I was looking around aliexpress.com and found these. The seller seems to be the main source of drag washers and sheets on Aliexpress, and the material looks decent in the photos. No need to wait for China delivery on standard washers, but what caught my eye is the custom cut washers to your specs. Anybody ever tried them?
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000382924930.html
(https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/Hb5f90e4fa449451f99437a8c67f71ee60/customized-CNC-cutting-1pcs-carbontex-drag-washer-for-fishing-reels-carbon-fiber-washer-1-0mm.jpg_Q90.jpg_.webp)
CF cloth on glass board -- how good is the cloth, if the board is necessary?
looks kinda' thick -- may be great for 2-stack, but too fat for 6-stack replacements
FWIW, according to Wikipedia:
"AliExpress is an online retail service based in China owned by the Alibaba Group. Launched in 2010, it is made up of small businesses in China and other locations, such as Singapore, that offer products to international online buyers."
For the amount of CF washers I order for my reels, I'd rather continue giving business to Smoothdrag here in the US. Dawn has given me excellent service and is always a pleasure to deal with. Sometimes I might have to trim them or ream out the center a bit, but that's okay.
I realize this is no longer the case, but originally "Alibaba" was quite descriptive
i.e., forty thieves, per one honest vendor
Quote from: wfjord on January 04, 2021, 11:11:18 PM
FWIW, according to Wikipedia:
"AliExpress is an online retail service based in China owned by the Alibaba Group. Launched in 2010, it is made up of small businesses in China and other locations, such as Singapore, that offer products to international online buyers."
YB034-02 Dawn has given me excellent service and is always a pleasure to deal with.
As I mentioned, for standard sizes available here, there is no need to go through China. However, the price for custom cut washers seems decent and the material looks decent.
Quote from: philaroman on January 04, 2021, 11:02:46 PM
CF cloth on glass board -- how good is the cloth, if the board is necessary?
looks kinda' thick -- may be great for 2-stack, but too fat for 6-stack replacements
Thickness of the washer can be deceiving. They come in thicknesses from 0.5mm to 1+ mm. I would expect thinner ones not to have the glass reinforced center while the thicker ones probably do. Some of the thicker HT100's had reinforced center layers.
Are you somewhere that you can't just order smooth drag parts? Either from site or 3rd party on the 'bay? Just saying they're not that expensive as to warrant a gamble on something random like this? If so it makes sense, if not just stick to established vendors. My 2c
No advice either way. But if you (or someone else)try it let us know. I'm lookin for some sheets and they have 0.6 and 1.0 mm.
Quote from: JasonGotaPenn on January 05, 2021, 01:23:27 AM
Are you somewhere that you can't just order smooth drag parts? Either from site or 3rd party on the 'bay? Just saying they're not that expensive as to warrant a gamble on something random like this? If so it makes sense, if not just stick to established vendors. My 2c
I already said twice that for standard parts, there is no need to source from China. I don't think Smoothdrag is set up to do small batch custom sizes, which is why people keep ordering sheets and cutting their own.
After what the world has been put through for the last year I'm not sure I understand why anyone would buy something made in, and/or shipped directly from, China when there are other and possibly better alternatives.
Tommy, Shopping on line for anything is a chore because the point of origin is getting harder to find. I hate hitting the Buy-it-now button and finding a speed-pak from China will be arriving in a month. I have been boycotting Chinese products for years already. It's the only smart choice for the future. Any further statement and I'll be full on political. ;D
Quote from: SteveL on January 04, 2021, 11:39:44 PM
I would expect thinner ones not to have the glass reinforced center while the thicker ones probably do. Some of the thicker HT100's had reinforced center layers.
I have the different thicknesses of sheet from that guy in Australia. They all seem to have a rigid core. The carbon fiber does not have much backbone.
Quote from: Midway Tommy on January 05, 2021, 05:38:20 AM
After what the world has been put through for the last year I'm not sure I understand why anyone would buy something made in, and/or shipped directly from, China when there are other and possibly better alternatives.
If you do not buy Chinese made products then you will just have to do without. All the domestic manufacturing has been put out of business by price conscious shoppers.
Quote from: oc1 on February 12, 2021, 07:26:30 PM
Quote from: Midway Tommy on January 05, 2021, 05:38:20 AM
After what the world has been put through for the last year I'm not sure I understand why anyone would buy something made in, and/or shipped directly from, China when there are other and possibly better alternatives.
If you do not buy Chinese made products then you will just have to do without. All the domestic manufacturing has been put out of business by price conscious shoppers.
I decided I'll just do without if there's no other option. I don't have that many years left so if I have to spend a little more of the $ I can't take with me, so be it. :) If enough people opt out of Chinese made merchandise and we keep an America first attitude other alternatives will become more affordable.
