Review of the Maxed Out handle/knob assembly

Gfish · February 13, 2018, 10:57:47 PM

Great review S.L.
Really, if you ever wanted a career change maybe that'ed be one thing to consider?... "Striprer Lou's Reviews".

I have no real machining or fabricating experience to speak of. Sensory-wise though there's something about those 2 eccentric shift levers from Maxed Out I have, that say to me "form & function-perfection". Not to mention that you can't even tell they're a diffrent product than the C.C. side plates they're attached to.
Gfish

pjstevko · February 14, 2018, 03:13:59 AM

Great review Lou!

And if you ever wanna get rid of that "Purple Haze" reel let me know.... I'd have to get a loan but I'd love to buy it

STRIPER LOU · February 16, 2018, 10:44:26 PM

Thanks All!

This one is called Eye of the Tiger. Installed it earlier and seems pretty much the same as the others, a nice tight fit. A light coat of grease on the handle and gear sleeve, worked it up and down along its length until seated, removed the handle and grease, then reinstall.

The orange/black combo is quite a contrast to the green and looks really sharp. The shop has been very busy with customers for the past several days and I wanted to get this out for the weekend in order to get more feed back.

We had a slight break in the weather and a bunch of the guys went to the Housey. They didn't catch a ton of fish by any means but one of them did manage a 40 inch striper and a few of the guys caught some small schoolies.. Someone said the big bass was caught on a 3/4 oz white pearl shad. Doesn't look like the weather is going to hold for the weekend though as they're predicting around 8" of snow.

I'm heading to R.I. towards the end of the month. My buddy Chas is one of the commercial guys and He's doing the Cod thing right now. Putting a 4/0 together with the Maxed Out handle arm for him to test, so we'll see how it goes.
Have to bring some supplies and thought I might want to pack a rod just in case!

Again, thanks to everyone for the comments, they're appreciated, and please by all means share your experiences.
Have a great evening, .. Lou

STRIPER LOU · February 22, 2018, 06:48:04 PM

The Maxed Out handle/knob assemblies have been on display at the shop for a few weeks now.

All the comments have been positive so far. One of the guys wife's is an ardent bottom fisherman (oops fisherwoman). She played with it for a while and was surprised to hear her say, ... nope, its not too big for me!
When we bottom fish for tog, flounder, and sea bass, this gal makes us really look bad. The lady has the touch.

I put this one together for the weekend shop crew. Tom's plates, Tib yts frame and spool, steel main gear, shop made custom drag assembly, and Ted's handle arm and shift lever.

The color match on the arm is about as good as it gets. Nice fit and it surely makes for a handsome reel. The red handle in the background is the one that's going out for field testing at the end of the month.

I'm glad I have several of these as its nice to actually see some of my reels with handles on them for a change. If you have some of these babies installed, please post them up and lets see what ya got!

All have a great day, .. Lou

foakes · February 22, 2018, 06:57:29 PM

Great report, Lou!

Ted's cranks, and actually all of his upgrade products combine form, function, strength, superb attention to detail, in a unique and attractive design.

Can't ask for more — and all at a very fair price.

Ted is a modest and humble guy, who knows what it is all about — no drama, just perfect results.

Best,

Fred

Keta · February 22, 2018, 06:57:47 PM

I have a red one on my CC 349H and as soon as they are finished I will have a silver and blue one on my
T4N1.

thorhammer · February 22, 2018, 06:59:01 PM

I have six with more ordered from Ted. They are sweet! Lou, I need those plugs. Seriously.

STRIPER LOU · February 23, 2018, 12:03:00 AM

"OHANA Silver Bullet" with matching arm and grip. She's a stunner!

mo65 · February 23, 2018, 01:11:56 AM

That one is over the top...fantastic!

twotone · February 25, 2018, 09:24:16 PM

Lou,
Great review. You should take up writing for a sport fishing magazine.
I've been away for a while and haven't posted about these modern reel handles. I think they compliment our modern star drags. As well as make them 21 century reels.
Besides that, they are nice to look at (awesome) and made well. I like the size of the handle and arm length on both the 2/0 and 4/0. The size of the comfy knob is perfect for my hand.
Anyway Lou, thanks for the review. You covered everything and more.

Lou, if possible, I was hoping you could make a custom knobs for one Ted's handle arms?

Ted, I PMed you this morning for a few complete handles and some levers.

STRIPER LOU · February 25, 2018, 09:42:57 PM

tt, well that's a nice looking group you have there. Very sharp and I'm partial to Adam's Ocean City style stars too.

I've been swamped with work here and I haven't had time to put one of my knobs on Ted's arm.

Its on the list though. A lot of people checking Ted's goodies out at the shop this weekend. His shift levers have been a big hit too! I'm completely sold out.

Thanks for the comment's, and have a great evening, .. Lou

twotone · February 26, 2018, 02:18:49 AM

Thanks for the good words Lou! I can't believe Penn never made shifters that nice.

Reel 224 · February 28, 2018, 04:16:04 PM

The handles and shifters are nice.

Joe

STRIPER LOU · March 07, 2018, 01:12:41 PM

Teds handle/arm assembly is being tested by Chas, one of the commercial guys. He's been using it for almost 2 weeks now and so far its all looking good.

I'll keep you posted on any of his feedback as it comes in.

................Lou

STRIPER LOU · May 17, 2018, 04:30:41 PM

UPDATE

I have spoken with Chas on several occasions and they are up fishing on Stellwagen Bank at the moment for haddock.

After around 3 or 4 weeks of use, the foam loosened a bit and he glued it and no further problems occurred since. Both him and his partner gave it great praise. Light weight, good meaty grip, and comfortable in the colder weather.

I hope to get the assembly here when they get back as I'm anxious to get a look at it myself. I know it got a good workout.

The testing was done on the first version assembly and Ted has made some changes to improve its durability. A different material is available and its glued in place. The metal end caps have been removed and it certainly makes for a comfortable and affordable grip.

Nice work Mr. M and thanks for making these available to Ohana!

Will keep everyone posted as I hear more.

All have a great day, .. Lou