bearing upgrade

[J Francho]

Free spool spin times don't really mean much on the water, with a bait tied to the end of the line.  I have upgraded a few reels.  The difference is negligible, unless replacing a shot bearing.

[ksbasser]

I don't have a recomendation for a certain bearing. I use boca bearings. I get some from VXB and I have tried a few of the more expensive brands of hybrids such as rockets and some of the japan imports. My opinion is that different reels respond differently to each bearing. I put boca OS 7 bearings in my own Revo STX. The reel was uncontrolable with those bearings. The best bearing I found for a Revo is the stock bearing after it's been flushed or any quality brand of a 3 or 5 rating, as long as it's recomended for fishing reels. Boca does a good job of listing bearings as being suitable for that purpose. You really need to know what you are looking for to get bearings from some other sources. I know several guys that have put the OS 7 bearings in old and new curados. They seem to work very good in those reels, but so would a good abec 5 from a top brand. I prefer open bearings and I love the shimano ARB bearings. They are an abec 3 by the way. I have compared the ARB and the boca OS 7 side by side a few times. I get a few seconds more free spin time from the boca when they are both dry. Casts made with the same reel alternating between those 2 bearings were so similar that I could not tell much difference. That was in a curado 200. Before someone spends a bunch of money on fancy bearings, they should talk to someone that has used those bearings in the same reel or visit with Mike of Delaware valley. He is a boca dealer and should be able to tell you what the best bearing for your reel would be.

[baluga]

Some reels do not need upgrades and the the Calais is one of them. But with the Core, I do have excellent result.   The Calis stock bearing spins too fast that I have to set all breaks on and adjust the cast control to tame it down. I even resorted to putting more drop of oil from my usual one or two drops just to slow it down a bit. 

[.ghoti.]

I've put ABEC 7 stainless bearings in 6 reels; four fairly new Fuegos and two older Millionaires. A marginal, at best, improvement. The reels all cast just a bit better. Certainly not worth the cost. Wish I had just done one. I would not have done a second.

Earlier, I bought a pair of ceramics. Installed them, and immediately took them out and sold them to a buddy. I hate those things. WAY TOO NOISY. I like my reels to be seen and NOT heard.

As far as bearings go, proper cleaning and lubing, at regular intervals, will keep your stock bearings working for a long time.

A drag upgrade is a different story. That is well worth the cost. Carbontex drag washers are a very nice upgrade; cheap and easy to do. My advice would be the skip the bearings and buy the polished metal washers to go with the carbontex washers. Don't want to buy the polished metal washers? Make your own.

I've polished all the metal drag washers in a couple of reels, using a Dremel, felt wheel and ultra fine polishing compound. I will be doing this for all of my reels. It's another step up from carbontex. And, simple to do.

Wrap some duct tape, sticky side out around a flat piece of stock. Stick all the metal washers to the duct tape and polish away. When done on one side, remove, clean, dry, stick "em back on to do the other sides. I work inside a large ziplock bag. The polishing compound tends to fly about, and makes a mess. Make sure to clean them. Them clean "em again.

When all the washers are polished, clean and dry, put the drag stack back together, applying a good silicone based grease to all surfaces in the stack. The advice I've been given was to use just enough grease to barely coat the washers. If you can leave a good fingerprint, you've gotten it right. I use a soft, kids toothbrush to apply the drag grease. Seems to work out nicely.

The combination of carbontex, polished metal washers and a good grease makes for a very smooth drag, with a start-up torque only slightly higher than running torque.

If you want to upgrade your reels, the drag upgrade would be the first thing I'd recommend.

Unless you're one those who uses XH rods, braid, and cranks your drag down with a pair of pliers. Carbontex drag washers and polished metal washers are going to do nothing for you. The upgrade you need is to weld the drag stack and main gear together and be done with it.

[skunked_again]

I've put ABEC 7 stainless bearings in 6 reels; four fairly new Fuegos and two older Millionaires. A marginal, at best, improvement. The reels all cast just a bit better. Certainly not worth the cost. Wish I had just done one. I would not have done a second.

Earlier, I bought a pair of ceramics. Installed them, and immediately took them out and sold them to a buddy. I hate those things. WAY TOO NOISY. I like my reels to be seen and NOT heard.

As far as bearings go, proper cleaning and lubing, at regular intervals, will keep your stock bearings working for a long time.

A drag upgrade is a different story. That is well worth the cost. Carbontex drag washers are a very nice upgrade; cheap and easy to do. My advice would be the skip the bearings and buy the polished metal washers to go with the carbontex washers. Don't want to buy the polished metal washers? Make your own.

I've polished all the metal drag washers in a couple of reels, using a Dremel, felt wheel and ultra fine polishing compound. I will be doing this for all of my reels. It's another step up from carbontex. And, simple to do.

Wrap some duct tape, sticky side out around a flat piece of stock. Stick all the metal washers to the duct tape and polish away. When done on one side, remove, clean, dry, stick "em back on to do the other sides. I work inside a large ziplock bag. The polishing compound tends to fly about, and makes a mess. Make sure to clean them. Them clean "em again.

When all the washers are polished, clean and dry, put the drag stack back together, applying a good silicone based grease to all surfaces in the stack. The advice I've been given was to use just enough grease to barely coat the washers. If you can leave a good fingerprint, you've gotten it right. I use a soft, kids toothbrush to apply the drag grease. Seems to work out nicely.

The combination of carbontex, polished metal washers and a good grease makes for a very smooth drag, with a start-up torque only slightly higher than running torque.

If you want to upgrade your reels, the drag upgrade would be the first thing I'd recommend.

Unless you're one those who uses XH rods, braid, and cranks your drag down with a pair of pliers. Carbontex drag washers and polished metal washers are going to do nothing for you. The upgrade you need is to weld the drag stack and main gear together and be done with it.

i LOL'd at that.