Tested by Dave Coster
MITCHELL MAG-PRO 4000
£91.99
A lightweight front drag reel with a single wind up assembly handle and supplied with two deep aluminium spools. The latter can hold up to 200 metres of 0.25mm diameter mono; one spool is heavily perforated while the other isn’t. This design has 10 ball bearings making it an extremely smooth runner, plus it picks
Tested by Ian Welch
ZEBCO COOL VIPER S
£16.99
A great value starter reel but lacking the finesse of control and solid reliability demanded by regular commercial carpers. Three ball bearings and 5.1:1 gearing deliver decent power via a tough handle with soft-touch grip, but it lacks real oomph in the engine room and the bale arm roller didn’t function correctly. Line capacity