My wife and I try to support US businesses, but product availability has suffered because US companies have stopped production, sometimes even when the exact product is not produced by third world companies. And sometimes the only way to find out which businesses are truly US companies supporting US manufacturing is when you suffer through a fiasco.
Last June we made a $250 online purchase from a company we believed was based in Kansas. Our order was not received as ordered, but we received something made in the PRC, in its place. In order to apply for a refund, we were required to return the item to the manufacturer, outside of Hong Kong, in the PRC! Shipping would cost us over $160! The only indicator would have been for us to read through the entire online information (how often does anyone do this?) regarding the company, purchases and returns, and limitations and legal mumbo jumbo, and seen that the attorneys listed offices in Hong Kong.
We dug more, including Google Maps Street Views of addresses that we uncovered. The "company" in Kansas was a mail drop. The return address for the item we received was in the LA basin. The company name on the return address was a 2-person company, with a different (but close) address as the return address.
The PRC provides free shipping for companies based in the PRC for shipments to the US (and probably any western countries).
Our only way out was to initiate a complaint with VISA, within the time limits. VISA staffers decided in our favor, by default, because the company did not submit any information or cooperate in any investigation. We got our refund, but our $250 in funds were tied up for three months during the entire process, and we still had to find something that we needed. I had to resort to jerry-rig a repair.
This spring, we will donate the item to a local hospice thrift store.
plenty companies over-emphasize that they're US-based (Corporate) & obfuscate the fact that all their manufacturing is outsourced (Boca, Lew's)... but, at least, those usually have good, prompt CS
We buy a lot of stuff that ends up coming from China or Asia.
However, it is only if an American company is offering — so that returns are easy, if necessary.
We check the ratings. Get a good feel for the company.
Our first choice is mostly always local. 4 out of 5 times — that does not work. It is a waste of time, effort, & gas.
Then we try Amazon — once we find what we want, we then go straight to the company that Amazon is sourcing from. Often (most times) the manufacturer of the product or the US distributor will have a price that is 10% to 15% below Amazon — even when the free shipping is considered.
We prefer to buy from American companies — but we also realize that many products are not manufactured in the US, anymore. That is OK — as long as the firm is rated well, been in business for awhile, stands behind their sale with good service, and no drama.
Plus, we do not want to put our card out there — except with a reputable firm that has careful & safe privacy procedures.
Good service case in point —
10 days ago, I wanted to buy a upland game sweater vest from LL Bean. $99, on sale for $79. Went online to order it — but my size, Large, was not available in the dark Navy Blue I wanted.
Little icon at the lower right of the screen said — check retail stores.
So I did — we are in California, LL Bean is in Maine. (2) stores showed (1) each in stock.
I called Bean's customer service — while I waited, they called each store & got hold of someone in that department — while I waited on the phone! The store in Connecticut did not have it. The store in Boston's Back Bay had one left. They turned me over to the person in that department who had it in their hands — the last one in the US. She took my information — charged me $59 + tax + free shipping (it was on sale even further at their retail store).
Arrived (7) days later. Excellent quality, lifetime guarantee, made in China.
Bought a new Pendleton wool shirt a year ago from the Pendleton factory outlet in Monterey. Made in Mexico — but with wool material from the US plant up in Pendleton, Oregon. It was on sale for $130. If it was manufactured in the US — the price would be double — and it would not be available — since no one would buy it for $260 — except yuppies. That is just the way things are nowadays.
As for drag material, IMO, it is a 50/50 crap shoot. For me, I would find a solid US company — and even if it is imported — buy it from them, providing there are quality ratings and guarantees — even if it is a few bucks more.
What are we talking about? $10 - $15 more per sheet? Heck, I spend $60 to fill up my truck — and don't have as much to show for it as good drags in my reels.
The last thing, will the next order be the same quality — or less? Will it even be available? Will the company even be around? So, predicable results — the next time I order, or recommend the firm to a friend — are important also, at least to me.
That is why I like to deal with US, well established firms — whenever possible — even if the item is imported (especially).
