SLX Bearing upgrade

[bulldog1935]

well you had better talk to Daiwa instead of me

[DAIWA] Spool Bearing Kit For Bait Reel - HEDGEHOG STUDIO (hedgehog-

studio.co.jp)

they're shielded micro bearings bonded in lightweight alloy housings - made the Daiwa way.  

The purpose of shielding is to retain lube so they can be ignored and fished. 

Those of us who prefer unshielded bearings like to pick our own performance bearing oil.  

I hope this thing is on.  

 

tossing an on-topic bone for our OP

@Chaos10691 check HPR Bearings and SDS Custom - both reliable ebay vendors, Florida and Ukraine, respectively.  They will offer spool bearing kits for your reel - if they don't show one, contact them and they will put one together for you.  

[NOC 1]

On 7/3/2021 at 8:00 PM, BassWhole! said:

300% better than ABEC 3...

I always get a kick from the bearing hype. First of all, if a bearing isn't made in the USA, then it isn't an ABEC anything. ABEC is an American industrial engineering group, yet the internet and catalogues are full of "ABEC 7" bearings from China....

 

Secondly, you certainly don't need and ABEC 7 bearing for a fishing reel unless you are going to be running it at like 15,000 RPM for hours at a time. The only 2 bearings in a reel that might benefit from a bearing that highly rated would be the spool bearings.

 

If you notice, the excellent bearings sold by ZPI, Hedgehog and (and others) have no such bogus ABEC rating, They are top drawer bearings, but being made in Japan, they have no need to pretend to be ABEC rated.

 

In my opinion the Boca bearings are somewhat of a racket. They charge as much for them as Hedgehog and they deliver mostly Chinese "Orange seal" bearings with an ABEC rating that they could never have. Save your money and just go to E-bay, Allie Xpress, or Amazon and buy the Chinese "Orange seals" from the source in bulk for less than a buck apiece. Sort the junk bearings out and you end up with the same thing. I'm just not paying those guys 10 bucks a piece to sort Chinese bearings for me.

 

Most of my reels (40+) have either Hedgehog or ZPI Ceramic hybrids and I think that it usually does make a noticeable difference. Boca?  Not so much.

 

 

[NOC 1]

On 7/2/2021 at 7:16 PM, Chaos10691 said:

Thinking of ordering the full tune kit from spoolspeed.com for the SLX. The reel is a few years old so I figured it was time to invest in upgrading. I already upgraded my drag to carbontex so I figured I'd hit the bearings while I'm at it. Has anyone used the bearings from this particular site? And if so how much of a difference does it make?

IMO a full tune kit that replaces all of the bearings in a reel is a waste in a reel that already has decent bearings. You'd be better off by simply deep cleaning the bearings already there. Other than the spool bearings and maybe the Anti Reverse bearing, there is almost a zero chance that you will wear out any of the bearings in a fishing reel, unless you never do maintenance and run it with sand in it.

 

You could use that same money to replace the bushings on the lower drive shaft and level wind with bearings, and add 4 bearings to the handles. You do not need expensive bearings for these. Then find some nice Ceramic hybrid bearings to replace the spool bearings. Try Hedgehog or other Japanese maker/Brand bearings instead of the "Orange seal" Chinese stuff. (There are some good "Orange seal bearings out there from Germany and elsewhere. But odds are the one's you'll get are just cheap Chinese copies that have been graded and sorted.)

 

This will give you an 11 bearing reel that should feel quite a bit better than just needlessly replacing 5 non load bearing and non speed rated bearings which you will never notice the difference made by replacing with an expensive "Orange seal" bearing.

 

You might even be able to replace the level wind pipe with a different one that allows you to add a bearing at the other end of the level wins shaft as well and in doing so maximize the reels function to 12 bearings.. I know you can with Metaniums and Bantams, I'm not sure about the other Shimano models.

[ChrisD46]

On 7/3/2021 at 10:36 PM, Bankc said:

Do you use the spool tension knob at all?  Because if you do, then your current bearings are already providing less friction than you can handle.  Upgrading bearings from there will only result in having to apply more spool tension.  

*Interesting point about bearings* : If you are applying spool tension plus running say 2 ~ 3 centrifugal brakes  on a bait cast reel - isn't there a point where the supposed high end "race" bearings (ceramic or metal)  do not offer a significant  real life advantage for you in controllable casting distance ? Unless I'm wrong - I believe having a nice quality mid - grade set of bearings that you can easily maintain well would be your best investment / ROI ? ... Other care to chime in on this ?

