RipTheLip Posted December 27, 2018 Posted December 27, 2018 So I honestly came on here for more knowledge and opinions on reels. For a while now I wanted to try some of the Lews baitcasters. Ended up getting a good deal on the Lews Mach speed spool combo for Christmas to myself. Love the feel and smoothness. So last night I go to set it up for alittle weekend fishing and realize I have absolutely ZERO drag in my spool. I can also hear gears grinding as if the gear isn’t engaging the spool. So once I take it apart I realize there is grease all in the drag system (Brand new reel never used) and the little brass gears are no where near touching each other, it’s just spinning freely. I can tell this POS is made in China. I’m devastated and honestly I think it’s not worth spending the 20$ to return it. So moral of the story I think I’ll spend my money and just stay with my trusty quantums. Any opinions on personal Lews problems or malfunction with their reels?
tander Posted December 27, 2018 Posted December 27, 2018 I have nothing but Lews reels. I have never had a bad experience with them. I am sure there is a lemon on every brand made. I assume you bought it on line. Did you contact the shop where you bought it. Last but not lease, contact Lews and see what they can do. I have had good customer service with them.
Super User J Francho Posted December 27, 2018 Super User Posted December 27, 2018 Sounds like you need to return it for a replacement or refund. 1
Super User FishTank Posted December 27, 2018 Super User Posted December 27, 2018 I am not a big fan of Lews Reels. Not because of how they are made or how they perform, it's just a personal preference. With that said, I know a lot of guys that love their Lews reels and I would not hesitate to recommend you get another one. Since you are having issues with the drag maybe this will help......
DBL000006 Posted December 27, 2018 Posted December 27, 2018 I bought a Lew's Baitcaster last year. I heard the same. I sent the reel back and bought 2 Revo SX Reels and i'll never look at a lew's reel again.. 1
RipTheLip Posted December 27, 2018 Author Posted December 27, 2018 Well at first I thought it was the drag, but now I can see that the part that spins the spool isn’t spinning at all. So I think I’ll just tie it on a line and use it as a sinker next time I go out. So bummed I couldn’t wait to through acouple new jerkbaits Saturday. I also have the Mach crush spinning reel for my wife, I’m scared I might let her down if that one breaks ? 58 minutes ago, FishTank said: I am not a big fan of Lews Reels. Not because of how they are made or how they perform, it's just a personal preference. With that said, I know a lot of guys that love their Lews reels and I would not hesitate to recommend you get another one. Since you are having issues with the drag maybe this will help...... Well I can totally understand why you don’t, I just had some left over Cabelas cards and figured I’d give them a whirl. Well seems I didn’t get one cast I probably won’t be trying another. Abu Garcia or Quantum hasn’t let me down yet.
Super User new2BC4bass Posted December 27, 2018 Super User Posted December 27, 2018 I wouldn't let one bad experience put you off. Like already stated...any brand can have a bad reel get through QC. I had a new $300 plus (list, not my price) reel from a well know and respected company that had no drag when it arrived. A fellow member had the same problem and suggested a possible solution. It worked so I didn't have to return the reel. In your case I would be returning the reel for an exchange. Or an upgrade....if allowed. EDIT: Check the Flea Market. You can often find some excellent buys. There are a couple Quantums for sale right now. I see it is gone now, but there was a new Supreme XT for an asking price of $80 yesterday. Great deal on a reel that gets excellent reviews. Darn near bought it myself, but recently received a LH model. 1
LonnieP Posted December 27, 2018 Posted December 27, 2018 1 hour ago, DBL000006 said: I bought a Lew's Baitcaster last year. I heard the same. I sent the reel back and bought 2 Revo SX Reels and i'll never look at a lew's reel Lews and Abu are made at the same factory. 3
DBL000006 Posted December 27, 2018 Posted December 27, 2018 7 minutes ago, LonnieP said: Lews and Abu are made at the same factory. Lew's didn't work for me.. The Revo hasn't let me down. I'm staying with Abu Garcia
RipTheLip Posted December 27, 2018 Author Posted December 27, 2018 Well I called customer service the guy on the phone asked a couple questions and once he listened to all that was wrong he offered to send a replacement as long as I ship the broken one back. ?♂️ So maybe this one will work. Don’t get me wrong I will use it but don’t believe I can spend any more money on Lews reels. Even if they are made in the same place as Abu Garcia. Something about straight out of the box problems hurt more than breaking it in action.
Super User Mobasser Posted December 27, 2018 Super User Posted December 27, 2018 2 hours ago, RipTheLip said: So I honestly came on here for more knowledge and opinions on reels. For a while now I wanted to try some of the Lews baitcasters. Ended up getting a good deal on the Lews Mach speed spool combo for Christmas to myself. Love the feel and smoothness. So last night I go to set it up for alittle weekend fishing and realize I have absolutely ZERO drag in my spool. I can also hear gears grinding as if the gear isn’t engaging the spool. So once I take it apart I realize there is grease all in the drag system (Brand new reel never used) and the little brass gears are no where near touching each other, it’s just spinning freely. I can tell this POS is made in China. I’m devastated and honestly I think it’s not worth spending the 20$ to return it. So moral of the story I think I’ll spend my money and just stay with my trusty quantums. Any opinions on personal Lews problems or malfunction with their reels? Lots of folks use Lews reels, and have good luck with them. And, almost everything is made in China now. Take it back for a refund or exchange
Super User MassYak85 Posted December 27, 2018 Super User Posted December 27, 2018 I've had one Lews reel and liked it, sold it earlier this year though. They are made in Korea if I recall correctly (at least my LFS had a "Made in Korea" sticker on it). As far as the issue you are having... A lot of times reels come over-greased from the factory to get the reels past their warranty periods, so a greasy drag-stack would not be uncommon. However, grease alone should not cause the drag to spin freely as excess would just get squeezed out as you tighten it, which would certainly gunk up the inside of the reel and cause a lot of slip in the drag washers but shouldn't eliminate your drag completely. As far as the gears literally not touching, that seems crazy to me. The only way I could fathom that happening is they accidentally put in the wrong (smaller) gear.
