I want better bearings for my SS builds. But ordering online is a crapshoot. I want nice free spinning bearings, but I have no idea what they're gonna be like til they arrive. Like, you'll see a 10 pack for $6 next to what looks like a single piece of that same pack for $15. But I have no way of knowing if that $15 single bearing is a better bearing or a seller looking to capitalize on idiots. So i tend to go for the better deals only to be frequently disappointed.
How do you pick out quality bearings?
buy boca bearings and stop sweating it.
Jason, I can garantee you that $6 for a ten pack isn't going to get you quality! As for the pricier ones, look at the specs; ABEC rating, materials used, load capacity, etc.
I'm looking for a pair of 5x8x2.5mm stainless but don't want to buy ten at a time or pay $15+ each, so far no luck.
https://www.qualitybearingsonline.com/626-nsk-miniature-deep-groove-6x19x6mm/?setCurrencyId=2&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI27fAib-e7AIVN__jBx0hgQ5REAQYCCABEgJIGPD_BwE
they are in England and ship world wide . I get stuff from them all the time and usually within 3 to 5 days here in Texas
Quality at fair prices shipping rates are good also .
Ok so I guess I should be more clear that I dont wanna spend a ton if I can avoid it. I've bought used penn bearings on fleabay for $2 a pop for my 8500ss that are fairly decent. But i was wondering if there was a better option. Maybe an economically priced new bearing?
It seems that UK site doesn't have my size (and yes i know how to convert inches to mm)
For reference I'm looking for 3/8"x7/8"x9/32" (aka R6 size) for my 750SS and 8500SS and each reel requires 3 of that size.
You usually get what you pay for. The ABEC system is largely bogus for what we are trying to do.
-steve
Quote from: oc1 on November 17, 2020, 06:17:07 PMYou usually get what you pay for. The ABEC system is largely bogus for what we are trying to do.-steve
Huh? Please explain...
Quote from: JasonGotaPenn on November 17, 2020, 05:37:21 PM
Ok so I guess I should be more clear that I dont wanna spend a ton if I can avoid it. I've bought used penn bearings on fleabay for $2 a pop for my 8500ss that are fairly decent. But i was wondering if there was a better option. Maybe an economically priced new bearing?
It seems that UK site doesn't have my size (and yes i know how to convert inches to mm)
For reference I'm looking for 3/8"x7/8"x9/32" (aka R6 size) for my 750SS and 8500SS and each reel requires 3 of that size.
Do you have one of the bearings out where you might find a name brand and some number on it ? 7/8 is a good sized bearing 22mm and is that the o/d?
Quote from: nelz on November 17, 2020, 06:21:32 PM
Quote from: oc1 on November 17, 2020, 06:17:07 PMYou usually get what you pay for. The ABEC system is largely bogus for what we are trying to do.-steve
Huh? Please explain...
ABEC-3 functional RPM range covers pretty much all of fishing
higher precision USED to imply better materials/workmanship
nowadays -- who knows
Quote from: Wompus Cat on November 17, 2020, 03:28:28 PM
https://www.qualitybearingsonline.com/626-nsk-miniature-deep-groove-6x19x6mm/?setCurrencyId=2&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI27fAib-e7AIVN__jBx0hgQ5REAQYCCABEgJIGPD_BwE
they are in England and ship world wide . I get stuff from them all the time and usually within 3 to 5 days here in Texas
Quality at fair prices shipping rates are good also .
sorry, I'm seeng $3.75 for "steel cage"; NO "stainless"!!!; no mention of balls at all ;D and no "Made in..."
Quote from: philaroman on November 17, 2020, 07:15:01 PM
Quote from: Wompus Cat on November 17, 2020, 03:28:28 PM
https://www.qualitybearingsonline.com/626-nsk-miniature-deep-groove-6x19x6mm/?setCurrencyId=2&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI27fAib-e7AIVN__jBx0hgQ5REAQYCCABEgJIGPD_BwE
they are in England and ship world wide . I get stuff from them all the time and usually within 3 to 5 days here in Texas
Quality at fair prices shipping rates are good also .
sorry, I'm seeng $3.75 for "steel cage"; NO "stainless"!!!; no mention of balls at all ;D and no "Made in..."
