Banax reels ?s

basto · February 15, 2014, 01:17:33 AM

It is OK so far. It does pull plenty of drag but not as much as advertised in my opinion. I am not sure the rest of the reel is up to the strength of it`s drag.
I have read that a couple have broken on the reel seat stem and that the traverse cam is made of pot metal and that the anti reverse clutch is "a joke".
All that considered, I would not recommend any of the Kingpin series.
It is a shame because it does have a good carbon drag and a strong set of brass gears.

mhc · February 15, 2014, 02:01:52 AM

Thanks for that - sounds like the cheaper option is, well, cheap

basto · February 15, 2014, 08:35:33 PM

Yes, the SX which was origionally made in Korea was a good reliable reel. It`s only change is the handle, but the new ones are made in China. It still has a dog and ratchet anti reverse which works very well. It works best with monofilament line.
The stupid part is that the Kingpin is over twice the price of the SX.
Basto

Tile · February 15, 2014, 10:30:57 PM

This article describes in detail the GT Xtreme/Kingpin series - http://www.haldorado.hu/articles.php?articleid=2963
The crosswind block, idler gear could have been made from bronze and the antireverse assembly could use a backup ratchet and dog.

fisher480 · February 16, 2014, 11:31:16 AM

I have Banax Syren baitcaster. It looks like an Okuma Serrano but it is a very nice little reel which I use in mostly saltwater. Internally very good but without the backup Ambassadeur anti reverse but it does have a carbon drag.

A good friend of mine has several Banax reels, a couple of baitrunners and GT spins. He has worked them hard without much attention and all are OK.

basto · February 17, 2014, 03:32:05 AM

Quote from: Tile on February 15, 2014, 10:30:57 PM
This article describes in detail the GT Xtreme/Kingpin series - http://www.haldorado.hu/articles.php?articleid=2963
The crosswind block, idler gear could have been made from bronze and the antireverse assembly could use a backup ratchet and dog.

Hi Tile
Thank you for the video. Very interesting to see how the AR clutch held up ok with 24kg of drag.
Basto

basto · February 17, 2014, 03:38:32 AM

Quote from: fisher480 on February 16, 2014, 11:31:16 AM
I have Banax Syren baitcaster. It looks like an Okuma Serrano but it is a very nice little reel which I use in mostly saltwater. Internally very good but without the backup Ambassadeur anti reverse but it does have a carbon drag.

A good friend of mine has several Banax reels, a couple of baitrunners and GT spins. He has worked them hard without much attention and all are OK.

Hi fisher480
My first Banax was a SX3000 which my son has now. It`s about 7 years old and he only uses it on the beach and he`s not big on maintenance, but it is still working well.
Basto