The best Quantum Spinning reel for under $100!

There are three different reels in Quantum's series of PT spinning reels. They are the Energy PTi, the Catalyst PTi and the Kinetic PTi. They are all great reels and fairly similar, however I have found the best value of the trio to be the Kinetic PTi model.

It wasn't too many years ago that the only quality reels on the market were baitcasters. Most fishermen, whether tournament pro's, amateurs, or weekend warriors that used spinning combinations, used an old black Shimano F-Series reel. Looking back on them now I must conclude that they were not high quality spinning reels even though at the time I didn't know any better. After all, they were under $20. Quantum lead the field in spinning reels for quality and performance with their old white series. Since then, they have taken spinning reel performance to a higher level, one tweak, design, and innovation at a time. This has brought us to the PT series.

---------------------------------Kinetic PTi:---------------------------------

Appearance: There is not much asthetic value to this reel, no glitter or anything fancy which is a surprise from Quantum. This reel is all business. It is silver and gold with a matted non-shinny look. But I guess we don't buy them for their looks, we buy them for their use on the bottom of a rod.

ThinLine Aluminum body: Quantum has been using this new design on all of their higher end spinning reels. The idea behind the design is to lighten the weight of the reel and make it more comfortable in the fisherman's hand. It is the thinnest reel I have ever fished. This is one cool looking feature to the design of the reel. instead of a large block which connects the roller arm to the bail, Quantum has used a thin aluminum double arm design.

Line Management System (LMS): Quantum is very proud of this design feature on their higher end of spinning reels. They claim this to make the reel even more fail-proof. LMS consist of many design modifications which eliminate the common spinning reel problems such as loose line, loops over the line roller, and line not seating properly on the spool, and line getting where it is not supposed to such as in the moving parts. The new modifications are the Rocket Roller and Pocket Rotor. The Rocket Roller is a stainless steel sleeve tapered for seamless transition in moving line from the bail to the line roller. This part transfers the line after the bail has been clicked over to the line roller before it can twist or loop. The Pocket Rotor is a larger pocket for the bail arm to open into. When casting the line should strip with ease because of this new design and will not allow the line to wrap around any moving parts on the reel.

TiMag III: Exclusive to Quantum fishing reels is this finely tuned innovation. The TiMag titanium bail is made from super-elastic nickel titanium which will never bend out of its original shape. The bail springs are replaced in this model with a magnetic trip system. The third generation of TiMag offers even more magnetic flux, for quickness and reliability. Magnets don't wear out like springs and they won't weaken either. Expect many years and many casts out of this reel.

Multi-Stack Ceramic Drag: This drag system is made with ceramic disks or pads. Ceramic technology allows for better heat dissipation. This has proven to be very helpful when fighting fish that make long runs like big Northern Pike and big deep-water Largemouth Bass.

MAGLOK: This is a magnetic continuous anti-reverse system. Instant anti-reverse is great and comes standard on just about every quality fishing reel including this one. When I was younger, the first reels I used didn't have this feature. The reel had one or two internal stopping points that would stop the reel after it went back far enough. Line would loosen from the spool and cause twists. In order to set the hook on a fish you would have to reach this stopping point to apply pressure to the hook point. But with instant anti-reverse, when you stop going forward with the reel or take your hand off of it, the spool and reel will not turn backwards, it stops! This allows the fisherman to make one handed hook sets and very quick hook sets. This is the only magnetic roller clutch on any spinning reel on the market!

Ball Bearings: The Kinetic PTi has 6 polymer/stainless ball bearings and it is smooth. The Catalyst PTi has eight ball bearings and the Energy PTi has 10. With ball bearings you get what you pay for. On a spinning reel 6 will suffice but I would not go with any lower.


The Gear Ratio of this Reel is 5.2 to 1 and one model comes at 5.3 to 1. This means that for every rotation you make with the handle, the spool will make 5.2 rotations. Without these gears you might as well just wind up the line around a stick. The higher the gear ratio, the faster that fish or lure is coming back to you, and the easier it is to reel both of them in.

Specs:
Model-------Gear Ratio-----Line Capacity-----Weight in Oz.
KT10PTi-A -----5.3:1 ------125 yds. / 4 lb. ------8.45
KT20PTi-A -----5.2:1 ------140 yds. / 6 lb. ------10.46
KT30PTi-A -----5.2:1 ------160 yds. / 8 lb. ------13.1
KT40PTi-A -----5.2:1 ------230 yds. / 10 lb. ------13.2

Price: I paid $90 for the Kinetic PTi Quantum reel. For under $100 it is a nice reel and the best that Quantum offers for one large bill. I would compare it to the Abu Garcia Cardinal 500 Series Spinning Reel for price and quality before making a purchase. The Kinetic can be found at both Bass Pro Shops and Cabelas. Make sure you get the free extra spool with purchase so you can have two different lines available at the twist of a nut.

Other Fishing reels I have Reviewed, just give it a click for viewing:
Quantum Energy PT Baitcaster
Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 4600C3
Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 6500 C3
Abu Garcia C4 series Reels
Abu Garcia C3 series Reels
Abu Garcia Cardinal 500 Series Spinning Reel
Shimano Curado CU-200B5
Shimano Curado CU-200B
Other: