Mostly a surf guy but needed a boat reel for a trip picked up a chinese made jigmaster and the range of drag seems low. It goes from loose to tight with like 6 turns of the star drag point to point. I checked my dads chinese jigmaster a few years older amd it get like 9 turns. I opened it up and cant find anything wrong though im not very experienced st talking reels apart. Drag also feels crunchy on the low end of the drag but i bought it at a shop supposedly new and dont see anything inside to male me think it was used amd returned
Easy fix, Brett --
Sand or grind -- then smooth down the ground edge on the drag stack spacer about 3/32".
Then grease the fiber drag discs with Cal's drag grease.
This will do (2) things -- allow more travel rotations of the drag star -- plus smooth out any jerkiness in the drag system, and allow it to last nearly forever.
There are many other things that can be done -- fine thread sleeve & star, thinner drag discs, etc...
But this is a quick and easy adjustment.
Got to remember -- these are high quality reels -- but not expensive. So a few adjustments could be warranted.
There will be others with more exotic, technical, and expensive solutions. And they will debate the merits of Asian vs. U.S., materials, and a dozen other possibilities.
However, this is just what I would do for an effective and capable fix -- without getting too technical or spending any $$$.
Many other remedies could cost more than the reel, in just parts...
Best Always,
Fred
You could also add another wavy washer (tension spring part no. 8-60) or change their orientation to get drag compression over a wider range. Since the drag is not smooth you will need to break it down to grease them anyway and can address the wavy washers at the same time.
https://www.mysticparts.com/PennParts/Parts/8-60.aspx (https://www.mysticparts.com/PennParts/Parts/8-60.aspx)
-steve
Thanks guys will sand them and add cals and see if that improves it
The above solutions work just fine, of course, but the fine tooth sleeve makes a nice reel so much nicer.
The Man