Okiaya Pro National 50W-II2Speed

[Tightlines667]

A customer recently gave me 2 new in box Okiaya Pro National 50W - II 2 Speed reels and asked that I take a look and let him know what I find.  
Here is a quick and dirty pre-service tutorial of the reel.  

A quick internet search turned up the following:


http://okiayaonline.com/OKIAYA-PRO-NATIONAL-50W-II-2-Speeds-Big-Game-Reel-50w.htm


Retails for $359
The website boasts:
-Aluminium Rigid Frames
-Alloy Spools
-Oversized Big Game Handles
-Carbon AXR Drag system...Two Way Breaking System
-Two Speed Gearbox...Gear Ratio 3.6 : 1  /  1.3 : 1
-9 Stainless ABEC Ball Bearings
-Dual Axle Stainless Steel Wisper Single Stop System And Reverse Lock
-High Precision Stainless Steel Gears
-Anodized  One Piece 100% Cold Forged & CNC Billet Machine Cut Frame
-CNC AIRCRAFT Grade Aluminium Rod Clamps
-Protective Neoprene Reel Case
-Reel tools included

Reel Specs are listed as:

Max Strike Drag : 17.8kg - 40 lb
Spool Width: 82.8 mm
Spool Depth: 32 mm
Spool Diameter : 95mm
Reel Height: 248 mm
Overall Width including handle: 270 mm

Line Capacity: 950 yds 50lb Mono  -or-  770 yds 100lb Braid

My first impression of the reel was that it was a pretty shinny looking standard Chinese OEM type knockoff with a few characteristics similar to Shimano and possibly a few borrowed from Avet.  Although the reel looked really shinny and pretty superficially it somehow felt a bit on the chincey side.  Seems like the anodizing and machining left a bit to be desired. The lack of a quadrant ring, the presence of the cheaper version of the offset aluminum billeted handle with integral ball bearing, the thin/lightweight preset adjust knob, lower quality machining preset drag adjust knob, the drag lever, and 2 speed button base all felt lightweight thin and not very durable.  Throughout the pre-service inspection, I noticed that the machining of the parts seemed to leave a lot to be desired. There were often noticeable marks, uneven surfaces, and ridges, presumably left over from the casting process.  Much of the internals were not adequately protected from corrosion (with grease, corrosion X HD, or similar).  The only noticeable lubrication appeared to be a lightweight pinkish grease present on the most critical parts.  No screws or threaded surfaces were lubricated, though many had a small amount of Blue Loctite present.   The overall quality of the parts, as well as the attention to detail seemed a bit on the low side.  I guess, given the price tag of this reel, this is pretty much what I expected to find.  The reel did come professionally packed, had a neoprene reel cover, and a small torque wrench.

First thing I did is spool the reel with almost 600 yds of 80lb mono.  I immediately noticed that the drag lever had a tendancy to back off as the reel was being spooled under load.   
Nest, I tested the drag.  I found it to be surprisingly smooth (less then 5% start-up resistance, and smooth at higher settings) out of the box with what appeared to be a fairly linear type curve (similar to a Tiagra 50).  The handle turned, and shifted smoothly, there was no noticeable binding at higher preset numbers, the back play was minimal, shifting was smooth (both free and under load), and the freespool was surprisingly good (just under 1 minute loaded).  The max effective drag (before loss of freespool) setting at strike was about 34lbs, though at this setting it was very hard to move the lever to sunset.  This is below the 40lbs listed by the manufacturer.  I did notice a bit of roughness in the drive train especially in High speed (maybe indicative of poorer quality gears).  The loaded reel weighed in at just under 6.5lbs.  



     











Ok so lets start the preservice by pulling the reel foot.  Do this by removing the 4 torque head reel foot screws and their washers.



Dry as a bone, and no gasket was present.  Apply a thin coat of marine grease (I used Penn Blue throughout) to the reel foot, washers, and screws.



