Just got this reel and it is amazing can't believe how well made this reel is for the price of it. I love especially the drag on this real easy to use for those with big hands/fingers. Took it out last weekend for crappie fishing hook onto didn't know at the time to a monster 30 to 40 plus lbs. grass carp thought for sure my 6lbs. mono-line will break. Playing around with the drag and fighting the fish I was able to get it on land in under 10 minutes before my line break. Customer service is even better I wanted to order an extra spool for lining up to fish for bigger fish on Amazon it say the delivery date is between 21 OCT to 02 NOV so I email customer service to ask. I got an email respond the next morning saying that the date on Amazon is not correct when they received the order they ship out right away and should be receiving my product within 4 to 5 days. Mr. Murphy the customer that I was communicating with even told me to order it on Amazon and he will look out for my order to get it process right away. There's even more of that I find out from Cadence portion of the money that I spent buying their product is going to help put a combos rod/reel into the hands of the next generation through on of their charity partners. It was an easy decision to buy the Cadence reel for me cause the product is well made and for the price and even better was their customer services. Mr. Murphy I place an order for the extra CS5 spool last night as promise and thank you again for your quick respond and assistance.

This Cadence cs5 spinning reel is amazing. Its exactly what my family and I wanted and needed. Living in Louisiana my family and I go fishing every other day. So I need sturdy long lasting equipment. This Cadence reel is made of very high quality material with its Magnesium frame. Which makes it sturdier than all of the other reels my husband and I own for the same price. The 9 ball bearings makes this reel so smooth to reel in and so much easier for big fish. I love the fact that it has a bigger oversized handle to help with the big catch. It sits in my hands so comfortably and fits like a glove. It helps not have any slippage when casting or catching. And I would buy from this company over and over with their warranty and their amazing products. I have bought the rod to go with the reel and now I have the best pole when we go fishing. If you want a sturdy combo I highly recommend this company for any of their products. Overall great buy and I will keep purchasing any of my fishing needs from Cadence.

I have used this reel quite a lot since I bought it. It's paired with a 6' St Croix ultralight rod. I have 4 lb test line on it. It's a great little reel and you can't go wrong with it, imho.

Out of all my fishing reel combos, this reel is about the lightest. I do have smoother operating reels, but they are heavier. I matched this reel up with a $9.00 Berkeley Lightning Rod from good 'ol Wal-Mart (on-sale). I also use 15lb Power Pro braid with this combo. I've been able to catch some pretty nice Peacock and Largemouth Bass using this setup. Overall, a good reel for the money.

Update 3/22:

I had some issues with the reel, specifically the drag. I stopped using it because my line snapped on me 3 times going after some big largemouth. After going back and reading some other reviews, and visiting the Cadence website, I decided to contact their customer service over the issue I experienced. Cadence offers a year warranty on the products that they sell. Within a week I received a replacement, and I could not be more happier with the reel! All I can say is that I believe that Cadence stands behind what they sell. I would rather get this type of service from a smaller company, than to be left disappointed with some of the other larger fishing outfitters out there. For the money, you would be hard pressed to find better service and quality!

This is the most expensive reel I've owned yet and it is extremely smooth reeling with a great drag system. The bail has a nice, chunky click that's very satisfying to hear. I was a little worried the 3000 would be too big for my use (mainly trout, some bass) but it ended up being the perfect size. I paired this reel with a 7' light and its perfect for trout. My other daily reel was a Shakespeare Wild Series Walleye combo and it doesn't even come close to being as smooth or solid as this reel (unfortunately, that one was stolen hence the replacement).

I had an issue that I wrote to customer service about (a non-manufacturing/craftsmanship issue) and the person I talked with (Truman) was exceptionally nice and solved my issue in a very surprising way. Service like that makes me to buy more of their products and I will most likely be getting a rod to match the reel in the future.