The site is a bit hard to really get some things .You might contact or e-mail them with you actual needs and wants and let them sort it out.
Quote from: nelz on November 17, 2020, 06:21:32 PM
Quote from: oc1 on November 17, 2020, 06:17:07 PMYou usually get what you pay for. The ABEC system is largely bogus for what we are trying to do.-steve
Huh? Please explain...
ABEC specifies dimensional tolerances, nothing more. If you have a assembly that needs to spin at very high RPMs (not a fishing reel) then you might need a high ABEC rating (but that won't be enough). ABEC does not specify anything regarding load capacity, max RPMs, ball roundness, etc.
I buy super-cheap ball bearings from time to time for 3D printed projects where I just need a bearing, but do not need much in terms of performance. The dirt-cheap ABEC 5s are usually terrible, the cheap ABEC 3's are often better bearings.
I would expect that pretty much any halfway decent ball bearing will work for a spinning reel if you keep them well greased to avoid corrosion. All stainless is better for salt, but the hardenable 440c stainless that is used for bearings is still not very saltwater resistant.
For conventional reels, having higher quality bearings is supposed to help casting a bit, but the most important thing is to to keep the spool bearings properly lubricated with the right light oil (folks here prefer TSI 321), and re-lube frequently. Realistically, the bearing cups on the two sidelplates are never going to be very accurately aligned. This is why the machined sideplates and frames contribute to castability. It is funny that there is a lot more information online about bearing choices then how to align the bearing cups.
Most lever drags put an axial load on a couple of the main shaft bearings, so bearings with greater axial load capacity will allow for higher drag settings without binding. This is where digging a bit deeper into your your wallet might pay off.
None of the above qualities are affected by the ABEC rating. It may have been true in the past that a higher ABEC rating was a good indication of a quality bearing, but that is not the case today.
-J
Are the old ones completely shot? Pulling the shields and soaking can do wonders
Quote from: jurelometer on November 17, 2020, 11:28:58 PM
None of the above qualities are affected by the ABEC rating. It may have been true in the past that a higher ABEC rating was a good indication of a quality bearing, but that is not the case today.
-J
So then how does one choose a high quality bearing? I just think of the hybrid ceramics in my spheros. If you put a pencil in the inner race and give the outer race a spin they'll go for like 30 seconds. And the difference it made when those went in is remarkable. Thats what i want in a bearing.
To me, and lets be clear that I'm an idiot, one of several measures of a quality reel is when you give the handle a good throw, how many times will it go round before stopping? To me how free spinning a reel is, is a measure of how well every component works together. By that metric my BG is good, a van staal is terrible. (I dont particularly like VS in general and that's one of the reasons but thats a tangent for another thread).
Quote from: thrasher on November 18, 2020, 12:22:36 AM
Are the old ones completely shot? Pulling the shields and soaking can do wonders
Yeah they're shot. Don't even turn.
most bearings you find will be from China. Even Boca bearings is just an importer dealer, they don't make bearings, they buy from China. The best bearings generally come from Germany or Japan. A good and affordable Japanese brand available here is EZO Bearings. Dads Ol Tackle in Texas is a dealer with good prices.
If you want competition quality ceramics the best I know of come from the rocket reel company in the UK.
Quote from: philaroman on November 17, 2020, 07:15:01 PM
sorry, I'm seeing $3.75 for "steel cage"; NO "stainless"!!!; no mention of balls at all ;D and no "Made in..."
I agree For all you know, you are getting chrome races that will chip and rust almost immediately. You are not saving money if they fail and you have to fight to get them back out.
