PLUSINNO Telescopic Combo Review: a grab-and-go fishing kit that actually holds up

I bought the PLUSINNO telescopic rod and reel combo as a cheap backup and something I could leave in the car without worrying too much. I wasn’t expecting much at this price, especially with all the accessories and the carry case included. Usually when a kit tries to include “everything”, at least one part is junk – often the reel or the rod guides. So I went in with pretty low expectations and treated it as a beater setup for casual trips.

Over a few weekends, I used the 1.8 m / 5.9 ft version mainly for freshwater: bass, panfish, and a couple of accidental carp in a local pond. I also let a beginner friend use it, because that’s realistically who this kit is aimed at: someone starting out or someone who fishes only a few times a year. We spooled it with 10 lb mono first, then tried 10 lb braid with a leader to see how the reel behaved.

In practice, the combo does better than I thought. The rod doesn’t feel like a toy, and the reel is actually pretty smooth for a budget setup. You notice it’s not high-end when you compare it to something like a Shimano or Daiwa in the $70+ range, but for casual use, it gets the job done. The telescopic design is really the main selling point: it fits in a backpack or under a car seat, which is exactly how I used it most of the time.

It’s not perfect, and I wouldn’t use it as my primary rod for serious trips or heavy fish, but for spontaneous sessions after work or as a spare rod for a friend, it makes sense. If you’re expecting a pro-level setup, you’ll be disappointed. If you just want something portable that works and doesn’t feel like total junk, this is actually a decent option.

In terms of value for money, this combo is pretty solid. You’re getting a telescopic carbon/fiberglass rod, a metal-heavy spinning reel, line, a basic tackle set, and a carry case. If you tried to buy all of that separately, even at the low end, you’d likely spend more. The Amazon rating around 4.3/5 with thousands of reviews lines up with my experience: it’s not perfect, but most people are satisfied for what they paid.

Where it really makes sense is for beginners, casual anglers, or as a spare/travel rod. If you fish a few times a year, you don’t need a $150 combo. This will do the job and still feel decent in the hand. If you’re already into fishing and have a couple of nicer setups, this works well as a backup rod in the car or a loaner for a friend or kid. You won’t cry if it gets scratched, but you also won’t be annoyed using it yourself.

There are definitely better rods and reels out there if you’re willing to spend more. The main compromises here are the guides, the telescopic design (not as tough as a 1- or 2-piece), and the long-term durability of the reel. But you’re not paying premium prices, and you’re getting real usability, not just a toy combo like some cheap big-box sets.

If you expect it to perform like a mid- to high-end Shimano/Daiwa combo, you’ll be disappointed. If you treat it as a budget, portable, all-in-one kit that works, it’s actually a good deal. For the price range it sits in, I’d rate the value as clearly above average.

The telescopic design is the whole point of this combo. Collapsed, the rod is compact enough to fit easily in the included case and then into a backpack or trunk. I kept mine in the car for two weeks, and it was way less annoying than a standard 2-piece rod rolling around. Extending it is simple: pull each section out and give it a slight twist to lock. Same thing in reverse to collapse it. Once you do it a few times, it takes maybe 20–30 seconds to set up or pack away.

Design-wise, the handle and reel seat feel fairly solid for this price. The reel seat is metal and clamps the reel foot down tight; I never had the reel wobble or come loose. The handle shape is pretty standard spinning rod style, with enough length to do a two-handed cast if you want. The overall balance with the HA 3000 reel is decent. It doesn’t feel super light, but it doesn’t feel like a brick either. For a medium-power telescopic rod with a metal-heavy reel, it’s about what you’d expect.

The weak point in the design, in my opinion, is the guides/eyelets. They’re stainless with ceramic inserts, but they don’t feel very thick or tough. One of the users mentioned they bend easily, and I agree – they’re fine if you treat the rod gently, but if you’re tossing it around, stepping on it, or cramming it into tight spaces, you’ll probably bend a guide sooner or later. I didn’t break any, but I was careful when collapsing and storing it.