[Deleted account]

1 hour ago, ChrisD46 said:

*Interesting point about bearings* : If you are applying spool tension plus running say 2 ~ 3 centrifugal brakes  on a bait cast reel - isn't there a point where the supposed high end "race" bearings (ceramic or metal)  do not offer a significant  real life advantage for you in controllable casting distance ? Unless I'm wrong - I believe having a nice quality mid - grade set of bearings that you can easily maintain well would be your best investment / ROI ? ... Other care to chime in on this ?

Yes.

[bulldog1935]

On 7/4/2021 at 2:17 PM, bulldog1935 said:

 Below is my Super Duty - Very Similar to your reel and probably the same bearing sizes - the unshielded micro bearings are Hedgehog Air Ceramic HD, which have salt-proof races.  They make a notable difference in the performance of my reel. 

You don't need to replace the spindle cap bearing.  I had my spindle cap removed, spun the spool and noted that bearing did not spin.  The spindle-cap bearing only turns under pinion gear load.  You will need a pin tool to replace the spool bearing.  The simple Hedgehog/Billings type will work on this spool.  Rorolures is another good place for bearings, and their pin tool works on every spool, and is a very good buy.  

Direct experience says otherwise.  

As you lower the system inertia, you also lower cast control tension to get the same braking result, which gives you improved start-up speed = distance.  (Actually, the distance improves with the square of the velocity improvement, so it doesn't take much inertia change to gain notable distance.)

I continue to remain floored by performance of Super Duty with stock deep spool, mag brake, and  improved Air-HD spool bearings.  This is fishing 20-lb Sufix 832, with 20-yds 25-lb Maxima backing.  

My normal lure weights are 1/4 and 3/8 oz jigheads, and on to 7/8 oz Corky's soft plugs, but the reel gives remarkable performance with 1/8 oz jigheads.  

[Deleted account]

On 7/4/2021 at 3:17 PM, bulldog1935 said:

You don't need to replace the spindle cap bearing.  I had my spindle cap removed, spun the spool and noted that bearing did not spin.

So a fancy bushing...

I'm torn between Shimmer, and a scene from The Big Sleep for the sarcasm...

[bulldog1935]

quoted out of context - that's chicken-****.  Read the very next sentence.  

 

Freespool, the cap bearing is non-contact on the spindle.  The purpose of the bearing is to support the loaded pinion gear.  

 

Daiwa made them shielded and bonded rather than clip-in.  And nothing wrong with the clip-in unshielded micro bearings, except that Daiwa is not going to use those, instead, using their design to meet USM expectations - people who want to fish and ignore their Micro bearings.  

 

I'm casting 2g consistently to 100' on my baitcaster with 6'7" rod, and fishing 3 g past 120'.  This doesn't happen without selecting bearing application.  

I'll be there to cast distance with anyone.  

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Boca is one of the last places you’d get a counterfeit bearing. They’re a legit distributor.  ABEC ratings are an industry standard used to compare apples to apples. You an get get quality bearings that have not been rated but the mere fact that they’re from Japan is no guarantee. The whole bearing thing blown out of proportion including the micro, air etc. it’s all marketing and that’s ok. Competition is tough. A clean, quality bearing properly lubricated will provide more free spool than you can use. All the rest is noise. 

[NOC 1]

2 hours ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

Boca is one of the last places you’d get a counterfeit bearing. They’re a legit distributor.  ABEC ratings are an industry standard used to compare apples to apples. You an get get quality bearings that have not been rated but the mere fact that they’re from Japan is no guarantee. The whole bearing thing blown out of proportion including the micro, air etc. it’s all marketing and that’s ok. Competition is tough. A clean, quality bearing properly lubricated will provide more free spool than you can use. All the rest is noise. 

I don't know what to tell you. ABEC is an American rating system, so unless BOCA is selling you American made bearings they are not ABEC rated as anything. The German bearings would have a DIN rating, The Japanese use the JIS, and most everyone else uses the ISO standards. Only American companies use ABEC.

 

BOCA does not claim to sell American bearings, they simply say that they source their bearings from around the world when asked. People have tried to pin them down on it and can't.

 

They are grading Chinese bearings and calling them ABEC rated. They may be decent bearings but they are not ABEC rated bearings. Is that counterfeit? I don't know. Buy them if you like them. But what I'm saying is still the truth.

[Tail Slap]

I find when a company gets elusive about country of origin there is a reason for it.  Saying your bearings came from Japan USA Germany would be a selling point of quality from China not so much.  When I see sourcing described as "around the world" I think looking for the lowest cost and countries like China and India come to mind.   

