DN3 Posted April 16, 2014 Posted April 16, 2014 What are the benefits and or negative aspects of a magnesium framed reel? As opposed to aluminum, graphite, or whatever carbon/polymer type material is used nowadays? Quote
Alpha Male Posted April 16, 2014 Posted April 16, 2014 magnesium is lighter and more expensive. others may know more but thats what i know. Quote
mjseverson24 Posted April 16, 2014 Posted April 16, 2014 pro's----> lighter than aluminum and just as strong... cons----> can easily be damaged in salt water... Cost is higher as well... because of how light they are, most rods do not balance very well with them, so choosing a rod to pair with MG reel can be difficult... Mitch Quote
Hogsticker Posted April 17, 2014 Posted April 17, 2014 Magnesium also can have a somewhat hollow feel to it opposed to aluminum. Quote
Super User SirSnookalot Posted April 17, 2014 Super User Posted April 17, 2014 As an owner of a magnesium reel (3 in fact) I see no negative. One of these reels was used exclusively in saltwater for 2 years, reel is still perfect now with about 5 years use. My 8.8 oz reel on a 7' med spinning I hardly notice I have any thing in my hand, my other 2 set ups feel the same but lighter. Quote
Super User webertime Posted April 17, 2014 Super User Posted April 17, 2014 On the production end it is somewhat dangerous to work with (Kaboom). That raises the cost of production/overhead a bit and maybe to the point of making in not financially feasible for manufactures. I have a Fuego that I love. Quote
Delaware Valley Tackle Posted April 17, 2014 Posted April 17, 2014 Magnesium lighter and has a greater resistance to general corrosion than aluminum but susceptible to galvanic corrosion if combined with dissimilar metals and exposed to an electrolyte (saltwater) http://www.meridian-mag.com/magnesium-die-casting/magnesium-faq/#q04 1 Quote
Super User Raul Posted April 17, 2014 Super User Posted April 17, 2014 I have a bunch of both ( magnesium and aluminium ) , magnesium is "lighter" to a certain point the frame may be lighter but what´s inside the reel also counts, not all magnesium reels weight a lot less than their aluminium counterpat, for example three reel models were built on the same frame: TDZ Fuego TD Zillion Fuego and TDZ are magnesium while Zillion is aluminium, the TDZ weights 6.2 oz ( there are some JDM versions that weight 5.9 oz ) , Fuego weights 7.6 and Zillion 8.6 - 8.8, so there ius a noticeable difference between the Zillion and the TDZ but not between the TDZ and the Fuego, when I mean noticeable it really means noticeable. But not everything is nice, magnesium reels are usually more expensive, better not mixed with saltwater, have a "hollow" feel and different acoustic properties ( sound "plasticky" ), also nowdays magnesium isn´t the only "King of the lightness" there are several really light aluminum reels like the Alphas Type F which weights only 6.2 oz ( aluminium frame and handle sideplate ) With spinning reels the history is different, I don´t know why magnesium reels aren´t as light as baitcasters. Quote
5fishlimit Posted April 17, 2014 Posted April 17, 2014 I got my first magnesium reel (Daiwa px-r) and it is ridiculously lightweight. When comparing it to my Zillion it is about 3oz lighter. That's the #1 benefit for me. Quote
Super User SirSnookalot Posted April 17, 2014 Super User Posted April 17, 2014 The stella has a magnesium frame, approved for saltwater by Shimano. The supreme xt is magnesium and marketed for both freshwater and inshore fishing by Pflueger. Quote
BobP Posted April 17, 2014 Posted April 17, 2014 Personally I wouldn't buy a magnesium framed reel for saltwater use regardless of manufacturer claims. But for freshwater, it makes the lightest frames available and works just fine. I have a Shimano 50 MG that I like a lot. Quote
ColdSVT Posted April 18, 2014 Posted April 18, 2014 The stella works fine in salt because it is coated...just like every other reel... Quote
Super User SirSnookalot Posted April 18, 2014 Super User Posted April 18, 2014 I would be more concerned about the bearings than the finish of a magnesium reel used in saltwater, reels suggested for salt use do have anti corrosive bearings. Rinsing the reel off after use is always a good idea (don't forget the rod too), as the water is running I'm rubbing the reel with my hand in hopes of getting all the salt. Some people coat their reels with car wax, others use a product called salt-x, and I've heard of some that take their rods into the hot shower with them. On a calm day there isn't much to worry about, on a windy day there can be quite a bit of salt blowing around in the air. Quote
ColdSVT Posted April 18, 2014 Posted April 18, 2014 I would be more concerned about the bearings than the finish of a magnesium reel used in saltwater, reels suggested for salt use do have anti corrosive bearings. Rinsing the reel off after use is always a good idea (don't forget the rod too), as the water is running I'm rubbing the reel with my hand in hopes of getting all the salt. Some people coat their reels with car wax, others use a product called salt-x, and I've heard of some that take their rods into the hot shower with them. On a calm day there isn't much to worry about, on a windy day there can be quite a bit of salt blowing around in the air. Yessir! I used to spend a good amount of tume rinsing my combos off following a day on the gulf...thats the only thing i dont miss about salt water fishin lol Quote
Super User *Hootie Posted April 18, 2014 Super User Posted April 18, 2014 pro's----> lighter than aluminum and just as strong... cons----> can easily be damaged in salt water... Cost is higher as well... because of how light they are, most rods do not balance very well with them, so choosing a rod to pair with MG reel can be difficult... Mitch Mitch, I know you are right about the balance thing. But my Core 100Mg7 sure balances nice on my NRX. Okay, I am bragging, but I couldn't resist.. ....lol. Hootie Quote
mjseverson24 Posted April 18, 2014 Posted April 18, 2014 Mitch, I know you are right about the balance thing. But my Core 100Mg7 sure balances nice on my NRX. Okay, I am bragging, but I couldn't resist.. ....lol. Hootie That is one awesome set up, the core looks to be about as sweet of a reel as there is, and the NRX is probably a perfect match for it... Mitch Quote
Super User .ghoti. Posted April 18, 2014 Super User Posted April 18, 2014 Exactly half of my reels have magnesium frames. I've seen no down-side to any of them related to frame material. Quote
Super User SirSnookalot Posted April 19, 2014 Super User Posted April 19, 2014 Yessir! I used to spend a good amount of tume rinsing my combos off following a day on the gulf...thats the only thing i dont miss about salt water fishin lol It's really a pretty minimal effort. From my experience most offshore fisherman have 3 maybe 4 rods with them, every marina have waters hoses, rinsing the rods and reels and flushing out the engine doesn't take much time. In fairness ramps may not have water available. Luckily the places I fish from shore all have water and I usually have no more than 2 rods. Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.