Reassemble, along with installing the reel clamp screws, by turning the flat sides, inserting them, turning 90 deg, putting them to the far outside edges, and tightening the nuts.  I put a little Corrosion X on the bolts as well.  I liked the design, but noticed the reel clamp was a tight fit.  All parts seemed to be a bit on the lightweight side as well.



Next, I decided to go 'straight for the gold' and disassemble and service the entire right side plate assembly.

First off remove the two shift button base retaining screws with a small Phillips head.



Next remove the handle bolt by carefully lifting/prying up the stopping splice, and entire button base assembly and placing a 9/16" wrench onto the handle bolt.  This is standard thread..lefty loosey.





Once fully loosened you can remove the button base assembly, w/ stopping splice, the push button shaft, the handle bolt with sound nail (C-clip) still attached, the handle assembly, the and the three washers (Handle shaft coat washer, drive shield, Thrust washer, and Drive shaft washer) underneath being careful to lay them out in the order they were removed.



Now you can get a proper look at the Button base assembly which has a small push button spring against the push splice held in place by a fixed nail, and an alarm lever knob and retaining screw on the other end.  I applied a thin coat of grease to all parts, and a bit of corrosion X to the button base itself.  The three inner washers did have a light coat of grease already.



Then we will remove the lever hub cover by removing the 3 Filed Plate Screws with a Phillips head.



Lift it straight up.  Then flip the assembly over and remove the "E" Washer (C-Clip) from the Drag Tension knob.  Be careful this does not go flying, and as you slowly separate the hub cover from the tension knob be careful since there are 4 tiny tiny parts (2 pins and 2 springs housed within.  Lay all parts out in order, and apply a light coat of grease to all, and corrosion X to the springs and pins before reassembling.  
Note:  You can skip this step if you like.



Next lift the Drag Lever Arm up off of the cam assembly and remove each of the 3 plastic (Teflon/Delron?) washers (Drag Lever Washer A, Drag Control Lever Thrust Ring, and Drag Control Washer B) and note their positions.  Apply a thin coat of grease to each and set aside.



Now we are ready to crack the reel open.
Start by removing the 5 right side plate screws with a Torque head screw driver.  Then lift the entire side plate up and away.  A little rotation and/or jiggling may be necessary, and holding the drive shaft in place while doing this is also a good idea.



We can now clearly see the low and high speed main gears, pinion gears, spool shaft, Alarm sound slice (clicker ratchet), clicker assembly, and pinion (left side plate) bearing.
It is obvious that the side plate is a molded part, and the clicker rachet seems a bit lightweight.  The clicker assembly as well as the two speed shift mechanisms and gear set up are obvious copies of the Tiagra, though I do like the fact that the majority of the clicker assembly is inside of the reel, and all of these parts are well greased.  

Next use a screw driver or doll to push the main gear assembly through the side plate.



and do the same with the eccentric/cam assembly and pinion bearing.  Note their orientation, and ensure the parts stay in the correct order/ orientation upon removal.



A large flat head screw driver can be used to separate the 7 parts making up the cam assembly (this is reverse threaded)



I then used a sharp hook to remove the shield retaining ring and shield from the pinion bearing to have a look inside...the bearing appears to be of low quality and may not even be stainless, it was lubed modestly with a bit of some type of oil..no grease.



A trip to Alan's bearing packer will fix that



I then decided to remove the clicker assembly, just to have a look see by removing the two philips head screws



and lifting straight up (noting orientation of both the spring, and the outside lever



Aside from the screws being bone dry, everything else (this assembly is made up of 16 separate parts) was well greased.  This area is typically responsible for much of the water/salt intrusion into the reel, and despite being made of lower quality materials/components, and maybe being a bit overly complicated, it looks as though it should do its job, and keep water intrusion to a minimal.



After I was satisfied that everything was in order, I reassembled and re-installed the unit which requires lining it up/mating the two parts (may need to rotate the external lever), and properly seating the Alarm lever spring (easiest to put it in the plastic and install first then to pop it into its place in the side plate.



