Brand New BX2-30N. Should I ...?

Rick_from_24hourcampfire · May 12, 2011, 04:01:48 AM

Hi Folks:

Great website! Congrats.

OK, so I finally bit the bullet and bought a new Accurate BX2-30N. It's loaded with green 80-lb Izorline, and ready for a week-long Alaskan halibut fishing trip in July. I've wiped down the outside with Corrosion X, and she's sitting pretty on a 6'6" Phenix Hybrid (GREAT rod!)

Except I keep running into these posts about Accurate reels having gear issues (wha?), and then the step-by-step below for tearing down a NEW green BX2-500 seems to be endorsed by Alan, and all I can think is WHAT? A brand NEW Accurate, and we're tearing it down already? Serious?

OK, listen, I'm handy. I work on cars, tear apart and reassemble guns, and I saw the step-by-step and I'm confident I can do this, no sweat. I'm even tempted.

My question, and I can't believe I'm asking this: SHOULD I really tear down my brand spanking new BX2-30N before ever fishing it?

I guess I'll add a follow-up question, and that is, if the answer to the prior question is Yes, then what, if anything, different is there to do on a BX2-30N than what is shown for the BX2-500?

Scratchin' my head here ...

Rick

Bryan Young · May 12, 2011, 06:49:35 AM

A pre-use service is recommended on all reels to reduce the issues when the reel will actually need servicing. I recommend, at a minimum, is to grease all screws. That way you can get the reel apart when needed.

If you are going in, my first hop up would be a bearing sleeve. Wow, what a difference a sleeve makes.

alantani · May 12, 2011, 08:06:32 AM

this is the type of discussion that should be held over cold vodka, or at least a few cold beers. a few drinks go a long way towards dulling the pain of disappointment when a purchase does not go as well as you had hoped......

please understand, rick, it is still very much a case of us versus them. they need to sell fishing reels to survive. we need products with a certain level of performance and reliability. sadly, there is not alot of overlap. yes, i would recommend that you tear down that reel and go through it. you would do no less for an AR-15 if you were walking a beat in afghanistan. $:-\$

alantani · May 12, 2011, 08:07:28 AM

oh, and welcome !!!!!!

Bryan Young · May 12, 2011, 03:09:46 PM

Yeah, a bunch of us have been talking a lot about this very issue. Why in the world would a brand new, several 3 or 4 figure reel require a pre-use service? Are they selling crap? Well, no, they are really selling a great piece of engineered works of art, but they could use a little love if you want it to last. Companies are in the business to sell, sell, sell. They would like to see a life expentancy in their reels so that you continue to buy new reels. What many of those individual do not realize is that we will always buy new reels. Just look in ever one of our garages. And if the reels will last, the secondary market where new fisherman would be able to buy our used reels at a good used prices so that we can upgrade easier. Isn't this the way money should flow?

Nessie Hunter · May 14, 2011, 01:57:21 PM

Rick, Welcome !!

Look at it this way. The top of the line makers spend a lot to make a quality product & parts.
Then ship all the parts to Malaysia to have it assembled cheap!!

The $3 a week employees in Malaysia, do $3 a week worth of 'quality' work to assemble them.
Which means that grease that was supposed to go INTO the bearing is probably squirted (if at all) inside the Side plate somewhere???
But not IN the bearing...
It will be Toast in one day of Saltwater fishing...

All my new or used personal reels get that important pre-use service!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

.

Alto Mare · May 14, 2011, 02:21:35 PM

I'm with Nessie, all of the reels that i'm going to be using get the pre-use service. I don't do this to all of my reels. If I purchase a new reel that I'm going to keep on a shelf in my collection, I won't mess with it... I had a few screwdrivers slip in the past and scratch the plate, it could happen to anybody, regardless how confident you are. If you're going to enjoy it and fish it , I would recommend a pre-use service, that's a lot of reel you've got there.

By the way.... Welcome!

Norcal Pescador · May 14, 2011, 08:32:11 PM

Welcome Rick!
Absolutely, do a pre-use service before you take it on the water. Everyone before had good info and examples of the great

care that the manufacturers take on their assembly line. As much as you probably paid for that reel, do you want to take a chance that every bearing was 100% packed with grease or oiled, as appropriate? The drags need to be evenly and completely greased (unless they're teflon or another type that should be run dry). Once you 'pre-use' service your reel, you know you'll have more confidence in it.

Rob

SoCalAngler · May 18, 2011, 05:16:38 AM

Quote from: Nessie Hunter on May 14, 2011, 01:57:21 PM
Rick, Welcome !!

Look at it this way. The top of the line makers spend a lot to make a quality product & parts.
Then ship all the parts to Malaysia to have it assembled cheap!!