-steve
Quote from: Pro Reel on November 18, 2020, 01:10:24 AM
most bearings you find will be from China. Even Boca bearings is just an importer dealer, they don't make bearings, they buy from China. The best bearings generally come from Germany or Japan. A good and affordable Japanese brand available here is EZO Bearings. Dads Ol Tackle in Texas is a dealer with good prices.
If you want competition quality ceramics the best I know of come from the rocket reel company in the UK.
Sapporo/EZO is great, but I thought they were only metric
Dad's Penn options are the 'spensive OEM's
(which makes me think a good budget option is not readily available)
Quote from: oc1 on November 18, 2020, 06:38:57 AM
Quote from: philaroman on November 17, 2020, 07:15:01 PM
sorry, I'm seeing $3.75 for "steel cage"; NO "stainless"!!!; no mention of balls at all ;D and no "Made in..."
I agree For all you know, you are getting chrome races that will chip and rust almost immediately. You are not saving money if they fail and you have to fight to get them back out.
-steve
yeah, some red flags in product description
Speedy Edward, Fast Eddy's UK cousin ;D
any size, any price, replace often :o
Quote from: jurelometer on November 17, 2020, 11:28:58 PM
Quote from: nelz on November 17, 2020, 06:21:32 PM
Quote from: oc1 on November 17, 2020, 06:17:07 PMYou usually get what you pay for. The ABEC system is largely bogus for what we are trying to do.-steve
Huh? Please explain...
ABEC specifies dimensional tolerances, nothing more. If you have a assembly that needs to spin at very high RPMs (not a fishing reel) then you might need a high ABEC rating (but that won't be enough). ABEC does not specify anything regarding load capacity, max RPMs, ball roundness, etc.
-J
pretty sure I saw a table for RPM's by ABEC rating, somewhere
don't quote me on exact numbers, but maybe something like <20K max for ABEC-1
& something ludicrous, way outside the fishing world, for ABEC-7... I dunno -- 60K ???
I am pretty sure that ABEC only specifies the tolerances, not the RPMs, but from the same reputable manufacurer, the max RPMs would go up with ABEC number, all else being equal. Agree that nobody turns a handle on a spinning reel fast enough for it to matter :D
Which brings us to another point: for a higher tolerance bearing to make a difference, the assembly it is going into has to be constructed and assembled to very demanding tolerances measured in the ten thousands in (0.000x in). This hardly describes a series 2 Spinfisher, or any other fishing reel.
Any decent bearing will work as well as a fancy one on a spinning reel. Pack with grease for durability, or clean well and mess with lighter lubricants to make it spin more easily. Go fishing.
-J
Having played with bearings for many years now I have come to a couple of conclusions.
The most notable thing (for fishing reels) about higher Abec rated bearings is they make your wallet much lighter.
And the guy who sold them dines out more often.
Now I just buy a decent manufacturers (EZO, SKF etc) bearing in quantity as cheap as possible. Flush out the bearing until it's dry - spin it on an appropriate shaft to get a feel of how smooth it is and how long it spins - I usually use wooden dowel rods as they seem to transfer minute vibrations better. The best ones are for casting with conventional spools. It really doesn't matter about the other bearings in a reel as long as they are of a reasonable quality.
I have found that for spinning reels it really doesn't matter unless the bearing is so rough you can feel it - Knackered springs to mind.
Perhaps the most important thing is STAINLESS for anything near salt water.
Of course this is just my 2 penny worth ;D
Thanks all for the input. I'd be thrilled if the discussion continues because I continue to learn new cool things. Re: my reel, I ordered some EZO bearings and I should be good.
And don't tell me how fast to spin my spinning reels! ;D
baby rant: I really like my old Shimano single-shielded -- shields face out to minimize debris; other side is open for easy inspection/packing... WHY IS THAT NEVER AN OPTION, ANYMORE ??? everything is either, all open or double-shielded/sealed
Quote from: jurelometer on November 18, 2020, 10:37:52 AMAgree that nobody turns a handle on a spinning reel fast enough for it to matter
I think there's one place on spinning reels where high RPM's do occur, and that's the line roller. Certainly you want high quality bearings in that spot as they take the most stress there; high load, fast spinning, and lots of salt water exposure.
