Shimano torium

[Broke-off]

I'm looking for your opinions on the shimano torium reels. I don't hear alot about them but they seem to have alot of drag and a high line retrieve.
What do you you all think of them ?

[Bucktail]

I've caught bluefin and yellowfin tuna up to 60 lbs or so on my Torium 16.  Did the Carbontex upgrade and the AT clicking anti-reverse mod on it.  Great little reel for the money.

[handi2]

I have serviced at least 50 of these reels. The main problem I have seen is corrosion on the finish. If you take care of the finish and a few little things they last and work for a long time.

The right side bearing under the drag star must be filled with grease. They come with an open bearing that is just oiled. Left alone water enters there and ruins the roller clutch bearing and will continue to rust and corrode the inner tube on the roller clutch to the point it will not come off the main shaft. It gets even worse..!!

I'll find a couple of pictures to show you what a tiny bit of grease can prevent.

[handi2]

The reel was repaired like new again and hasn't come back.

[Wolli]

The right side bearing under the drag star must be filled with grease. They come with an open bearing that is just oiled. Left alone water enters there and ruins the roller clutch bearing and will continue to rust and corrode the inner tube on the roller clutch to the point it will not come off the main shaft. It gets even worse..!!

Same troubles with the TEKOTA....
Have 11 Tekota 600 for service. All reels have rusted roller clutch bearings.
Shimano Europe contacted by all b.m. parts out of stock....
Has anybody contact to Shimano USA or a dealer and can help?

Need in total the following items:
11x ARB #TGT0488
  2x Worm Shaft Retainer #TGT0042
  1X Handle Assembly #TGT0504
  1X Clutch Lever #0506

Please reply by PN.
Many thanks in advance for kind assistance.
Wolli

[handi2]

I see that you are in Germany. Smooth Drag should have the AR bearings if Shimano USA doesn't. I have about 8 of them and the clutch lever also. I'm in Gulf Breeze, FL. USA.

All Shimano star drag models have this issue.

Broke-Off don't let these posts deter you from purchasing any of these reels. They are great smooth reels just right for bottom fishing or anything else you want to do with them. One thing is they don't cast well but they have an incredible drag. The 30 size down have one back up anti-reverse dog. The larger ones have 2. They will never go backwards on you when fighting the big fish..!

The have a great drag but it will need changing after a few years. Just keep the finish clean and salt free.

[handi2]

Shimano USA has the roller clutch bearings in stock.

[sundaytrucka]

Overall, they are good reels. No reel is perfect, but with the guidelines listed above with greasing and maintaining certain parts and aspects of the reel it will last a long time. Also, there are a lot of these reels out there and widely used here on the California coast, so parts should be available for a while.

Upgraded version of the Shimano TLD star drag, and a step down from the gold Shimano Trinidad line, great mid-level reel.

[SoCalAngler]

Shimano only stocks parts for discontinued reels for 10 years, so any parts that are not used in reels still in production will be harder and harder to find.

In cast star drag reels like the Torium, Daiwa and Penn have reels in produstion around the same price point that I like better than the Toriums.

If I was looking to get another reel like your looking for the Penn Fathom line would be hard for me to pass up. Greased inside, greased carbon drags, finish holds up well (at least on my Fathom reel) no anti-reverse baring issues that I have heard of, backup dog if ARB does fail and more.

[Jeri]

Hi All,

We see a lot of Toriums here for service, the general issues that come to the fore are the open bearings on the drive shaft – switch them out for shielded stainless, and that cures that problem. The other issue on the drive shaft is at the opposite end, they have a bush that is prone to rusting and locking onto the drive shaft – switch that out for another small shielded stainless bearing. The last common fault is to do with the cover pressings – the rivets holding the pressed aluminium housing for the anti-reverse bearing are prone to loosening; just a defect of using pressings rather than castings.

Shimano throughout their range are currently prone to using open bearings, and for sea usage this presents a down side – of potential corrosion despite the various treatments they claim on these bearings. Lost count of the times we have had Trinidad reels fail on the end of drive shaft bearing – so tiny and open to all ingress of water past the spool.

You might consider looking at the new Finnor Lethals, they have a much stronger build straight from the factory, so less potential for failures.

Just a thought, hope the above helps, as when all said and done, the Toriums are a good reel for the price, and about the same as the Lethals.

Cheers from sunny Africa


Jeri

[Broke-off]

Thank you all for your input. Vary helpfull. I think I'll get a 16 and do the drag and clicker mods.and def pack the bearing under the star drag.  If that will land a 60lb BF tuna. That's about the biggest I'll ever see.
Thanks again.   Bill