Tufftackle Brawn 8000 Jig

[Clem]

Hi All,

A quick review/breakdown of the new Brawn 8000 spinner from Tufftackle.

The reel or at least the design/features of the reel have been of much debate - Someone (not the owner of the company, that I am aware of) has been pushing the reel on various forum's for the last few months, suggesting it is a Stella/Saltiga killer...it has become the most popular unpopular reel on the web...

Features as listed on the Company website

•   Australian made
•   15 year warranty
•   Line retreive 870mm per rev
•   Line capacity 300mtrs 70lb Braid
•   SS main and pinion gear
•   Bronze oscillation gears
•   Fully billet machined reel
•   Magnetic bail lock
•   Magnetic drag clicker
•   9 + 1 440c SS roller bearings
•   5 x Ertalyte bearings
•   2 x Brass bearings
•   Teflon sealed drag (water proof)
•   O ring sealed body (water proof)
•   Max drag 30kg
•   Weight 760 grams

As mentioned above the early pictures posted on the various forum's created a lot of debate,

*     Reel stem screwed to the main body?
*     Magnets used in place of springs?
*     Max drag 45kg?
*     Drilled reel stem?
*     Large bail arm?
*     Small looking line roller?

Anyway, I decided to get one and have a look at it myself - provide you with some feedback as I see it (I am no "reviewer" and that may become evident as you read on) - the reel arrived as below, simple packaging but protected well enough



Removing the reel from the packaging shows it is sent in 2 parts (will explain this further on) - Handle assembly and main body. The look of the reel is a bit unusual due to the cone shaped shaft housing. It feels good in the hand, fairly smooth - drag adjusts well...looking at the stem up close it should be OK....balance is pretty good



A quick look over the reel shows one small cosmetic flaw...small indentation on main body...not too serious



Look from the rear you can see the stem and the 2 screws connecting it to the main body. They are off center to the stem but central to the main body



From the right you can see the drilled out stem (the connection is said to be tested to 174kg - straight pull) the spool and rotor are also drilled to reduce weight



From the left, sealing shaft cap and 3 countersunk screws holding the LH body plate



The handle grip is Carbon Fibre (I have been using them on my JM's) standard shaft which is sealed and contains 2 bearings. The handle arm seems quite thick approx 7.5mm through the thickest part. It is connected to a shaft that is running through the blue cone shaped cover. I mentioned above that the handle assembly comes complete and separated from the main body the main reason for this is due to the way that the arm is connected to tho the main shaft.

The main shaft is threaded but not keyed like most other designs, this means that pressure is required (from the blue cone shaped nut) to hold the arm to the blue outer which forms part of the shaft (I believe loctite is used here to assist)



Picture of the smaller than usual line roller (large dia bail arm 6.5mm)



Removing the drag knob shows the teflon seal





Top of the spool - clicker housing and locking wire



Removing the spool shows the rotor/shaft design, the spool base held on the rotor shaft by a central pin - CF washer



Back to the spool, as you can see drilled for weight savings



Turning it over you can see the clicker which uses magnets in place of springs (all magnets appear to be pressed in - not sure if they are cemented also)



Spool contents removed showing 6 Carbon Washers, these appear to be oiled not greased..green in color but not Reelx



In the base of the spool are 2 shielded bearings (10 x 15 x 4) Not fully greased, added a couple of drops of Hot sauce)



Back to the rotor, the smaller than normal line roller held by the single screw



The other side of the bail arm - that's a thick bail arm?



Dropping out the line roller shows it runs on 2 nylon bushes - well oiled but not as smooth as a bearing/s



Bail/rotor arm with magnets to hold the bail arm closed or oped (resistance feels ok - locks open or closed)



Removing the arm, single screw



Nylon bushing and plastic spacer





Dropping the arm exposes the magnets used to hold the bail open or closed



Remove the pin to slide the spool base assembly from the main shaft - remove the rotor nut



Came out easy (may need a touch of loctite?)



Rotor nut removed - simple looking rotor



we are now looking at where you would normally find the clutch assembly/cover - remove the 6 cover screws



This is kind of interesting, this actually one piece that holds a large one way bearing (approx 16mm long) the piece is milled for weight and sealed with an O-ring. This is connected to the main body via 2 screws



Remove the LH shaft cap and main body screws - LH bearing is 9 x 17 x 5



Main gear..lots of grease - O Ring seal



Pull the main gear straight up to remove...again lots of grease



Removed some of the grease so I could see what was what...simple layout



Pull the clutch assembly directly out - will come out as a complete unit





Picture showing the one way bearing..



Clutch/shaft assembly broken down - shaft is keyed for roller sleeve (rubber seal) Bearing is 10 x 22 x 6



2 screws holding slide to shaft and 2 screws for slide cover



Slide has 2 bearings which a pressed on (will be a complete part to replace)



Slide and shaft removed...large gear has a bushing as a roller for the slide



RH shaft bearing is 7 x 14 x 5



Cleaned up the casing



Reassemble...



The tolerances are pretty tight...



Back together...




Thoughts....

When put into context I think Simon has done a pretty good job...I know what it takes to design and and make simple handle arms but a complete reel is many steps above that...

Like many new items there are a few glitches but all things that could easily be improved - bit of scope here for those who like to tinker with reels   - I have got a few ideas already...