Will ABEC 3 suffice for that purpose?I'm looking for a pair to replace the double bearings in the roller on my Cabo 60 PT, but anything over ABEC 3 stainless costs $15 each, no way I'm doing $30 for that, heck, I paid less for the reel!
see if you can find same-size bushings... pref., Oilite
tell the folks exact IDxODxH you need -- never know when something off-brand might match up
I've found various nice, useful brass inside old Okuma spools & drag-knobs
that doesn't even have individual part#'s, much less listed dimensions
Quote from: philaroman on November 18, 2020, 09:24:23 PMsee if you can find same-size bushings... pref., Oilite
Thanks for the suggestion, but I can get a pair of stainless bearings for $7. The only thing is
they are only "ABEC 3", but I still prefer that over bushings.
Quote from: nelz on November 18, 2020, 09:44:04 PM
Quote from: philaroman on November 18, 2020, 09:24:23 PMsee if you can find same-size bushings... pref., Oilite
Thanks for the suggestion, but I can get a pair of stainless bearings for $7. The only thing is they are only "ABEC 3", but I still prefer that over bushings.
You could always math it out to figure out how fast your line roller is actually turning (expressed in RPM) and see if abec3 is sufficient. If you want I can write an equation for you to evaluate.
Relevant measurements would be: diameter of spool, distance from center of line roller to center of spool, diameter of line roller, gear ratio of reel, and the fun one: you would need to see how many times you'd spin that handle in a minute during a fierce fight (would involve timing and counting).
maybe for casting spool bearings, you need ABEC-5 precision -- for anything else, good! ABEC-3's are fine
your concern is not the ABEC rating, per se, but that modern no-name $3.50 ABEC-3's
may well be made of crap stainless, not good enough for most exposed spinner bearings in salt+sand
what's your "budget source" -- plenty folks here good at reading between the lines
Posting at the same time as Jason:
Quote from: JasonGotaPenn on November 18, 2020, 10:01:28 PM
Quote from: nelz on November 18, 2020, 09:44:04 PM
Quote from: philaroman on November 18, 2020, 09:24:23 PMsee if you can find same-size bushings... pref., Oilite
Thanks for the suggestion, but I can get a pair of stainless bearings for $7. The only thing is they are only "ABEC 3", but I still prefer that over bushings.
You could always math it out to figure out how fast your line roller is actually turning (expressed in RPM) and see if abec3 is sufficient. If you want I can write an equation for you to evaluate.
Relevant measurements would be: diameter of spool, distance from center of line roller to center of spool, diameter of line roller, gear ratio of reel, and the fun one: you would need to see how many times you'd spin that handle in a minute during a fierce fight (would involve timing and counting).
You just need to know inches per handle revolution- which is usually included in the specs (or you can calculate from filled spool circumference times gear ratio) and divide by the roller circumference. Multiply this by how fast you expect turn the handle.
Quote from: nelz on November 18, 2020, 08:31:30 PM
Quote from: jurelometer on November 18, 2020, 10:37:52 AMAgree that nobody turns a handle on a spinning reel fast enough for it to matter
I think there's one place on spinning reels where high RPM's do occur, and that's the line roller. Certainly you want high quality bearings in that spot as they take the most stress there; high load, fast spinning, and lots of salt water exposure. Will ABEC 3 suffice for that purpose?
I'm looking for a pair to replace the double bearings in the roller on my Cabo 60 PT, but anything over ABEC 3 stainless costs $15 each, no way I'm doing $30 for that, heck, I paid less for the reel!
While a line roller bearing it is the fastest turning bearing on a spinning reel, it is still not very fast for a ball bearing.
