Are Bocas Really Worth The Change?

[rchiuz]

Hi all,

 

I have been reading online that if you want to take your reel to the next level, Bocas are the way to go.

Is this the concensus?

 

One more question, once you have them installed, is there an annual maintenance you have to do for them as well?

 

Thanks in advance!

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

Brand aside-

 

I would say it gives the reel the ability to achieve a higher level. BUT does the operator have the ability to extract that higher level performance.

 

Putting in better bearings then adding more braking more spool tension or even oil to "tame" the upgrade isnt really much benefit. 

[Angry John]

Boca is just one of the brands out there and lots of people like different brands.  I like the ZPI sic bearings and others like the hedgehog.  Stock bearings on high end reels are good.  Swaps on shimano cores or daiwa steez reels is just not worth it.  Good cleaning and lube of stock bearings will improve casting a lot.  If your reel is several seasons old and have not been maintained then they might be a good upgrade to restore casting.

[rippin-lips]

It's more of an enthusiast upgrade. Flushing and adding 1 drop of a lightweight oil to each stock bearing will be a great improvement. Anything over abec 5 is not necessary and even those aren't really needed. It's a relatively cheap upgrade but honestly a professional deep cleaning and/or super tuning would be money better spent. As you will see soon, you'll get people saying they're worth the money. For me they aren't but I still buy them because I like to waste money on dumb stuff.

[ec1]

Useful for anything that you'd want to have the ability to make a cast as far as you can. (Frogs, Cranks, Spinnerbaits)

Not useful in my opinion for pitching, short casts, or accuracy.

 

http://fishinglifestyle.net/2012/02/boca-bearings-orange-seal-review-extreme-casting-distance/

 

Take a read.

[rchiuz]

Thanks, read that article too. Having my Chronarch CI4 in the shop for cleaning so maybe I will see a difference.

[desmobob]

It's more of an enthusiast upgrade. Flushing and adding 1 drop of a lightweight oil to each stock bearing will be a great improvement. Anything over abec 5 is not necessary and even those aren't really needed. It's a relatively cheap upgrade but honestly a professional deep cleaning and/or super tuning would be money better spent. As you will see soon, you'll get people saying they're worth the money. For me they aren't but I still buy them because I like to waste money on dumb stuff.

 

+1.

 

I have two Lew's Tournament Pros, one upgraded with Boca ABEC 7 ceramics and one with stock bearings.  The stock bearings have been flushed and re-lubed with Hot Sauce.  I had them outside doing some lawn fishing yesterday (in the snow!) and found the difference is really not worth the money spent.

 

I do like the sound of those dry ceramics spinning on a cast, though.  :-)

 

If I do any bearing upgrades again, I'll try the cheaper ABEC 5 ceramic bearings and see how they compare to the top-of-the-line 7's.

 

Tight lines,

Bob

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Useful for anything that you'd want to have the ability to make a cast as far as you can. (Frogs, Cranks, Spinnerbaits)

Not useful in my opinion for pitching, short casts, or accuracy.

 

http://fishinglifestyle.net/2012/02/boca-bearings-orange-seal-review-extreme-casting-distance/

 

Take a read.

Actually, improved accuracy is the number one benefit of improved free-spool. This results from the spool starting with less effort. Some casting distance can  be achieved if you're skilled enough as a caster but imo that's a secondary advantage. There are other more cost effective ways to achieve improved free-spool and easier casting. In order : Proper cleaning and lubrication of the reel especially bearings, Super Tuning on models not using a full floating spool, ABEC5 ceramic hybrid spool bearings run dry. I am a Boca Dealer and have faith in their products when applied in a logical and cost effective manner, however expectations need to be managed. 

[desmobob]

Actually, improved accuracy is the number one benefit of improved free-spool. This results from the spool starting with less effort. Some casting distance can  be achieved if you're skilled enough as a caster but imo that's a secondary advantage. There are other more cost effective ways to achieve improved free-spool and easier casting. In order : Proper cleaning and lubrication of the reel especially bearings, Super Tuning on models not using a full floating spool, ABEC5 ceramic hybrid spool bearings run dry. I am a Boca Dealer and have faith in their products when applied in a logical and cost effective manner, however expectations need to be managed. 

 

I agree.  The distance thing is definitely secondary for me.  The effortless short casts really seem to help with accuracy and make things more enjoyable all-around.

 

It's amazing what a careful and thorough cleaning, tuning and re-lubing will do for a new reel with standard bearings.  My newest Tournament Pro was like a new reel after an hour or two at the workbench.

 

Tight lines,

Bob

[thehooligan]

Ive seen the added benefits of bocas/hedgehog air bearings. Ive definitely got more distance, but im also comparing to stock bearings. Never did a direct comparison with flushed bearings.

 

The real benefit for me has been for throwing light baits, 1/4oz and lighter. I regularly throw 1/8oz jerkbaits on a few of my casting reels, would definitely not be getting the distance without the air bearings.

 

Hope to try the zpi bearings soon... 

[J Francho]

Bocas are overrated. 9/10 times, a bearing flush will give you all the performance you need.  I do like Ceramic Hybrids with metal shields as a good choice over OEM for replacement of bad bearings.  Smooth Drags and Hawgtech are two companies that sell a good bearing at a fair price.  I think it's pretty funny that people pay extra for "orange seal" bearings, and then throw out the seals.

[Trey Harpel]

"I think it's pretty funny that people pay extra for "orange seal" bearings, and then throw out the seals."

 

Pretty funny how dumb this statement is...