From a pure design perspective, it’s built for portability and convenience, not for hardcore abuse. If you want something you can strap to a backpack, keep in a car, or take on vacation without a rod tube, the design works. If you’re rough on your gear or you want beefy guides and a thicker blank, you’ll find this a bit light-duty. For what it is – a travel/backup rod – the design choices make sense.

The rod is made from 24-ton carbon fiber reinforced with fiberglass, which is pretty standard for budget combos. In the hand, the blank actually feels smoother and cleaner than I expected: no weird bumps, no rough edges on the sections. When extended, there’s a bit of flex towards the tip and more backbone in the lower half, which is what you want for a medium power rod. It doesn’t feel super high-end, but it doesn’t feel like hollow toy plastic either.

The guides are stainless with ceramic inserts. This is where you can tell they saved some cost. They’re okay for mono and braid, and I didn’t hear any grinding or see line damage, but the guide frames themselves feel thin. If you accidentally bend one, you can usually bend it back, but that’s not something you should be doing often. For light to moderate use, they’re fine; for someone fishing several times a week and throwing the rod around, these will probably be the first failure point.

The reel is mostly metal with some plastic parts (drag knob, some cosmetic bits). The spool is metal and feels decent. The handle folds down with a screw system, and once tightened, it doesn’t wobble much. For the price point, the reel materials are actually better than I expected. I’ve seen more plastic on some higher-priced combos from big-box stores. The 12+1 bearings are probably not all high-end, but functionally the reel runs smooth enough for normal freshwater fishing.

Overall, the materials are what I’d call good enough for casual use. This isn’t a tank, but it’s not junk either. If you take reasonable care of it – rinse after any saltwater splash, don’t slam the guides, don’t over-tighten sections – it should last a while. If you’re hard on gear and expect it to survive constant abuse, you should be looking at a different price bracket anyway.

The carry case is actually one of the nicer parts of this kit. It’s not fancy, but it’s practical. It’s shaped to fit the collapsed rod and the reel attached, plus the small tackle box and line. There’s enough padding that I didn’t worry about tossing it in the trunk with other stuff. The zipper feels okay; not premium, but it didn’t snag or feel like it would fall apart after a few uses. For travel or just keeping your gear organized at home, it’s genuinely useful.

The included tackle is very basic. You get a small assortment of lures, hooks, and accessories. If you’ve been fishing for a while, you’ll probably use your own tackle anyway and treat this as backup or starter stuff. For a complete beginner, though, it’s enough to actually go out and try a few different techniques without extra purchases. You’ll eventually want better quality hooks and more specific lures for your target species, but as a first step, it’s fine.

The line included is okay but nothing special. I’d call it “gets the job done” quality. If you’re serious about fishing even a little, I’d suggest buying a better mono or braid and using the included line only as a backup or for a kid’s setup. The reel itself is much nicer than the line they give you, so it deserves something better.

Overall, the packaging and extras are actually a strong point for beginners and casual users. Everything has its place, and you don’t end up with loose parts rolling around. For someone looking for a gift or a first kit, the fact that it comes in a neat case with all the bits inside is a real plus. For more experienced anglers, the case is still handy, even if most of the small tackle ends up sitting in a drawer.

Durability is where you need to be realistic. This is a telescopic rod with thin guides at a budget price. If you treat it like a regular 2-piece medium rod and toss it around, it’s not going to like that. Over a couple of weeks of use, I had no actual breakages: no cracked sections, no broken guides, no reel failures. But I was pretty careful when extending and collapsing the rod and when packing it in the case.

The telescopic sections lock with friction and a slight twist. If you pull them out hard or slam them shut, you’re asking for trouble. Same thing if you leave dirt or sand in the joints; that’s when telescopic rods start to grind and eventually stick or crack. I made a habit of wiping the sections quickly with a cloth if they got dusty or wet. That’s not unique to this rod – it’s just the reality of telescopic designs.