Super User Mobasser Posted December 27, 2018 Super User Posted December 27, 2018 Example: I'm a carpenter, and I've used the same USA made HD77 Skilsaw for 20 yrs.Replaced brushes 2 times, and a new cord 1 time. I recently bought a new Skilsaw for my crew to use, and was disappointed that it's made in China. But, it's a good tool with improvements over my old saw. If it doesn't hold up I'll take it back or exchange it. Sounds like you got a lemon. If you exchange it, you may like it a lot
Super User the reel ess Posted December 27, 2018 Super User Posted December 27, 2018 I have three Lews Speed Spool reels of a different model. They range from 4 to 1 year old and I have yet to experience an issue with any of them. And they get some heavy use. But then they cost twice what a Mach reel costs. Send it back for a replacement or credit on another reel. Quality issues will occur from time to time with any manufacturer. 14 minutes ago, MassYak85 said: I've had one Lews reel and liked it, sold it earlier this year though. They are made in Korea if I recall correctly (at least my LFS had a "Made in Korea" sticker on it). As far as the issue you are having... A lot of times reels come over-greased from the factory to get the reels past their warranty periods, so a greasy drag-stack would not be uncommon. However, grease alone should not cause the drag to spin freely as excess would just get squeezed out as you tighten it, which would certainly gunk up the inside of the reel and cause a lot of slip in the drag washers but shouldn't eliminate your drag completely. As far as the gears literally not touching, that seems crazy to me. The only way I could fathom that happening is they accidentally put in the wrong (smaller) gear. Mine has a Korea sticker on it. What reel did you replace it with and where was it made?
Russ E Posted December 27, 2018 Posted December 27, 2018 I own 2 older mach speed spools. They are usually sitting in the rod locker, as spares. I don't have any problems with them. They are just cheaper reels with relatively crappy brakes. To me they are comparable to an Abu silver max. Functional, but not much fun to use. My tatula's, revos, and speed demon pro's are much better reels. 1
Super User MassYak85 Posted December 27, 2018 Super User Posted December 27, 2018 12 minutes ago, the reel ess said: I have three Lews Speed Spool reels of a different model. They range from 4 to 1 year old and I have yet to experience an issue with any of them. And they get some heavy use. But then they cost twice what a Mach reel costs. Send it back for a replacement or credit on another reel. Quality issues will occur from time to time with any manufacturer. Mine has a Korea sticker on it. What reel did you replace it with and where was it made? I just remembered I have actually had two Lews reels, one was an LFS which I fished for a couple years as one of my first ever baitcasters. The other was a BB1 Pro Speed Spool that I found for like half-off in the Cabelas bargain cave a few years back and had to give it a shot. Both reels were great, no complaints at all and yea you're right the sticker just said "Korea" on both of them I believe. I eventually swapped both for Tatula CT's. I tried a CT after seeing a too-good-to-pass-up sale ($70 bucks) and fell in love with their Magforce breaking system and made the swap. The LFS was a great reel I could cast some pretty light lures with it, same with the BB1. The customer service at Lews is pretty great in my limited experience with them. Sounds like they are treating @RipTheLip well from his post too. I broke a small part in the braking system the first time I serviced my LFS and they sent me a whole new braking system no questions asked free of charge 2-day shipping.
GReb Posted December 27, 2018 Posted December 27, 2018 I’ve never understood why people are drawn to the Mach series when the LFS is often cheaper and a much better reel with an aluminum body. 2
Super User new2BC4bass Posted December 27, 2018 Super User Posted December 27, 2018 1 minute ago, J Francho said: Pretty colors? Beat me to it by seconds. 1
Super User the reel ess Posted December 27, 2018 Super User Posted December 27, 2018 10 minutes ago, GReb said: I’ve never understood why people are drawn to the Mach series when the LFS is often cheaper and a much better reel with an aluminum body. To me, the solid frame is the minimum for a reel. I've owned two composite or graphite framed reels and both were junk. Maybe they're better now, I won't know. They're the reason I bought the first Lew's Tourney MB. Then I liked it so much I bought two more. But I ain't married to Lew's. I've bought another reel since. 1
Super User J Francho Posted December 27, 2018 Super User Posted December 27, 2018 The highest of high end reels aren't usually made from aluminum. Neither are the lowest of the low end. Makes you think.
Super User the reel ess Posted December 27, 2018 Super User Posted December 27, 2018 21 minutes ago, J Francho said: The highest of high end reels aren't usually made from aluminum. Neither are the lowest of the low end. Makes you think. But the high end ones have frames made of some solid metal alloy, right?
Super User MassYak85 Posted December 27, 2018 Super User Posted December 27, 2018 5 minutes ago, the reel ess said: But the high end ones have frames made of some solid metal alloy, right? I believe many true higher end reels use Magnesium frames. Which is both lighter and stronger than aluminum. 1
RipTheLip Posted December 27, 2018 Author Posted December 27, 2018 Well as a update I will be receiving a 7.5:1 instead of the 6.8:1 which is alright. Customer service said they discontinued the reel but still had some in stock. If you want them for cheap I believe cabelas is still selling them for like 74.99 combined with the matching 6’10” medium heavy. (Alittle short for my liking) but just make sure you check the spool before throwing the information away?
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