People pay extra for orange seals as Boca makes a SOLID ceramic bearing and great company that backs their products if anything might happen to the bearings...Orange seal is just a designation to the type of bearing..They also run better without the seals on as the seals are rubber and tend to swell over time.

[J Francho]

Then buy steel shield bearings, or unsealed.  Sort of like buying an insulated rain parka, and throwing out the insulated liner because you just need to stay dry.   And why are we making excuses for such a great product?  When ever someone says performance sucks after installing them, you get "Oh, it's okay, the seals swell, just throw them out."  Silly.  Every time I see OS recommended, I laugh out loud.  They're good bearings for sure, but over priced, over hyped, and not the bag of donuts everyone makes them out to be.  Personally, I think they did a good job several years ago, hooking all the reel techs up with their wholesale plan, after practically giving them away at $7 a pop for anyone with a coupon code.  Got a ton of bearings in reels that probably never needed them.  Flush the bearings, put some quality lubricant in them, and see what that does for you.

[F14A-B]

Well I will just add this, have one reel cleaned & super tuned by a true reel tech.. Just one. Then you will truly feel/ experience a difference. Of course you can use whatever bearing you want..

Just sayin...

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

Bocas are overrated. 9/10 times, a bearing flush will give you all the performance you need.  I do like Ceramic Hybrids with metal shields as a good choice over OEM for replacement of bad bearings.  Smooth Drags and Hawgtech are two companies that sell a good bearing at a fair price.  I think it's pretty funny that people pay extra for "orange seal" bearings, and then throw out the seals.

 

People dont pay extra for the seals they pay extra for the ceramic bearings and name. Orange seals or metal shields cost the same --29.95

 

http://www.bocabearings.com/bearing-inventory/17028/fishing-reel-bearings/ceramic-orange-seal-abec-7/shimano-core-50-mg7-spool-baitcaster

 

http://www.bocabearings.com/bearing-inventory/19897/fishing-reel-bearings/ceramic-metal-shield-abec-7/shimano-core-50-mg7-spool-baitcaster

[J Francho]

If you throw them out, you're paying extra for the shields and all the rest.  If you buy steel shields, you only paying for the rest.

 

Here's a better option: https://www.hawgtech.com/node/4

 

$16 for a pair.

[War Eagle 44]

"I think it's pretty funny that people pay extra for "orange seal" bearings, and then throw out the seals."

 

Pretty funny how dumb this statement is...

People pay extra for orange seals as Boca makes a SOLID ceramic bearing and great company that backs their products if anything might happen to the bearings...Orange seal is just a designation to the type of bearing..They also run better without the seals on as the seals are rubber and tend to swell over time.

 

I agree with you 100%. I buy orange seals because I want Boca's ABEC 7 hybrid bearings not the orange shield. I always take the shields off my bearings so that's another added bonus to me that the orange shields come out so easily.

 

 

Bocas are overrated. 9/10 times, a bearing flush will give you all the performance you need.  I do like Ceramic Hybrids with metal shields as a good choice over OEM for replacement of bad bearings.  Smooth Drags and Hawgtech are two companies that sell a good bearing at a fair price.  I think it's pretty funny that people pay extra for "orange seal" bearings, and then throw out the seals.

 

I haven't tried HawgTech bearings but I have Smooth Drags. The bearings they offer are junk, I've personally had 3 sets and 2 of them were bad. I bought a set of their ABEC 5 bearings and when they arrived both bearings were "bad" straight out of the package. The cages were so poorly fit to the balls that they (the cages) were almost falling out of the race. I contacted them and they replaced them with a set of their ABEC 7 bearings. These too were affected by the exact same problem. I didn't even bother to contact them again and the bearings are just sitting in their package unused.  

 

I did however receive a pair of their ABEC 5's for my Abu C4 that work fine. Both of the above bearings were for Shimano's.

[J Francho]

That's some impressive bad luck.  Dozens of bearing sets, not one bad one.

[War Eagle 44]

I've had very good luck with Boca's so that's the reason I tend to stick to them now days. I have around 10 sets of Boca's, both their 5's and 7's, and I've only had one single bearing that wasn't up to standard. When I contacted them about it their customer service was outstanding as well.

 

I'd like to try a set from HawgTech as well as ZPI. I can tell a difference between properly cleaned and oiled stock bearings but the difference between them isn't nearly as great as the difference between stock bearings the way they come from the factory and when they're properly cleaned and oiled. Max distance isn't the area that I can tell the Boca's make a difference, the effort needed to make "regular" pitches and casts is where I can tell the biggest difference.

[aavery2]

Someone correct me if I am mistaken, but I thought that the Hawgtech bearings use a polymer cage.   

[rippin-lips]

They do.

[F14A-B]

Yup, great bearings too..

Put a set in a cu51e

[War Eagle 44]

Either of you two guys think the Hawgtech's are noticeably better than OS7's?

[Jrob78]

I will echo that in most cases a thorough cleaning and proper bearing flush, (I don't mean just soaking in acetone) will be a big improvement over a greased set of factory bearings.  I do use Orange Seals in several reels and they definitely make a difference.   I haven't tried any of the other ceramic bearings to compare.  I might have to buy a set of Hawgtech's to try out.

[mjseverson24]

I use the Hawgtech bearings, they work great, no need to oil them which is the biggest plus for me, they spin great and in my opinion  improve the performance of the reel... that being said stock bearings usually are good enough for most applications. the areas I want the better bearings are the ones I need more distance with...(i know they improve accuracy, but for me its about the distance...)

 

Mitch