I then applied a thin coat of grease to all metal parts, and a few drops of corrosion X to the inside portions of the limited assemblies (indicator buttons)



I also removed the main gears from the drive shaft and disassembled the two speed mechanism.  When removing the main gears and all of the associated bushings/washers ensure that the correct orientation and order is maintained.  The 2 speed shift mechanism is basically an exact copy of the Shimao Tiagra one which is covered elsewhere on this forum.   The gears did appear to be stainless steel but not of the highest quality, and the plastic bushings seemed to be made of less dense/durable material then I am accustomed to.  If you do disassemble to 2 speed mechanism be careful removing the drive shaft screw since it is reverse threaded in fine threads, and under pressure from an internal spring.  Also, do not over lube the internals here..just a light coat of grease, or a lighter grease (i.e. mixed with a bit of corrosion X is good here).



I sometimes add a bit of corrosion X to the assembly to thin the grease out a bit.



Next reassemble the cam mechanism and pinion bearing with a large flat head screw driver or using the preset adjust screw, and drop into place in the side plate.



I then like to apply a thin coat of grease to the inside of the drive shaft cover, and add a bit of corrosion X to thin it out a bit with a Q-tip.
Note: I like the fact that they made the drive shaft cover removable from the side plate.





Next reassemble the preset adjust assembly (being careful not to misplace the tiny parts), and hold it together with the C-clip.  I like to add some corrosion X to the tiny springs and pins









Now replace the drag lever and associated washers (in the proper order) onto the side plate.  Check to ensure the pinion bearing/cam assembly is installed correctly, then hold it in place with one hand.  Replace the under lever washers (in the proper order), install the drag lever so is positioned at the free spool position, and fits cleanly onto the square shapped piece on the eccentric.  Sometimes I like to test the lever/cam function at this stage but if you do make sure things don't get out of whack by keeping pressure on all parts.



You then hold the entire works together by re-installing the drag tension (preset adjust knob) assembly.  Do this by holding pressure on the pinon bearing, and rotating the preset until it marries cleanly with the cam assembly, align the plate and screw holes, then tighten the 3 screws.





Now drop the drive shaft, main gears, 2 speed shift mechanism in place.  Make sure that the gears are fully seated on the end of the drive shaft.

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Next reassemble the button base assembly and hold it together with that small c-clip (if you haven't already done so).



A little corrosion X here is good as well.



and re-install the washers, drive shield, handle arm, push button shaft (with button base assembly attached) by tightening up the handle bolt.  It needs to be tight but must also line up with the stopping splice and button base screw holes.











Ok...lets take a break.  The tough bit is outta the way

Now onto the spool and left side plate assemblies..

First pull the spool assembly out of the frame and left side plate and set aside.  Turning the spool counterclockwise a bit while lifting helps here.






The left plate bearing cup, and the Shimano stype dog assemblies are well greased.  Remove the 5 left side plate screws.



Pull the bearing by taping the left side plate on a hard surface sharply.  Pack the bearing full of grease.



Lightly grease all metal surfaces on the inside of the plate, and on the mating surfaces of the frame.  I also added a few drops of corrosion X to the dog assemblies.



Re-attach the left plate to the frame with the 5 screws after greasing them (don't forget the 2 rubber O ring washers on harness lug screws).



Lay parts out and start with on the spool assembly.



Remove anti-reverse ratchet, and pressure plate/drag disc from spool shaft.



Note there is no cooling shield and the drag chamber is open.  Also, the drag material is a soft, loosely woven, brownish material that is glued directly to the pressure plate.  There is some sloppy amounts of reddish grease on it.  



I cleaned the material as best I could, worked the weave up a bit, slathered in Cal's and wiped off the excess.  I also lightly greased the anti-reverse ratchet.



I then removed the friction washer by removing the 4 small screws with a flat head driver.  There was ample grease under the plate., and a bit leaking out onto the drag washer.



Next flip the spool over and remove the high and low speed pinion gears by lifting directly up and off of the spool shaft (a bit of wiggling, and/or some lite prying may be needed here).  Note there was a small shim washer located on top of the pinion..keep it.



Then remove the right side spool pin with a needle nose or by hand.