The reel held up fine to several sessions, including a few runs from bigger fish. No weird grinding noises, no obvious play developing in the handle. Long term, I wouldn’t expect it to last like a higher-end brand, but for a casual angler who goes out a couple of times a month, it should be okay. Just don’t dunk it in sand or mud, and give it a quick wipe if you accidentally splash saltwater on it.

Overall, durability is decent for the price, as long as you’re not abusive. If you know you’re rough on gear, or you want something that will survive years of hard weekly use, I’d spend more and skip telescopic entirely. But for a car rod, vacation rod, or beginner setup that sees moderate use, this one holds up better than a lot of cheap kits I’ve seen.

On the water, the combo performs better than I thought a cheap telescopic setup would. With 10 lb mono, casting small to medium lures (1/4 to 1/2 oz) felt natural after a few throws. The rod loads mostly in the upper third, so you get a bit of a fast-action feel even though they label it as medium. That works well for bass fishing with spinners, small crankbaits, and soft plastics. Distance is decent, not crazy, but more than enough for ponds and smaller lakes.

The reel’s drag is actually pretty smooth for this price range. I hooked a couple of carp around 7–10 lb by accident while fishing for bass, and the drag had to work. It gave line steadily without jerking, and I didn’t feel like it was going to lock up or slip suddenly. One of the Amazon reviewers mentioned the drag screaming on bigger fish with 10 lb braid, and I had a similar experience: noisy but controlled. For a budget combo, that’s honestly more than I expected.

With braid, you notice the reel a bit more. I tried 30 lb braid at first just to see, and yeah, that’s too much for this reel in my opinion – it felt a bit choked on the cast. Dropping to 10–15 lb braid with a fluorocarbon leader felt a lot better. Line lay on the spool is okay, not perfect, but I didn’t get any horrible wind knots or loops unless I did something dumb like closing the bail by cranking instead of by hand.

In practice, this combo is perfectly fine for: bass, trout, panfish, and smaller catfish or carp. I wouldn’t take it for heavy saltwater use, and I’d be careful with repeated fights over 10–12 lb, mostly because of the rod guides and telescopic sections. But as a backup rod, a travel rod, or a starter setup for someone learning the basics, it fishes well enough that you’re limited more by your skill than by the gear.

The version I tried is the Full Kit with Carrier Case in the 1.8 m / 5.91 ft size. In the bag, you get: the telescopic carbon fiber/fiberglass rod, the HA 3000 spinning reel, a small spool of mono line, a basic box of lures and hooks, and the zippered carry case. Everything fits inside the case, so you can literally grab the bag and go. No, the small tackle kit isn’t premium, but for a starter it covers the basics: some soft baits, a few hard lures, hooks, and small accessories.

The reel comes with a collapsible handle that you can switch from left to right, which is nice if you’re sharing it with someone who reels with the opposite hand. It’s rated 12+1 bearings and a 5.2:1 gear ratio. I’m always suspicious of bearing numbers on cheap reels, but this one does feel reasonably smooth out of the box. The line capacity (0.20/240, 0.25/200, 0.30/140 mm/m) is more than enough for pond and lake fishing with 8–12 lb line.

The rod power is listed as medium, and that matches how it feels in the hand. It’s not a broomstick, but it’s not a noodle either. I’d say it’s fine for bass, trout, and smaller catfish or carp in the 3–8 lb range. You can push it a bit more if you know how to play the drag, but I wouldn’t use it for heavy saltwater fish or big river monsters. The target species listed is bass, and that’s pretty much how I used it.

Overall, as a package, it’s pretty solid for a beginner: you don’t need to think about matching rod/reel, line, or basic tackle. If you’ve already got gear, this will feel basic. But if you’re new or you need a quick all-in-one solution, it’s nice to just buy one box and be able to fish the same day without extra shopping.