Delaware Valley Tackle Posted March 1, 2012 Posted March 1, 2012 Each design has its pluses and minuses. My mind often wanders pondering how cool it would be blend design aspects of several different reels into one. I imagine patents and such make it almost impossible. Quote
Super User Goose52 Posted March 18, 2012 Super User Posted March 18, 2012 The only plastic parts that concern me in this reel are the yolk posts. That clutch trip plate is a little iffy, but so are Daiwa's trip plates. Didn't get around to "popping the hood" on one of my JCLs until yesterday. The clutch return pawl IS dodgy. The rachet applies the force to the pawl at the top of the extension as shown by the red arrow in the photo. How long will that extension hold up without bending or breaking? This part is different from the equivalent part on the PQ and "gold" CL. The PQ and CL have the same part shape, but the PQ part was some sort of plated metal, they changed it to aluminum on the CL to save weight. Now, the JCL tried to take the weight saving a bit farther and minimized the part shape. Hopefully, this new part will hold up...but I'll probably be ordering a couple spares...and maybe sometime stripping down both a gold CL and this new JCL to see if the older PQ/CL part will fit and function in the JCL... Other observations: Yep - sideplate screws into plastic, AND, the screws are tiny. I need to invest in better quality phillips drivers in these small sizes. Nice drag stack - three carbon washers - smooth. The spool on the JCL IS lighter than the CL...but to put things in perspective, you pay a penalty in spool weight to have the dual braking system. Not a big deal for me as I have other reels/rods to throw very light baits. Spool assembly weights (includes captive bearing) for CL, JCL, and a Curado 50E: CL - 18.30g JCL - 15.56g 50E - 11.27g The centrifugal brake shoes on the JCL are very thin - there might be a long-term wear issue here. I'm having a brake wear issue right now on my "5-Year Challenge" PQ reel that I will be reporting on soon and the PQ shoes are a bit thicker than the JCL shoes. The reel in the photo has a rough spot once per handle revolution. I only took the cover off to see if I could find a cause for that - I didn't completely strip the reel. I didn't see anything obvious - no burrs on the drive gear or anything like that. The drive gear was practically dry so I cleaned it along with the pinion gear and re-greased. After assembly, the rough spot is still there but the more I crank the reel, the roughness seems to be smoothing out. I fished it yesterday for about 15 minutes or so and it doesn't bother me. Perhaps it will just smooth out with use. All-in-all, you can see the design efforts to get the reel under 6 ounces. The real question of course is will you still have durability to go along with the light weight. I've got so many dang reels now that it might take me a long time to find out... Quote
buzzfrog Posted March 18, 2012 Posted March 18, 2012 So if i wanted a super lite reel for my carrot PG, would this be worth, or is there better lite reels out there for the price..??? Quote
Super User Goose52 Posted March 18, 2012 Super User Posted March 18, 2012 So if i wanted a super lite reel for my carrot PG, would this be worth, or is there better lite reels out there for the price..??? It depends on whether you REALLY want a 5 ounce class reel. If you do, this reel at $130 is hundreds less than other reels in the 5 ounce club. But, it's new and no one has put enough time on the reel to know whether it will last. I'm a BPS BC reel fan but I've still got reservations about this reel (although I did buy two of them). At only $130, it's probably worth giving a try if money isn't tight. However, search this forum for the other threads on this reel - especially the post by "Hooligan" who gave a report on the reel after spending some time on the water with it. Some people are reporting roughness in the reel - some are reporting that it's noisy if that bothers you. OTOH, there are now lots of 6 ounce class reels with proven dependability to choose from so it comes down to how important is that last 1/2 to 1 ounce of weight reduction... Quote
buzzfrog Posted March 19, 2012 Posted March 19, 2012 thanks goose, i love the PQ, and have an old extreme that is nice,.. and i will do a search thank ya Quote
HomersTomaco Posted March 19, 2012 Posted March 19, 2012 I fished with my new Revo MGX and JM carbonlite both for the first time today. The JM definitely casted better than the MGX but was a tad noisier. Only time will tell on the longevity of the two, but my initial impression on using them both a lot was that, I see no reason to buy an MGX when the JM carbonlite is only $130 Quote
Super User Goose52 Posted March 19, 2012 Super User Posted March 19, 2012 I put some more time on the water with one of my JCLs today - it is indeed a good caster. I've got it on a "beater" All Star rod right now but I think I'll really like this reel once I match it up with a nice, light rod. Quote
Super User QUAKEnSHAKE Posted March 19, 2012 Super User Posted March 19, 2012 I tried out mine today for about 4hrs throwing 3/4oz SB, 1/4ozjigncraw, KVD 1.0. No rough spots at all no sound on the throw once spool tension adjusted to not be very loose. If the tension too loose it made a chatter but that was with a lot of side to side movement so it wasnt the reel's issue just set-up. On the retrieve with reeling in all the lures at slow to mod pace no issue but when really cranking high speed the gear sound is noticeable but that speed I never fish at. Like mentioned no actual rough spots just an overall geary feel. Might need to look see if gears need some grease. It casts the kvd1.0 great and it just a little over 1/4oz like .260oz Oh the lightweight is nice and noticeable from one set-up to others of mine. I have mine paired with a Smoke rod and its 3.4oz + 5.82 for reel Im at 9.22 and whatever 15#S8S weighs. Quote
Jason Penn Posted March 25, 2012 Posted March 25, 2012 i ordered another 7:1 while the price was $20 off. the one i've got now definitely makes a grind per rotation, i thought i had taken care of it with some grease, but i guess that was just wishful thinking. the 5:1 i have is smooth as can be though. hopefully this 7:1 i have coming will be the same way! Quote
MrSwimJig Posted March 25, 2012 Posted March 25, 2012 I fished my JM reel today for the first time along with a JM Elite Rod. Couldn't pass up the price of these doing the Spring Classic. So far I am very impressed with the reel. I have not noticed any more noise with this reel compared to my Lews Tournament PRO. Casting is very smooth and the new breaking system is very nice and very easy to adjust. Only time will tell if it can hold up to day in and dau out use. Quote
Super User Goose52 Posted March 25, 2012 Super User Posted March 25, 2012 I've put more time on the water with the JCL that has the rough spot once per turn...and I don't really notice it while fishing. I have to decide on a better rod to match with the reel and I think I'll be in good shape... Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.