Turn your attention to the other side of the spool.  Push the spool shaft in slightly (from right side to left), while taking care not to have the Bellevilles come off of the shaft.
Now pull the other (left side) spool pin.



Now remove the Bellevilles and lay them in the correct order/orientation.  Note:  The schematic shows there being Bellevilles, a pre-load and a thrust washer here.  However, I only found 7.  Also, these Bellevilles have to be the worst quality that I have ever seen..very poorly made with big differences between each one's thickness and compression, they are made out of poorly coated steel, and appeared to be of the variety you can pick up at your local hardware store.  

They were arranged as follows: Pinion(()(()) with no pre-load or thrust washer present.



Remove the spool bearings, and lube appropriately (I went with TSI 301 here to maintain freespool).





Notice this reel has what it calls a 'Piston' in the spool which bears an uncanning resemblence to Shimano's Hydrothermal drag device.

Now lightly grease all parts (including inside the spool, and bearing pockets).  I used cal's grease on all parts/surfaces that would be near the drag.  
Re-install the Friction washer with the 4 small screws .  I decided to give these each a dose of Loctite Blue first.  





I then wiped all excess grease out of the drag chamber so there was only a very thin/light coat.

Then I put a bit of Corrosion X inside the 'Piston' since this is in contact with the spool shaft at all times.



I removed the ratchet plate and treated it the same as the friction plate with Loctite Blue on these screws.
Then drop the 'Piston' back in place, screw side down.  And put both spool bearings back in place.



Put the spool shaft in place (make sure it is oriented the correct way first as it is asymetrical).  Put the drag spring and pin back in on the left side.  Then put the Bellevilles and pin on the right side.



Then put the Bellevilles and pin on the right side.



Followed by the pinion gears...



and that shim (hope you haven't lost the bugger).



Now put the drag pressure plate back on (make sure it seats properly on the shaft), followed by the Anit-reverse ratchet (again correctly oriented with the deep pocket down).

Then you can take the finished spool assembly and re-install it into the reel frame/left side plate.



It may be useful to rotate it counter clockwise a bit to get the two dogs to engage...you know when they do because they will start making that familiar noise.



Now grab the right side plate assembly and put the 2 lug side plate screws in place and slip the tiny O-rings over them.  Put your lug in place, and put the reel back together as one.
Note: I like to test the right side plate assembly here to make sure the handle cranks freely, the 2-speed mech. is working properly, and the cam/lever assembly is working as advertised (though be careful here since the reel needs to be fully in free spool with the cam properly seated, and the preset backed all the way out before final install.  Also check to make sure the spool is rotating freely and the dogs are engaging.  It may be useful to turn the handle slightly when putting the right side back on as well.





After torquing down the 5 greased right side plate screws, test the reel to make sure every thing is working as it should.



Final thoughts..
There is no doubt that this is a Chinese knock off reel with lower quality workmanship present throughout.  The 5 bearings which were advertised as 9 - "ABEC rated' Stainless Steel appear to be of low overall quality, the drag material is suspect, the Bellevilles will likely suffer from a short useful life, the gears appear to be a bit rough, and many parts appear overall appear to be prone to failure/short working lives.  However, the clicker is loud, the reel does produce good/smooth drag, and appears to be relatively smooth overall out of the box.  These reels may be ok for light saltwater use, especially if serviced regularly.  Though finding parts, service, and support down the road are likely to be problematic.  They have recently appeared on the market here in HI, and as with any good looking new big game reel at this price point they are selling.  Maybe I will get a chance to break it open again after a year or so of use, and see how it holds up?

Bottom line is I would not recommend them for standard/heavy saltwater use.  

It may be useful

[jonnou]

Great Tutorial
Looks very similar to this

http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=11171.msg107763#msg107763

The dragwasher material looked normal on this and I did not notice the piston (could be there though) I have heard Maxell make parts for other Reel manufacturers. this could be one.
thanks for taking the time to show us
Cheers Jon

[Etchase]

Great job. Thanks for all the effort.

[handi2]

Surely a Shimano Knock Off..