*     Loose screw on line roller (easy fix)
*     Small dent on main body (maybe during milling)
*     Shaft pin a little loose (reshaped - perfect now)
*     Bearings not fully greased (probably straight from manufacture - no brand on them I could see)
*     Instructions - Schematic should be included
*     When the spool is fully forward the bail arm can sometimes  touch the drag knob (depends on the orientation of the knob)






Time will tell in regard to,

*     The connection of the handle arm to the shaft - (it does feel strong)
*     The seating of the magnets - I assume they are pressed and glued?
*     Longevity and ability of the reel


Things I like...

*     Innovative thinking
*     Very simple design
*     Modular design - Interchangeable spools and parts at realistic prices (as per the website a spool is $75.00)
*     Smooth - but not as smooth as a Stella


Is it a Stella/Saltiga killer?

I cant speak about Saltiga's because I have not owned one but in comparison to my Stella's - I honestly don't think so (not yet anyway)... not to say it wont be an effective reel, I actually cant wait to spool it up and use it. I will post a review after our fishing trip to Musandam in a couple of weeks. I 'am fairly confident it will go well, but it will take some time before those who are currently using high end spinners will be convinced to switch over.

More than anything I congratulate Simon for the work he has put into developing the reel and the concept...My trouble is that I quietly like the underdog despite the fact I have have some nice gear. I like to support those who give things a go and push the boundaries and this is no exception...I think there is lots of potential here  

Cheers

Clem (Fishmad1)

[Alto Mare]

Hello Clem, thanks for always bringing these excellent tutorials. You always amaze me on how easy you make it look. My first question to you would be on how much does this reel cost? To be honest, I'm not crazy about the overall look, but I'm old fashioned. The spool and the T knob look great to me, but the rest is a bit much. I see a lot of good features on that reel, I really like the teflon washers and seals, the ss gear and pinion and the magnets, I would love a report on those. Some of the things I wasn't crazy about, first, the bail. It is nice and thick, but I think that it's ridiculous that they wouldn't even test it. The bail arm should not touch anywhere, unless they place a warning tag on the reel stating not to flip at its highest point. That CF washer looks good under the spool, they must have been listening to Alan. The body should be one piece, I just dont see the advantage of having the stem held in place by two screws, a lot of stress is created at that area. One other thing I wasn't crazy about is the spool shaft, It would have been  nice if it went through the body and into a bushing at the rear. Over all, I see lots of good features, I'm sure if there are any flaws it could be fine tuned. Let us know how it performs Clem and thanks again for bringing it to us. Sal
PS...Nice having you here, I appreciate all that you do.

[Clem]

Thanks Sal,

I assume the overall design is somewhat influenced by the costs of production - hence the 2 piece stem and main body... the online cost is $549.00 which puts it right up there. I per-ordered this one and got a better price..that said not cheap..

Yes a rear shaft bearing would be great...I'm neither here or there on the thick bail arms (not had any problems in the past with normal bail arms)...teflon seals are great and seem to function well enough

Also...a dog for backup

I am not a fan of the cone shaped housing (personal preference)...as you mentioned there are lots of good features and I too am keen to see how they hold up... Will post report when I get back from Musandam

[alantani]

nicely done!!!!!!!!

[Bryan Young]

Thanks Clem.  that's a machined beast.

[redsetta]

Great work Clem, as always.
I agree with your take - the innovation and tenacity the designer's shown simply to get this into production are admirable.
The simple rotor, magnets and teflon seals are great differentiators in a crowded market, too.
Also agree with Sal re: the S/S pinion and main gear - nice touches all.
Looking forward to the Musandam field-test report!
Cheers mate, Justin

[Clem]

Hi All,

Just a quick update in regard to this reel and something for discussion,

I have fished the reel twice and have taken sometime to have a good look at internally, I have passed on my thoughts to the manufacture and received good feedback from him regarding the findings and possible solutions. I am now waiting for the updated design that should be a much better reel.

One of the things I noticed when I received it was how smooth the drag was; The reel was said to have a drag rating similar to the Stella 50+ pounds. I have checked at full spool and this would seem to be the case...it tested the same as the Stella at full spool (approx 41-44 lb).

The drag stack is a normal multi stack design, this one includes 6 CF washers. The difference is that these have been oiled as opposed greased. The oil used is Penrite 140 (LSD gear oil). I have a couple of spare spools for my Stella's from Jigging Master, one for my 10K and one for the 20K. I broke these down when I received them and greased the drags with Cal's as usual...smooth no problems.

What I do notice when "greasing" drags is that the spool resistance increases slightly due to the viscosity and tackiness of the grease. This reel with the oiled drag does not have that but is very smooth. I was just interested in your thoughts of oil Vs grease...I have not done any significant tests but it feels as if oil is actually smoother?...not totally sure if provides the same overall or long term protection...but for those of us who service our gear regularly it may not be an issue? anyway just interested in you thoughts

[alantani]

i had so much trouble with hydrocarbon based oils that i would normally not even consider a trial.  what i have been curious about is a teflon oil.  i think that would be interesting to try. 

[Clem]

Hi Alan,

Can you please tell me what issues you had? may save me some time..thanks

[alantani]

yes, of course.  i've had problems with hydrocarbon-based oils and greases getting into the carbon fiber and getting sticky.  silicone base products did not fare any better. never noted that problem with teflon products. 

[Clem]

Thanks Alan, I'm going to try a synthetic teflon oil so will let you know how that goes

[alantani]

i have never tried a pure teflon oil on carbon fiber drags, but there is a high probability that it will work just fine. 

[Black Pearl]

It seems that Alan Hawk had a chance to have this reel loaned to him for 3 days. The following statements are from Alan Hawk.

http://www.stripersonline.com/t/849956/van-staal-zee-baas-torque-and-stella-move-over/15