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KastKing’s Kestrel Elite Magnesium Baitcaster Takes Flight
(continued)
  I
have seen a
few anglers modifying the brakes in the Kestrel in order to reduce the braking
profile. The biggest impact I would see this modification having would be for
stream fishing. The lower braking power should flatten the trajectory of the
cast, resulting in even more casting consistency. This may be a path for the
future but, testing reels in stock form gives myself and everyone reading this
review the closest experience to real expectations.
The small rubber coated knobs provided solid grip thanks to the spiral ridges
Retrieve:
The Kestrel Elite had acceptable smoothness for a magnesium framed, aluminum
main geared reel. Rotating the handle did not produce any unusual clicks or
vibrations. The lightweight aluminum main gear offers weight reduction while the
softer brass pinion gear reduces vibration and adds durability to the gear set.
Even after quite a few bass mercilessly horsed out of cover, the Kestrel Elite
maintained its smoothness. I did have half a thought to take this reel out after
pike to put more abuse on the gears but, that would definitely be outside of the
reel’s intended uses.
A look inside what drives the Kestrel Elite
The handle of
the Kestrel was designed with weight savings in mind. The 80mm handle with the
skinny knobs felt very comfortable in all conditions I used the reel. The
tolerances are tight and there is no noticeable handle movement. Knob rotation
is smooth thanks to the 2 bearing per knob design.
Two bearings per knob to round out the bearing count to 11+1
Power:
The Kestrel Elite had a nice warm-up when I was stream fishing. When rigging the
reel for bass fishing, I thought I would take that time to abuse the Kestrel and
see if all that weight savings was able to go the distance. Micro plastics were
pitched into the deepest pockets of lily pads and laydowns. The drag was locked
down and I set the hook with authority every time, using the reel as a winch to
pull bass from their hiding spots. The Kestrel Elite felt as powerful as any
traditional baitcasting reel with an 8+ gear ratio. A lower gear ratio would
help with power however, for BFS fishing, most anglers prefer the convenience of
speed.
Pitching finesse plastics into cover is addicting
I found a good
pattern of using finesse jigs in and around cover during my time with the
Kestrel Elite. Many of the fish refused to hit a frog or other presentation so,
downsizing was the logical option. Fishing these areas with a spinning reel is
cumbersome and quite frankly, not as efficient as a baitcasting reel. The
ability to pitch softly to a target, reel back and immediately pitch back into
cover is a big draw for BFS tackle. The Kestrel Elite’s ability to deliver my
lure to weary fish and pull them out of cover really impressed me.
The Kestrel Elite provided consistently accurate pitching, even at distance
Drag: The
Kestrel Elite’s drag consists of one carbon matrix washer capable of dishing out
a whopping 13.2lbs of drag. I am not sure if the drag is as strong as rated but,
the drag was locked down while pitching into cover and the drag did not budge
when hooking into fish. One of my tried and true ways of testing smooth drag
performance is hooking into big panfish in open water and allow their notable
circle fighting pattern to take charge when hooked up. The nature of how they
fight allows the drag to start and stop repetitively. Drags can be smooth with
continuous pulling, even when the startup is shaky. The Kestrel Elite does a
great job with start/stop as well as being smooth when a few bigger bass decided
to take me for a ride.
Drag clicker pin resting above a single stack carbon drag washer
Design &
Ergonomics: The overall design gives me major Aldebaran BFS vibes,
especially the 2016 version. KastKing really did make the Kestrel Elite look
futuristic and almost fighter-jet sleek. The brake dial is well thought out and
is much easier to adjust than the Shimano Aldebaran BFS.
The small profile of the
Kestrel Elite allowed for comfort when having extended pitching sessions along
brushy shoreline. Making adjustments on the fly was easy due to the Kestrel
having clicking adjustments and ample room to fine tune the performance.
A lot of similarities between the Kestrel Elite (left) and 16 Shimano Aldebaran
BFS (right)
KastKing is
really trying to make a statement with the Kestrel Elite. My time with the
Zephyr BFS, although favorable, gave me the impression that KastKing put out
products to cater to the masses. After using the Kestrel Elite, I can now say
KastKing definitely has our attention.
