Pro Qualifier Useless Bearing.

[The Next KVD]

So while I was cleaning the 2 BPS Pro Qualifiers I own today I couldn't help but notice the bearing under the cast control knob does not even make contact with the spool shaft thus not even spinning doing the intended purpose of a bearing. After cleaning the reel and giving it a few test cast and retrieves I decided to take that particular bearing out and it did not make a single bit of difference in casting or retrieve.  Way to go for tolerances. But than I went and looked at my Lews Tournament  Speed Spool which shares a similar design and what do you know it too has that same bearing not even touching the spool shaft at all. 

 

I know the bearing on the spool shaft that sits in the frame is more or less the reasoning for keeping the spool shaft centered but come on if your going to include a bearing atleast make it touch the spool shaft so it does its job.  Still a great reel for the price but even the Lews at 1.5 times the price has this bearing doing nothing other than adding weight. 

 

Not for sure why I bothered posting this but I guess its a way to vent from poor design unless someone can tell me why they even did this other than to say "This reel has 7 bearings".

[Fishwhittler]

That bearing comes into play only when the spool is under heavy load, when the spool shaft flexes just enough to make contact with the bearing race.

If you run your drags set loosely, you'll probably never notice the difference with the bearing gone. If you ever use more than 8# of drag or heavier than 20# line, I'd leave the bearing in place just to be on the safe side. It doesn't hurt anything, and it may save you from a warped spool shaft. For example, if you get snagged and hold your spool rigid to pull your lure free, there can easily be enough pressure to damage the shaft.

No, it's not a truly critical location to have a bearing, but it does do a little more than just driving up the bearing count (and the price).

[The Next KVD]

That makes sense.  I did put the bearing back in there.  Thanks for the clarification but I would think the reel would actually perform better had they got it to make constant contact with the spool shaft.  Oh well.

[Fishwhittler]

That makes sense.  I did put the bearing back in there.  Thanks for the clarification but I would think the reel would actually perform better had they got it to make constant contact with the spool shaft.  Oh well.

I think the answer to that is both yes and no; yes, because three contact points are more secure than two and so you'd have better spool alignment at all times; no, because that's a third friction point that would hurt casting performance. Plus the bearing as it currently is means the tolerances don't have to be perfect. I think that's the biggest reason right there.

[J Francho]

For retrieving a fish, it comes into play, as mentioned.  A third bearing during the cast would NOT improve the performance, as it would add more unsprung weight to the reel.  On some reels (Daiwa and Shimano come to mind) that bearing also allows some "sympathetic" rotation of the disengaged pinion gear, which resides on the spool shaft during the cast.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

It may appear as though that the spool shaft is not in contact with the bearing by looking at the very end, but there is usually a small collar area right where the bearing rides. The third bearing is a little redundant but don't run without it. as long as it is functioning it will not harm casting. If you'd like the PQ tuned, they typically respond very well.

[21farms]

another thing you can do to experiment is this. replace the bearing under the cast control cap with an unshielded one but leave the cap off so you can watch it. now, spin the spool...i'll bet you'll be able to see that bearing spinning, proving that it does indeed do something.