Clutch bearings & line roller bearings

[BigT]

Hi Alan,

I notice that the reels you've showcased so far are predominantly overhead reels but I'm sure you have a wealth of knowledge about spinning reels too... hence my 2 questions if you're open to sharing your ideas around them??

Firstly, I've had conflicting suggestions about the lubing of clutch bearings in spin reels (I guess overheads would be much the same situation)... some manufacturers suggest a film coat of grease... some say no lubrication at all... all say don't use oil as it can cause the anti reverse to fail... etc, etc, etc.  What would you recommend for clutch bearings?

Secondly, a lot of spin reels these days have ridiculously small bearings in the line roller assembly. I've been packing them with grease for protection but again, what would you recommend please?

Cheers, BigT

[nook55]

Hi BigT

I'm sure Alan can expand on this, but I deal with a lot of saltwater spinners.
I have found that a light coat of grease on the anti-reverse seems to work the best for me. I have tried oil and it did cause slippage issues. I've never tried drag grease for this application, maybe Alan has some insight??

I've always use oil on the line roller. Used to use Hot Sauce, but now I use ReelX. I think I am going to try Xtreme reel+, it's awesome on bearings.

[alantani]

accurate did a fair amount of research with anti-reverse roller bearings and found that corrosion x was the best overall product.  shimano is now using a thinner grease on their roller bearings.  it appears to be a mix of their standard teflon drag grease mixed with an unknown oil (presumably a compatible teflon oil).  it's a no win situation.  if you leave these anti-reverse roller bearings bone dry, they hold great, but the plain steel (not stainless) needles will rust immediately.  if you pack grease into the bearings or add an oil of any type, the inner tube in the roller bearing will slip at a lower range.  see what i mean?  either way, you loose. 

so personally, what i use is just plain old corrosion x.  it will slip under an excessive load.  it is now critical that your drag system function properly and not seize up.  there is simply a physical limit to what these reels can do.  and the reason that reels have been pushed so hard is that they have fallen behind.  reel performance has perhaps doubled at best.  line performance (mono versus spectra) has improved 5 fold.  we need reels that have a 5 fold increase in performance as well. 

[mickm56]

Hi Alan
Thanks for clearing this up. I was concerned when I opened the reel up and noticed that the clutch inner tube was bone dry and made of ordinary steel and not SS. Can the tube be lubricated to protect against rust whilst still being able to maintain friction?
Regards
Mick

[alantani]

mick, i wish there was an easy way around this.  i think part of the problem is that the manufacturers have tried to get too fancy, tried to have it all.  if you don't mind the clicking, you can have a very reliable anti-reverse system.  if you want your reel perfectly silent on the retrieve, your anti-reverse system is going to be less than perfect.  go with corrosion x.  i think it is your best compromise.  alan

[mickm56]

 Thanks again Alan, as usual from a lot of manufacturers built in spare parts sales. Mck

[Russ57]

I'll take clicking any day.  I think the anti-reverse roller bearing is about the worst idea anyone has come up with in a long time.  It is a solution to a problem that was never there.

I suppose I could tolerate it on a fresh water only spinning reel.  But IMHO they need to not be any part of a convential saltwater reel!

[alantani]

some engineer somewhere thought it would be a good idea.  probably the same bozo that decided that a handle grip should be the size of a peanut.  alan