Even with all the weight saving measures, KastKing added a grease port for the
main gear
Price &
Applications: KastKing is shaking up what the standard “pay to play” is for
BFS fishing. For $219.99, the Kestrel Elite brings a lot to the table, pushing
the boundaries with overall reel weight, low spool weight and overall
performance. The biggest joy I got from using this reel was casting finesse soft
plastics for bass. Although I felt the reel shined best with bass fishing, the
Kestrel Elite is capable of fishing in streams and even for panfish.
The KastKing Valiant Eagle II compared to the Kestrel Elite
The biggest
concern during my time with the Kestrel Elite was the release of the Valiant
Eagle II by KastKing. Only a few months after the Kestrel Elite, KastKing
released the Valiant Eagle II in their overseas market. This reel shares a
similar frame, style and near identical spool. The major difference being the
Valiant Eagle II sports a graphite frame versus the magnesium frame of the
Kestrel Eilte. The real shock came from the Valiant Eagle II only costs about a
third of the price of the Kestrel. The minor difference in features may or may
not be worth the increase in price to some anglers.
No lures were lost in the making of this review!
Ratings:
|
KastKing
Kestrel
Elite
Ratings
(?/10)
|
|
Construction/Quality |
11
bearings,
feather
weight
spool
and
tight
tolerances
of the
Kestrel
Elite
opened
my eyes
to
KastKing. |
8.8 |
|
Performance |
Versatile
casting
with a
smooth
drag and
retrieve.
This
reel is
designed
for BFS
and
while it
is best
for open
water
conditions
it can
be used
across
the
range of
applications
once the
settings
are
dialed
in and
you get
used to
the
reel, or
opt to
tweak
the
brakes
with
modifications |
8.5 |
|
Price |
At
$219.99,
KastKing
is
putting
some
serious
heat on
the
competition,
most of
which
are
offering
aluminum
reels at
this
price
point,
not
lightweight
magnesium
based
ones
with
features
designed
specifically
for BFS.
However,
factoring
in the
Valiant
Eagle II
is about
90% of
the
Kestrel
Elite at
a third
of the
price,
that is
hard to
ignore |
9 |
|
Features |
Clicking
drag,
brake
adjustments
and
grease
port in
addition
to the
4.5oz
reel
weight
places
the
Kestrel
Elite in
special
company |
8.3 |
|
Design
(Ergonomics) |
Great
overall
product,
even if
some
features
were
“inspired”
by the
competition.
The
small
and
lightweight
magnesium
frame
and well
designed
brake
dial
really
stand
out to
me |
8 |
|
Application |
The
restrictive
brakes
make the
Kestrel
Elite
best
suited
for open
water
bass
fishing |
8.5 |
|
Total
Score
|
8.51 |
Ratings
Key:
1 =
terrible
: 2 =
poor : 3
=
lacking
: 4 =
sub par
: 5 =
mediocre
: 6 =
fair : 7
= good :
8 =
great :
9 =
excellent
: 10 =
unbelievable!
For More
Details
of the
updated
rating
system
visit
our
explanation
here |
Pluses and Minuses:
|
Plus |
Minus |
|
+ Forgiving casting while not being restrictive |
- Brakes were restrictive at lower settings |
|
+ Lightweight and comfortable |
|
|
+ Open water casting is great |
|
|
+ Great price for a magnesium framed reel |
|
Even the small ones are fun with BFS tackle
Conclusion:
KastKing is putting all their chips in with the Kestrel Elite, and it looks like
they are on to something good. This reel really surprised me with its
performance. Although the reel lacks some of the refinement of the Aldebaran BFS
and Gekkabijin AIR TW, the Kestrel does much of what the other reels can at a
significantly lower price point.
Designed for BFS the KastKing Kestrel is a lightweight magnesium based
baitcaster that is great for a wide range of finesse applications, and is more
aggressively priced than many competing options
The Kestrel
Elite being available in the US market also helps drive the competition. While
the brand is continuing to grow a following here in the Americas, KastKing has
been winning over a lot of anglers with their strong focus on performance per
dollar, and the Kestrel Elite continues that tradition, making a quality
magnesium BFS reel available to anglers for only $219. I am looking forward to
how companies such as Daiwa and Shimano will respond to KastKing’s flex in the
realm of BFS.
Looking for the KastKing
Kestrel Elite? Try
Tackle Warehouse
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