Daiwa Emcast Evo 5000 Big Pit Carp Reel

I bought two of these for my first set of big pit reels many years ago and I couldn't fault them. For some unknown reason as most of us do I wanted to upgrade to a "higher end" reel so I invested in some Basia's. Bad move. They were very temperamental. I was forever cleaning all the grit from behind the drag systems and they seem to light weight in terms of cranking fish in. I personally don't think they are a proper carp reel. After a year I sold them on! I then bought a set of Crosscast x's. They seemed reasonably priced and good quality and they were better than the Basia's but after a season they started to deteriorate. The main problem was that the quick drag system kept seizing when a fish made a really violent run. This problem did cause me to lose a few fish. After being disappointed with these I've been on the hunt for something else and saw these little beauties on sale at chapmans for £40. Cant go wrong at that price and its something I am familiar with. I can strongly recommend them especially if you get them for the price I did.

I have had my Evo 5500 for three years and unfortunately they were poor straight out of the box.

Both bail springs have been replaced, now bail arm doesn't engauge at all.

The body is not sealed at all and allows the ingress of water into the gear and bearing housing.

Because of this the main shaft roller bearing and runner are pitted with rust and the reel feels terrible.

They need regular maintenance, cleaning, grease and oil if not they won't last a season.

The most annoying attribute is they are so clanky and rough nearly all the moving parts have way to much play especially the rotor guard.

The only positive is their size which is perfect and the drag is smooth although it takes fourteen turns to go from locked up to freespool.

In conclusion diawa rods are great but the reels are cheap and tacky.

Am these reels any good to use thanks

I bought 3 of these reels at a gamble having used shimano bait runners for a long time. I can honestly say i will never go back. They are very smooth with great line lay, great for casting, and well balanced they have a great cranking handle and a fast retrieval. I really cant find any fault with these reels. As for the bait runner argument, i can give you a good tip. Remove the drag knob that holds the spool on, turn it up side down. You will notice 2 small screws, remove these and pop off the inner cap. In side there is a small metal spring remove this a store in a safe place. Refit every thing. You will now have a quick drag spool. It will tighten down from free run, to full drag in half the amount of turns on the drag knop. Try it your self, see what you think. Or you could spend £30ish on bait runner conversions. I belive this works on other makes of pit reels as well. I hope this helps

Recently bought these switching from baitrunners as I wanted a more substanial reel and one capable of casting a good distance fairly easily. These meet my requirements with solid build quality, excellent for casting, powerful winching with fast retrieve and looks good (I appreciate looks aren't everything). Only down side I have found is with the line clip which lets the overall rating down, however I was aware of this problem prior to buying them and it can soon be rectified. For the money they cost (£55) they're not gonna be as good as basias are they!!!

I would highly recommend these reels for those who like me are on a budget and want a quality reel that will last.

changed from baitrunners to these reels took time to get used to them but would not change back.the only thing i can find fault with is the tapered spools this is solely a personal thing. i have a limited budget being a pensioner so found these really good value.

The Daiwa Emcast Evo 5000 Big Pit Carp Reel is really good

bought the Daiwa Emcast Evo 5000 Big Pit Carp Reel for spodding 5000 version evo, looks great, well balanced for price £50, reels in quickly and casts like a dream, only bad thing i found was temporarily clipping the mono backing line i noticed the clip cut the line slightly. Did the same to the braid and fraid it. Solved by tieing a couple of loops of braid around clip neatly for some cushioning 1st. No problem now. would still buy another.

I really like the Daiwa Emcast Evo 5000 Carp Reel. Its great value for money and as far as carp reels go the Evo 500 is up there with the best. Its light but can still pull in a decent weight. Its really smooth for both casting and reeling in.

i love the emcast evo have been useing for a while now no problems yet apart from the line clip. after a lost fish and rig i thought i would sort the problem out and today i have done it i now have3 reels that are as good as any reels on the market.