Shimano Stradic Fi, Sustain FE, Stella FB handle knob upgrade

[aquaholik]

If you still have those melted Septon grips that were common with the Stradic Fi, Stella FE, and Stella FB, there are replacement smaller knobs option on Ebay. I'm not going to post any link but you can search for it. I did some measurement and can say with pretty good confidence that for the above reels, the 1000-2500 is a Type A and the 3000-4000 is a type B handle(Type B is longer) length. The problem is, it is a non standard Type A and Type B that uses a slotted nut to secure the bearing and the shaft diameter can be 4 or 5 mm depending on the reel. For example, the Stradic 2500 Fi has a 4 mm handle shaft diameter but there is some step up to 5 mm making it a pain to find the right knob replacement. It's also about 1.5 mm longer than the standard Type A so you need some shimming washers.

Stella FB 4000 and Stradic Fi 3000-4000 handle shaft length:




Standard Type B vs older Type B:




Now there are plenty of Type B knob on Ebay. The problem is that they are all 39 mm or larger and IMHO, impractical on a 3000 size Stradic. There is one 34-35 mm knob and thru a series of PM, he finally made a bushing to fit both Type A and Type B handle.

The following is for a 3000-4000 series installation for the older Stradic Fi, Sustain FE, and Stella FB.

Installation sequence:







https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dS5S4FUs3Hw&feature=youtu.be