For a spinning reel with a 37 inch line retrieve per handle revolution, and let's say about a 5 mm (~.2 in) line roller diameter, you end up with about 60 bearing revolutions per handle revolution. If you are winding at 3 handle revolutions per second (that is pretty fast), that comes out to 180 handle RPMs, or 1080 RPMs on the line roller. This is trivial for any decent ball bearing. double, triple, quadruple that number, any bearing that is not complete garbage will not break a sweat. A plain bearing (AKA bushing) should do fine here as well, if that is an option for this reel. I don't understand why folks assume that ball bearings are always better than plain bearings.
As noted earlier in this thread- ABEC rating is not not an rating of quality or of RPM capability, it is an indicator of tolerances of the balls and races. If you have a high tolerance assembly (not a fishing reel), then you want to worry about quality and dimensional accuracy.
I just saw some ABEC 9 skateboard bearings on that evil world's largest web retailer site: 16 for 9 bucks ::) There is market demand for low cost, high ABEC rated bearings that is met with low quality product.
-J
Quote from: philaroman on November 18, 2020, 10:29:41 PMABEC-3's are fine
your concern is not the ABEC rating, per se, but that modern no-name $3.50 ABEC-3's may well be made of crap stainless, not good enough for most exposed spinner bearings in salt+sand what's your "budget source" -- plenty folks here good at reading between the lines
TRB RC 5x8x2.5mm Precision High Speed Ball Bearing, 440C Stainless Steel ABEC 3 with Rubber Seals.
Stainless Steel 440C ABEC 3 Races
Stainless Steel 440C Balls
Rubber Seals to Help Fight Dirt
Great for Use in Applications that May Get Wet
Actually, Quantum sells the original ones at the same price, but the shipping $$$ kills that deal >:(
Quote from: nelz on November 18, 2020, 10:36:57 PM
TRB RC 5x8x2.5mm Precision High Speed Ball Bearing, 440C Stainless Steel ABEC 3 with Rubber Seals.
Stainless Steel 440C ABEC 3 Races
Stainless Steel 440C Balls
Rubber Seals to Help Fight Dirt
Great for Use in Applications that May Get Wet
good details, no red flags that jump out... could be excellent value OR just good enough for couple seasons,
till you see the gold light ;D if you maintain meticulously, brass/bronze can be just as good for results
if you tend to get a little lazy occasionally, it may be better for service time/effort
...heck, better for service time/effort, PERIOD!!! ;D no maybes involved
especially, since your bearings are wearing prophyl... rubb... darn 12-year-olds
Quote from: jurelometer on November 18, 2020, 10:30:51 PM
You just need to know inches per handle revolution- which is usually included in the specs (or you can calculate from filled spool circumference times gear ratio) and divide by the roller circumference. Multiply this by how fast you expect turn the handle.
It's been a long week. I realized they publish that number as I was driving home.
Quote
I just saw some ABEC 9 skateboard bearings on that evil world's largest web retailer site: 16 for 9 bucks ::) There is market demand for low cost, high ABEC rated bearings that is met with low quality product.
-J
Skateboard bearings are an expression of what happens when there's a certain size that's very common. It gets cheaper. You can get a full ceramic skate bearing (which only differs in size from the ones for my reel by 1.5mm of the ID) for 8 bucks a pop. For my reel it would be $45 each from the same supplier. No I don't wanna go full ceramic in my reel. Just trying to give an apples to apples or close to it.
And just use bones bearings for skateboards.
Quote from: philaroman on November 18, 2020, 09:24:23 PM
see if you can find same-size bushings... pref., Oilite
Everyone poo-poos bushings. ABU is said to have noted that bushing are just as good as ball bearings for spool bearings but the market likes the idea of ball bearings. My experience with small baitcasters is that, yes indeed, you can get just as much distance from bushings as ball bearings. I am very glad to have made the transition from ball bearings to bushings because bushings require less maintenance, especially in harsh conditions where the reel is always getting wet.
