Does more ball bearings in a reel = a smother reel?

[It's a toad]

Title says it all

[RyneB]

I say no. My Curados are smoother than my Revos with less bearings.

[Big Bait Fishing]

it's about having good bearings where they count ...

[rawjuice]

Absolutely not, a lot of times those reels with a bunch of bearings use cheaper ones, not always but a lot of times. Shimano uses less bearings than a lot of companies and still are very smooth. 

[The Bassman]

And lest we forget...........Certainly the smoothest reel ever.

[Team9nine]

9 minutes ago, Big Bait Fishing said:

it's about having good bearings where they count ...

^^ THIS ^^

Yes and No. Quality of bearings matters, as does specific location within the reel. High numbers sound impressive, but can be relatively meaningless in the overall picture (and the long term performance of the reel). 

-T9

[kickerfish1]

Bearing quality and placement is all that matters then you can look more at numbers.

[The Next KVD]

You could probably remove a lot of those bearings and not notice a difference. Bearing quality, where they are placed, and overall tolerances in the reel are what matters.

[bigbill]

I'm new to this more ball bearings vs lesser ball bearings. (Spinning reels) Add in the higher gear ratio retrieve speed along with more bearings and I'm tired after throwing spinnerbaits, cranks ect.  I use better quality reels with less bearings for my cranking baits. I use the more bearing reels in my non or less cranking baits. Once the more bearing reels are broken in I can move them to cranking lures.

 

[Raul]

2 hours ago, The Bassman said:

And lest we forget...........Certainly the smoothest reel ever.

Dang, beat me to it.

[It's a toad]

4 hours ago, The Bassman said:

And lest we forget...........Certainly the smoothest reel ever.

Is it really?

[rippin-lips]

13 minutes ago, It's a toad said:

Is it really?

No, it's a joke. Look at the 17+1 bearing count. It's a cheap Chinese reel that attempts to bait a few people into buying it with its advertising claims. 

[It's a toad]

4 minutes ago, rippin-lips said:

No, it's a joke. Look at the 17+1 bearing count. It's a cheap Chinese reel that attempts to bait a few people into buying it with its advertising claims. 

I was gonna say that a lot of bearings haha... It looks like they tried to copy shimano 

[WRB]

Smooth low friction casting relies on good quality bearings on the spool shaft.

Smooth cranking relies on high quality gear drive and level wind system.

Bearings on the crank handle knobs may help to add a smooth feel but not necessary.

solid frame that eliminates misaligned components are key to a smooth operating baitcasting reel.

Tom

[Jaderose]

5 hours ago, The Bassman said:

And lest we forget...........Certainly the smoothest reel ever.

 

Too bad it's a lefty.....I've been looking for a reel with that "Not Line Twist" feature.  Oh well...maybe I can get one from Diawano

[crypt]

no, it's about quality and the location of the bearings that make it smooth.i've got a bunch of old abu black max 1600 that uses only 3 bearings but is as smooth as any of my other newer reels.

[BobP]

I can think of about 6 places in a reel where bearings can be an advantage, if they are good ones (including the anti reverse bearing).  Maybe 8 if you include ones on the handle paddles, which I don't much care about.  But smoothness depends on a lot of things that have nothing to do with bearings, including the precision alignment and design of all the parts, how well the gears mesh, how well maintained the brakes and other internals are, the overall design of the reel, etc.  Choosing between 2 reels, one from a second tier company with 12 B.B.'s and one from a first tier company with 4-8 B.B's, I'll take first tier every time.  You may find a jewel from a second tier company occasionally but it's a crapshoot.  I buy from Shimano, Daiwa, or Abu and have been satisfied with their quality.  Others may suggest Lews but I haven't tried them so can't comment.  JMHO.

[EllisJuan]

I think gear quality is an underemphasized factor when talking about reel smoothness.  Anyone that has used a Shimano reel with the Micromodule Gears should be able to attest to this.  Put the same number and same quality of bearings in a Curado and in a Metanium and the Met will always be markedly smoother.