The $3 a week employees in Malaysia, do $3 a week worth of 'quality' work to assemble them.
Which means that grease that was supposed to go INTO the bearing is probably squirted (if at all) inside the Side plate somewhere???
But not IN the bearing...
It will be Toast in one day of Saltwater fishing...

All my new or used personal reels get that important pre-use service!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

.

Are you saying that Accurate reels are assembled in Malaysia? It sure sounds that way to me, where did you get this info from?

Irish Jigger · May 18, 2011, 06:15:33 AM

Are you saying that Accurate reels are assembled in Malaysia? It sure sounds that way to me, where did you get this info from?
[/quote]

To be fair NH did not say Accurates were assembled in Malaysia. He said that some high end reel manufacturers had their reels assembled in Malaysia.
I have just purchased a Shimano Torium 20 (made in Malaysia) and will strip and grease it before taking it fishing knowing that the bearings etc are well protected.
Personally I find this a pain but having read so many reports of poor lubrication in todays mass produced reels it has unfortunately become a necessity.

SoCalAngler · May 18, 2011, 04:25:46 PM

IJ,

To be "fair" I quoted Nessie, his own words and in no place in his post do I see the word "some". You can tell by my screen name that I live in Southern California and I have had the chance to do a tour of their facilities given to me by Jack Nilsen their owner. I have to admit this was a while ago as I was able to play around with their proto types of the Twinspin reels, to give you some sort of time frame of when I was there. At that time I asked him if all the reels were built there and his answer to me was yes, as stated it was a while ago and I was wondering if things have changed. I was not a 100% sure so I just gave them a call and was told what I suspected that all the reels are built here and not in Malaysia. Spreading misinformation in a public forum on the Internet can be very damaging to a company even if the info was given by mistake. In no way do I think NH was trying to mislead anyone but things like this can snowball into something larger.

Oh by the way I also like to tear down my reels before fishing them no matter who makes them.

EDIT: I had the wrong person listed as the owner I met with and I corrected it (thanks for the reminder Alan in your post)

alantani · May 18, 2011, 06:00:51 PM

yes, i have seen problems with shimano reels made in malaysia. it has been unfortunate. as for accurate, my understanding as well is that everything except the bearings, screws, nuts and bolts are made at their own facility under the watchful eye of the nilsens. the basic concern i have had with the accurates has been their bearings. i like all of the non-spool bearings to be packed with grease. the spool bearings can be similarly packed with grease but then the spool will not spin well. it would not be a problem unless you wanted to cast with this reel. for good freespool, i recommended removing and discarding the shields of the spool bearings, then clean and relube them with tsi 301. a bearing sleeve is the last thing that i might also add for maximum free spool. i understand, however, that not everyone wants or even needs maximum freespool. alan

Irish Jigger · May 18, 2011, 07:11:03 PM

Quote from: SoCalAngler on May 18, 2011, 04:25:46 PM
IJ,

To be "fair" I quoted Nessie, his own words and in no place in his post do I see the word "some". You can tell by my screen name that I live in Southern California and I have had the chance to do a tour of their facilities given to me by Ben Searcrest their owner. I have to admit this was a while ago as I was able to play around with their proto types of the Twinspin reels, to give you some sort of time frame of when I was there. At that time I asked him if all the reels were built there and his answer to me was yes, as stated it was a while ago and I was wondering if things have changed. I was not a 100% sure so I just gave them a call and was told what I suspected that all the reels are built here and not in Malaysia. Spreading misinformation in a public forum on the Internet can be very damaging to a company even if the info was given by mistake. In no way do I think NH was trying to mislead anyone but things like this can snowball into something larger.

Oh by the way I also like to tear down my reels before fishing them no matter who makes them.

Don't be so pedantic SCA. Nowhere in his post did NH mention Accurates, everyone knows they are made in the USA.

Bryan Young · May 18, 2011, 09:01:29 PM

Come on guys, let's stay on topic with Rick_from_24hourcampfire question. If you believe that your post should be modified to increase understanding, please do so.

Nessie Hunter · May 19, 2011, 02:57:18 PM

I got timed out yesterday trying to respond to this, to slow!!!

I didnt mean that All reels were Malaysia Assembled or poorly built..
Just that Most (if not all) do cut costs where they can.
I am sure Avet & Accurate have much better quality control then most that are assembled or built out of the U S ...
I have never seen Accurate/Avet assembly line either. But im sure its not a group of professionals getting big bucks and perks... I guess I could be wrong?

?

The machining is done mostly via Computer so it SHOULD be pretty consistent. The other parts (Screws bearings, springs etc) Are quality inspected by batch Im sure...

But I would still do the same to any American Reel.. I dont trust any one that much!!!
Its darn cheap Insurance IMHO to make sure its done right...
I can visualize the internals of a reel that I have Pre-serviced.
I know what it can do, and its weak points....

I have read enough of Alans Picture Tutorials to know that any reel is subject to defects from the maker.

.