 

There is unfortunately a difference between terms used for marketing vs terms for official cert.  Those using ABEC that are not USA assoc cert are likely using it as a marketing term to mean ABEC type or design.  They are taking advantage of a industry buzz word.  Tech if ABEC is trade marked they could not use it at least they would be open to litigation.  Numerous China based companies across every industry have never allowed things like this to stop them.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

17 hours ago, NOC 1 said:

I don't know what to tell you. ABEC is an American rating system, so unless BOCA is selling you American made bearings they are not ABEC rated as anything. The German bearings would have a DIN rating, The Japanese use the JIS, and most everyone else uses the ISO standards. Only American companies use ABEC.

 

BOCA does not claim to sell American bearings, they simply say that they source their bearings from around the world when asked. People have tried to pin them down on it and can't.

 

They are grading Chinese bearings and calling them ABEC rated. They may be decent bearings but they are not ABEC rated bearings. Is that counterfeit? I don't know. Buy them if you like them. But what I'm saying is still the truth.

ABEC was developed by an American association with global membership selling and distributing in the US not just manufacturing. A large distributor advertising ABEC ratings would be outed quickly as fighting counterfeiting is one their prime objectives. The whole industry is complicated and the intricacies are not of any real consequence in regard to the OP. 

[Bigassbass]

I have ordered bearings from three different companies, vxb, boca, and some from a knob company. The boca and vxb are smooth as silk, I put them in the spool, worm gear and knob handles of all my Shimano spinning reels, I love the free, smooth rolling feel.  SS shielded they cost about 10 bucks a piece the ones from Boca were made in Germany and they had ABEC advertised ratings of 7 so it's hype and marketing but some bearings are better than others.  I would buy VXB anytime they tell you what they sale and are a bearing company for most anything not just fishing reels. 

 

 

 

[Chaos10691]

2 hours ago, Bigassbass said:

I have ordered bearings from three different companies, vxb, boca, and some from a knob company. The boca and vxb are smooth as silk, I put them in the spool, worm gear and knob handles of all my Shimano spinning reels, I love the free, smooth rolling feel.  SS shielded they cost about 10 bucks a piece the ones from Boca were made in Germany and they had ABEC advertised ratings of 7 so it's hype and marketing but some bearings are better than others.  I would buy VXB anytime they tell you what they sale and are a bearing company for most anything not just fishing reels. 

 

 

 

I know the ones I ordered come with shields separately. Do they need the shields? Does it cause extra friction decreasing casting distance? Also do you oil them?

[NOC 1]

5 hours ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

ABEC was developed by an American association with global membership selling and distributing in the US not just manufacturing. A large distributor advertising ABEC ratings would be outed quickly as fighting counterfeiting is one their prime objectives. The whole industry is complicated and the intricacies are not of any real consequence in regard to the OP. 

I am telling the truth about bearings and I'll leave it up to the OP to decide what is of consequence to him.

[Bigassbass]

Chaos yes, I lightly oil mine, the shields keep out dirt and trash they stay cleaner longer, I think they spin plenty fast but the open bearings are rated to be the fastest, they get dirty quicker and you might have to clean them more often. I've never used open ones don't want them, I clean and service my reels maybe once a year don't want anymore work. 

[jimmyjoe]

   In the first place, ABEC is about tolerances, not capabilities. Secondly, the whole world can get in on the RATINGS if they so desire.

 

https://www.emersonbearing.com/products/abec-rating-guide/

 

jj

[Chaos10691]

24 minutes ago, Bigassbass said:

Chaos yes, I lightly oil mine, the shields keep out dirt and trash they stay cleaner longer, I think they spin plenty fast but the open bearings are rated to be the fastest, they get dirty quicker and you might have to clean them more often. I've never used open ones don't want them, I clean and service my reels maybe once a year don't want anymore work. 

Ok last question can you take the shields off later to clean the insides? Or are they permanently stuck on the bearing?

[NOC 1]

20 hours ago, jimmyjoe said:

   In the first place, ABEC is about tolerances, not capabilities. Secondly, the whole world can get in on the RATINGS if they so desire.

 

https://www.emersonbearing.com/products/abec-rating-guide/

 

jj

Yeah...and so?

[Hammer 4]

I  can see Irene stopping by here .... and soon.

[new2BC4bass]

7 hours ago, Hammer 4 said:

I  can see Irene stopping by here .... and soon.

Irene or Karen?