s always my bias going-in, Luke. Maybe I was lucky when I got mine in 2014. First thing, I’ll have to look for my old Sedona, see if the spools can be swapped. The current Sedona 1000 spool — useless for anything other than panfish and rainbow trout.
I had a Fierce III in 2500 and 3000 and they’re both HEAVY compared to the Daiwas. Once I switched to the Exceler and Fuegos, I never looked back. The Penns are great but for throwing topwater and paddletails around all day, I needed the lighter weight of the Daiwas
Depends on one’s system, and specie, and environment. For myself, I’ve come to appreciate the stiffness a metal-framed reel offers when in close-qtrs-cover/structure for snook, as an example.
There’s definitely no one-size-for-all in any of this.
Diawa’s have some heavy-weights, too. Think ‘BG’…I’ve got three. imo, Depends on various factors, that are personal. Have come to like Otis, but it’s still in beta mode for heavier slot and just-over in structure.
‘snook’ I’m meaning, sorry.
I purchased my first Legalis 2500 from SS when they were discounted. Liking it so much for its smooth action and light weight, I got another discounted at a Strike Zone store warehouse sale.
Fishing by kayak my reels experience a lot of salt and sometimes sand requiring rinsing, drying and light oiling. After falling in the brackish water the reel has suffered and not usable after 2+ years. My BGMQ is 4+ years old, but got a factory rebuild from my abuse.
I now primarily use two 1000 reels due to their reduced weight for my 6 hours’ fishing/near continuous casting. A used NASCII and a now one year old Kastking are my standards plus for heavier species either my BGMQ 2500 or a new Tsunami Barrier II 4000 I won at a fishing show. All these are smooth but have 2 to 3 year life before rebuilds due to my ‘use and abuse.”
Thanks for sharing your findings Brian!
I keep my older great reels like the Otis for guys that fish with me with crappy rigs. I want a reel that’s next level not excessive. Any suggestions?
The most impressive reel I’ve tested so far is the Sol MQ which came out about a year ago. It is crazy light and smooth… the 2500 size that I got is only 5.6 oz while being plenty strong to handle overslot snook and reds. Here’s a link to see how it looks: https://fishstrong.com/products/daiwa-td-sol-mq?_pos=1&_psq=sol+mq&_ss=e&_v=1.0
Thanks for sharing
Our pleasure Richard!
Great video Luke and I’m finally glad to see someone has as many reels that I do …….. ! Awesome
Thanks for the support Thomas! I’m glad to see that I’m not the only one who is getting close to the line of having too many reels… although I feel like that the “too many” line just keeps going farther away after each new purchase:)
Luke,
if you want to assuage the guilt of having to many reels, donate some of the reels you no longer use to a fishing club that teaches and takes youth fishing. Maybe you already do something similar. Just an idea if you haven’t thought of it.