Only advice I can give on BC reels is to buy a low profile one with the thumb bar.
None of the three I use are the same brand, but all three are low profile w/thumb bar. Heck, they don't even have the same size/color/type of main line on them
If you have a local bait shop that has a consignment shelf, you can get some good quality reels at a decent price. If not, you can always keep your eye on the Personal Classifieds Forum & watch for Locator79 to put some up for sale, or some of the other members.
Some of my buddies use spinning reels & just keep the drag loose enough to hand strip line out to land fish (when fishing shallow with long rods). The Shimano IX series reels they use are fairly inexpensive.