Best, Fred
I dont have an aswer for those specific carbon fiber drag washer you are asking but I was on the same boat of looking for CF sheets to cut some myself, not really looking for saving money cutting by my own CF washer but to cut some not so popular sizes on reels that only need one or two drag washers, as old baitcasting reels or spinning reels, so, after researching some opinions on CF sheets found out that some guys were happy with a guy from ebay but some hate it the quality, others liked the SF sheets from some vendor on australia but same deal few guys (here and other sites didnt liked the quality of the CF), also saw that few reel repairs websites offer CF sheets too but I dont know the quality on them, so I better stopped there and recall that Dawn from Smoothdrag also sells CF sheets in the regular thickness 0.7mm, 1.00 and 1.2mm or something, maybe no as cheap as the Ebay guy or the other sellers, but not my plan to compromise the performance of a $300 dlls reel just to save $5 dlls on a CF kit specially if its a reel from a customer that covers the cost with no problem.
with the great CS from smoothdrag all these years I ordered few weeks ago some CF sheets from Dawn on 0.7mm and 1.00mm just for those special cuts, for complete CF kits as 113h, trinidad reels, etc, etc I will continue to order them from Dawn and dont deal with that pesky CF dust that I will get if I plan to cut my owns on every reel I service, specially becuase I dont have a proper mancave or reelrepair shop.
the CF sheets from Dawn are the same she use on the drag washers sets she sell so, no worries on my side about quality
Quote from: Gfish on January 05, 2021, 01:30:08 AM
No advice either way. But if you (or someone else)try it let us know. I'm lookin for some sheets and they have 0.6 and 1.0 mm.
amigo Gregg, if you dont want to "pay the price" and "hoping for the best" when ordering from a new-to know vendor, I think you better off contacting Dawn from smoothdrag and check if she have you desired CF sheet thickness you already know the quality is there and CS at the finest.
Good advice, Alex!
Best, Fred
Copy that!
Exact same situation I ran into buying Whaler parts from what I thought was a USA company. I made the mistake of googling him after I already paid. All the feedback was negative (like 50 transactions), reporting delivery delays, wrong merchandise, etc. And no response to emails and an answering machine that was full so you couldn't leave a message. PayPal refunded me when they didn't respond. Now I check every site.
Well said, Alex!
the source. https://www.avcarb.com/commercial-fishing/
Quote from: alantani on February 14, 2021, 02:25:17 AM
the source. https://www.avcarb.com/commercial-fishing/
I understand from people who have tried (in bulk) that it is not easy to obtain the cf sheet from them.
The discussion of the chinese company has gone on a bit of tangent. The only value I see in what they offer is the custom sizes cut in small (or large) batches with fairly quick turn around (about 3 weeks last I checked). I haven't seen a US based supplier offer the same.
smoothdrag.com. i believe that dawn and smoothdrag gets her carbon fiber from ballard/avcarb, so it's domestic, not imported.
Quote from: alantani on February 14, 2021, 04:09:52 AM
smoothdrag.com. i believe that dawn and smoothdrag gets her carbon fiber from ballard/avcarb, so it's domestic, not imported.
That is fine for ordering a sheet, but for a US vendor to do custom cut to order, they would essentially be trying to buy in bulk from a competitor.
Quote from: SteveL
I understand from people who have tried (in bulk) that it is not easy to obtain the cf sheet from them.
No... They are a big company, dealing strictly B2B. Used to, and maybe still do, have a sizeable minimum order. They just don't have time for onesy-twosey customers.
.
Quote from: Robert Janssen on February 14, 2021, 05:56:51 AM
Quote from: SteveL
I understand from people who have tried (in bulk) that it is not easy to obtain the cf sheet from them.
No... They are a big company, dealing strictly B2B. Used to, and maybe still do, have a sizeable minimum order. They just don't have time for onesy-twosey customers.
.
Bulk orders were attempted but apparently went no where.
"Bulk" is kind of a relative term - run into it in my industry all the time. Suppliers on some products are cool with selling "bulk" by the pallet, but for others (the farther you get up the food chain and closer to the actual source) the term "bulk" may mean container loads.
And if anyone has trouble sleeping at night like me - I recommend the "Planet Money" podcast, particularly a series called "The Planet Money T-shirt". It started at a cotton farm in Texas - and the supply chain was fascinating. In the end it was not what you could call "American Made".
Fred has a very wise perspective. The point of "Made in XYZ" is in fact, probably far less important than the reality of "Know Who You are Dealing With". - john
I think Dawn is the best bet for buying washers and sheets. Always good quality.
For those trying to buy all American it is difficult. The guy that installed my Fridgidare microwave told me all of the processers are made in China for everyone. The guy at Lowes told me two European companies make all the glass stove tops. GE Apliances was sold to a Chinese company and still carries the GE brand name.
Dwight
Quote from: Newell Nut on February 22, 2021, 04:04:37 PMI think Dawn is the best bet for buying washers and sheets. Always good quality.
For those trying to buy all American it is difficult. The guy that installed my Fridgidare microwave told me all of the processers are made in China for everyone. The guy at Lowes told me two European companies make all the glass stove tops. GE Apliances was sold to a Chinese company and still carries the GE brand name.
Dwight
Especially if you open a commercial account