Bushing do require more frequent lubrication/oiling though. Oiling a bushing reel is a 20 second job if you are set up for it with oil ports in all the right places and an oil dispenser sized for the oil ports. I oil my baitcasters about every four or five hours of continual casting and retrieving. A squirt of oil in each spool bearing, the gear shaft, the main gear faces, the pinion, the clutch, the clicker and the handle knob. Frequent heavy oiling of bushings with a light oil (it's a squirt, not a drop) will effectively flush out emulsion and sludge.
With ball bearings, I was getting about twenty hours of cast/retrieve before the ball bearings had to be removed from the reel, cleaned to get rid of emulsion and sludge and replaced. Depending on reel design, this was taking at least thirty minutes and sometimes an hour.
Ball Bearings: 30 minutes maintenance every 20 hours of use = 1.5 minute of maintenance per hour of use.
Bushings: 20 seconds (or 0.33 minutes) maintenance for every 4 hours of use = 0.8 minutes of maintenance per hour of use.
The bushing reel can be oiled while bouncing around in the ocean. The ball bearing reel has to be taken to the workbench. Figure that both reels will have to be completely broken down for one reason or another at least once a year.
Your results may vary. I do not know if bushings will cause more or accelerated wear than ball bearings. I do not know if a modern baitcasting reel can be modified/outfitted for frequent and easy heavy oiling. I use a light pneumatic tool oil in one of those little Shakespeare chrome over brass oil cans.
-steve
For ball bearings, I found a lot of variation in free spin time in those ten-pack deals. Two or three would usually be much better than the rest. Buying ball bearings may just be a crap shoot.
-steve
Quote from: oc1 on November 19, 2020, 06:17:48 AM
For ball bearings, I found a lot of variation in free spin time in those ten-pack deals. Two or three would usually be much better than the rest. Buying ball bearings may just be a crap shoot.
-steve
I find myself wondering if quality bearing brands actually just make a ton of bearings and only label the top maybe 10% as their own and sell the others on Amazon under a different brand 10 for $5.
Could be. Somewhere on the internet there is a Japanese reel tuning group who claim they individually select the best bearings in a lot. You have to wonder where all their culls go.
-steve
Quote from: oc1 on November 19, 2020, 06:02:22 AM
Quote from: philaroman on November 18, 2020, 09:24:23 PM
see if you can find same-size bushings... pref., Oilite
Everyone poo-poos bushings. ABU is said to have noted that bushing are just as good as ball bearings for spool bearings but the market likes the idea of ball bearings. My experience with small baitcasters is that, yes indeed, you can get just as much distance from bushings as ball bearings. I am very glad to have made the transition from ball bearings to bushings because bushings require less maintenance, especially in harsh conditions where the reel is always getting wet.
Bushing do require more frequent lubrication/oiling though. Oiling a bushing reel is a 20 second job if you are set up for it with oil ports in all the right places and an oil dispenser sized for the oil ports. I oil my baitcasters about every four or five hours of continual casting and retrieving. A squirt of oil in each spool bearing, the gear shaft, the main gear faces, the pinion, the clutch, the clicker and the handle knob. Frequent heavy oiling of bushings with a light oil (it's a squirt, not a drop) will effectively flush out emulsion and sludge.
With ball bearings, I was getting about twenty hours of cast/retrieve before the ball bearings had to be removed from the reel, cleaned to get rid of emulsion and sludge and replaced. Depending on reel design, this was taking at least thirty minutes and sometimes an hour.
Ball Bearings: 30 minutes maintenance every 20 hours of use = 1.5 minute of maintenance per hour of use.
Bushings: 20 seconds (or 0.33 minutes) maintenance for every 4 hours of use = 0.8 minutes of maintenance per hour of use.
The bushing reel can be oiled while bouncing around in the ocean. The ball bearing reel has to be taken to the workbench. Figure that both reels will have to be completely broken down for one reason or another at least once a year.
