Delaware Valley Tackle

"Fast" and "stiff " tips are separate things and often confused with each other. Trimming a blank from either end results in a slower action by definition. How it feels or fishes only experimention can tell. I don't advise trimming a tip but I know it's done. In this case, at most I'd take an inch off the tip and the rest off the butt if overall length is critical. There are so many good blanks out there I seldom need to trim anything

Mick is right, but if you don't feel up to the CCS setup and testing go by specs over rating labels

All the terms are too subjective for raw analysis. Best you can hope for is to find someone with hands on with both models. Barring that, if you can handle either prior to purchasing I'd do that. On the water performance is the only true barometer.

Pretty clever. There's a lot of cool organizational gadgets out there.

It won't hurt anything but not necessary either. Grease helps dissipate heat in applications where big fish make long runs DNA to bass.

Only The spool should be different.

It all depends on the actual guides and the implementation. Keeping the guide train as light as possible helps maintain as much of the blanks inherent properties as possible. The optimum guide size is always a matter of opinion and there is no one size fits all.

I meant pass on the bearings, at least for now

Deep cleaning and lubrication with a marine grease including a film on the inside of the cases. Rinse with clean water immediately after use and lay out to dry before storing.

Call pure fishing direct.

Swapping bearings won't do anything for longevity in general. Ceramics hold up better in salt water use but maintenance is still key. If it were mine I'd pass.

I can hook you up with drag kits and bearings if needed. If you want to email me I'll give you some pointers

They're a nice little extra but I agree not a game changer.

Sensitivity is too subjective to be definitive. The 610 mlxf is one sweet rod though.

They're the same sciii material but I think they came out with a new resin since and may have played with wall thickness and/or diameter. It would be interesting to reach out to them directly with your question. I'm confident they'd be responsive.

Whipping the handle around is an unnatural motion for a reel and not an indicator of anything.

60-75 yards of braid should be plenty to bury the splice knot and leave some for re-tying. I can't see spooling on yards of expensive line that will never see the light of day.

Nice. Looks manufactured.

Both the revo and Tatula offer durability beyond the Max models and imo the Tatula features are best, while on the water performance may be less apparent.

Merry Christmas All!!! Sincere thanks to all the members, moderators, Admins and even Lurkers that make this a great community and resource. Your support and participation are priceless. Mike

Every brand has stand out models and quality offerings north of $100 and sometimes less. I see the logic in consistency but personally own and use an eclectic collection of tackle.

I don't like handles to free spin, just turn easily with no gritty feeling. I clean bearings then dip them in 80/140 gear oil. Same for frame bearings. Bushings aren't necessarily a dirty word either. Keeping them clean and oiled helps significantly.

Don't forget you're watching TV too. A lot of what you see is for effect. Even more so in that format.

Take the orange seals off and run them open. They're supposed to be non contact seals but often are not. Also check the Boca Bearings thread for more posts on the same general topic.

The answer to most "is it worthwhile " questions begins with your expectations. Any potential gains must be compared to a properly cleaned, flushed, lubricated and setup reel. Adding high performance parts is largely an enthusiast endeavor. Actual gains are modest at best. The cost of bearings is driven more by ABEC rating than material. A fishing reel does not experience sustained high speeds to gain from anything more than ABEC5 bearings. 7's might make sense in a true BFS application. The main advantage of ceramic hybrids is that they can be run dry. Oiling them slows them down enough to negate the gain. If longevity and silence are priority stick with SS. The exception would be in salt water reels to fight corrosion. Lastly on bearings, like many things, they're made in a couple places and rebranded by many sellers. Just stick to trusted sources to avoid counterfeiting of ABEC ratings. In my opinion here are upgrades in order of bang for the buck: deep cleaning Carbontex drag SuperTuning (on appropriate models) spool bearings after market BFS spools bushing to bearing swap for crankshafts & levelwinds handle bearings other personalized parts. One more thought: improving free spool whether by cleaning, Tuning, bearings or spools aids accuracy more than raw distance which is arguably over rated anyway.