[size 1] Ok, I've just worn out my 5 th reel in about 10-12 yrs. I admittt I do a lot of spin fishing for about 8 mos. every year and I have allways bought the inexpensive reel but -------------even so. In each and every case after I took em apart I found that I have worn out the worm gear!!!!!! I think they were all made from brass. It doesn't seem that it has had anything to do with bearings. They've always had plent of grease. Of course the bail spring goes early but that I can deal with. When a worm gear goes the reel is shot! I've always bought what I thought were good brands, Diawa, Shimano, Qantum, etc.
I've allways written this off to (cheaper reels) but 2 yrs.??? What realy got me to post this was that some very experienced fishermen have said they never had a reel go bad from a worm gear????? If I'm right, worm gear material, then what reel has solve this problem? If I'm wrong, what's my problem?
[/size][url "http://javascript:%20addTag(':/')"][size 1][unsure][/size][/url][size 1]Leaky [/size]
We've always hear the term "If you buy cheap, you buy often". That is not always the case. There are some bargains to be had out there and by looking around carefull (as you are doing now), it could save you some money in the long run and also help you to establish a nice relationship with some decent fishing equipment.
The reel manufactures found a way to make some decent money on people by comeing out with an economy line of many of their reels.
Many of these include the Brass gears driven by a hardend gear on the handle. Result? The softer material will always loose the battle especially on the Mohes scale. That just sticks us with a slightly inferior product with the top namebrand on it.
If you could find a reel that has the stainless or hardened gear components in the inside, you will notice that you can get a tremendous amount of life out of the reels.
I still have some older Mitchell reels. I'm sure that my dad has put them through the test for many years and then passed them on to me quite a number of years ago. They are still working great.
All in all, you are getting the expected life out of the equipment that you have purchased. I'm sure you fish quite a bit if not every day.
Most of the lower line reels are intended for the angler that gets out to fish only once or twice a year. That person is happy after 20 years and boasts how his equipment has lasted him so long. That person has only used it 20 to 40 times!
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Hey there leaky,
I was no spinning reel fan until I started fishing the beaches, and finesse fishing the swimbaits.
I do know I was very suprised at the materials used in some of the gears and other components I looked at upon shopping for my first spinner in 15 years.
I ended up getting a quantum '110yds of 10lb level' model with 4 ballbearings and although it functions perfectly I don't think I would be able to depend on it for a major fish attack. You see..... the spool (properly seated and tightened correctly) can be tilted vertically quite freely on the shaft no less than 1/4 of an inch either to one side or the other!
Told that's the nature of the animal. I'll just wait till the bottom of the spool scrapes the spool housing, binds the spool and looses me a trophy before I go balastic! ha ha ha No problems yet!
Seems like there is a price relation between number of bearings and $$$. Drags are really smooth on almost all reels I tried starting from a tiny bit of pressure to locking it down only to a degree where the clerk didn't grit their teeth at me! ha ha
Surely some of the old standard models like the Mitchell 405 have replacement parts. or part out a yard sale reel if they are common.
Good hunting,
JapanRon
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first of all what type of fishing are you doing? salt or fresh, then when type of fish do you plan to go after? this does apply very much to the type of reel as much as the rod you use,to the line that comes off. and what area do you fish rocks, weeds, sand ,stumps, gravel,or just flat water? there are a lot of problems that leads to reel malfuntions just need some of the things you do to see if i can help you keep you in the game longer.
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If the reels have a warranty I would say send them back and complain
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daymere,
I fish fresh water, mostly for smallies, LM, and pan fish in lakes and rivers using 6 # line, jig fishing with plastics (slow mostly) and mostly from a tube or shore. Probably average 2-3 time a week.
Leaky
look at it this way.
when you have the time you will do the required maintance.
when you have the money you will replace to save time.
when you havent the time or the money you will find a cane pole [url "javascript: addTag('
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keeping them out of the sun when not in use, replacing greese and lube will extend the life of your reel.
what will kill your reel the fastest is dipping them in to the lake or river. the floating and silk and sand will distroy your equipment in almost a days use if not emediatly cleaned replacing greese and lube. you need to compleatly strip down the reel all the way down to just a pile of parts in to a tub of parts cleaner spraying off every thing with an air hose before reasembly.
I have a shimano that I have been using and is my most used reel for 10 years. I have had to replace reels in the past only due only to breakage of parts, Bail Crank Cracked housing and only once due to geers stripping and that was because I had 70 pound test line on a reel designed for 12 pound test and caught a tempory hold on a fish worthy of the 70 pound test.
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dont feel too bad leaky i have the same problem. i have bought cheap and expensive and found they wear out in about a year or two for me. its like they dont make them like they use to it seems like. my old reels i never had a problem with, its when i started buying the "new" stuff is when they started falling apart. i usually wear out the drag disk first all on rods.
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buy a little heaveier reel with a good warrnty and spool it with magna thin with the same size line try a no guide pole the seem better on reels too.
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