Your results may vary. I do not know if bushings will cause more or accelerated wear than ball bearings. I do not know if a modern baitcasting reel can be modified/outfitted for frequent and easy heavy oiling. I use a light pneumatic tool oil in one of those little Shakespeare chrome over brass oil cans.
-steve
Agree with you on plain bearings (bushings) vs ball bearings. Also, ball bearings can fail catastrophically, vs plain bearings just gradually wearing down and getting looser.
The typical deep groove ball bearings have one advantage: By using balls and round tracks on the races, they are tolerant of misalignment. Plain bearings cannot twist a little to adapt to misalignment, and have to go through a break-in period to wear into shape instead. But if the bearing fit is not super tight, it is usually not noticeable, and you can spend less of your life cleaning and re-lubing.
I disagree with folks that say that ball bearings are inherently stronger than plain bearings. Just look inside most engines...
-J.
Quote from: oc1 on November 19, 2020, 06:02:22 AMEveryone poo-poos bushings. ABU is said to have noted that bushing are just as good as ball bearings for spool bearings but the market likes the idea of ball bearings
Bushings are fine as spool bearings, but in spinners, the line roller tends to jam with bushings.
Quote from: nelz on November 19, 2020, 01:29:37 PM
Quote from: oc1 on November 19, 2020, 06:02:22 AMEveryone poo-poos bushings. ABU is said to have noted that bushing are just as good as ball bearings for spool bearings but the market likes the idea of ball bearings
Bushings are fine as spool bearings, but in spinners, the line roller tends to jam with bushings.
I'm sure that's true for a SINGLE line-roller bushing, because the roller is less stable -- it rocks (not in a good way :( )
J has JUST explained why that effects a bush more adversely than a BB, so I don't have to try (whew, thanks Dave)
YOU HAVE TWO!!! ...supports on either rim of roller = no "bad rocking"
solid bushes you can play around w/ polishing ID for different performance, lube viscosity, etc. (Summer bush vs. Winter bush, haha)
that may be extra-significant, for line rollers because the break-in time is MUCH longer (roller doesn't HAVE to roll - line can slip over)
once again, having TWO symmetrically positioned supports really lets you play w/ tiny symmetrical ID slop
I came of age with old mitchell spinners and off-brands that did not have a line roller. The bail just had an indent that trapped the line and there was never a problem, albeit there were no long drawn-out battles with monsters. The reels weren't really made for that anyway. I thought I was hot graduating to spinfishers with a roller but those things are a pain to keep up with. The bail roller is about the only thing that ever goes wrong with them, but they jammed frequently. The easy solution was to ignore it and occasionally inspect for wear and turn the roller a few degrees by hand to distribute the wear. I have never been fortunate enough to have the line wear a groove in the indent or the roller.
By the way, and before you ask, a stuck roller on the bail does NOT cause the line to twist any more or any less than a fully functional roller.
Then I grew up enough to only use conventional reels and life has been good ever since.
-steve
I really like my reels with bushings & have no reason to consider swapping them out for BBs. But been lucky with the ball bearings on all my old rebuilt/restored reels -- they cleaned up nicely & work fine. Haven't had to replace any so far.
Quote from: oc1 on November 19, 2020, 06:46:37 AM
Could be. Somewhere on the internet there is a Japanese reel tuning group who claim they individually select the best bearings in a lot. You have to wonder where all their culls go.
-steve
They throw out their culls and mark up the cost of the "better" bearings to make up for it :D I've had customers want me to install whatever flavor of the month bearings they read about online, and some get a little upset when I say the factory installed bearings are plenty good. I've experimented with some of those bearings and haven't noticed any difference that would necessitate the sometimes much higher cost. I'm sure there are benefits, but they probably don't apply much to fishing reels as they would in a RC car or industrial application. Some of the reels I've built with nothing more than two OEM spool bearings spin just as well, or even better than what some of the Japanese reel tuners on YouTube are doing. I've replied to some of their videos with some of my own, and they are promptly taken down lol