I just recieved some 6x19x6 angular contact ball thrust bearings to use in my HX Raptor 5/3. They had to be ordered out of China since they can't be found here. I ordered 2 lots of ten for $34.00 a lot. At $3.40 per bearing it was a good deal. Along with ceramic spool bearings I should have no problems with the drag ever.
Michael
Thanks for sharing the bearings with others but the HX Raptors get 40 lbs of drag at strike or 50 lbs at full. In my mind that's a whole lot of drag for the size of the reel.
I did the same bearing upgrade on a standard JX 6/3 as well as a have few others here using AC bearings in Avet's. I saw no difference in being able to produce more drag than Avet's stated numbers and the other couple of guys didn't either. So please report back and let us know if the AC bearings allow for more than the 40/50 lbs of drag in the HX Raptors.
It does feel smother at high drag settings. The thing is they are affordable. Avet put no thought into bearing size and type when they built their reels. Finding these bearings was hard. Getting them took a long time because of the mail from china is slow.
Michael
I get **plenty** of drag from my HX Raptor 5/2 and don't need to change the bearings. I might quibble with the non-Raptor Avets but not the Raptors. BTW: The low gear is 1.9:1 so you have plenty of cranking power. While I'm here: The new Avet G2 reels have more drag thanks to a bigger pinion bearing, larger drag plate, and stiffer bellevilles. They don't make a G2 HX, thinking it has enough drag for a non-Raptor.
i do this and other things not to get higher drag numbers but to make it smoother, less or no binding at all. it's just me...
tight lines!
i think the drag settings are high enough also. I want it as smooth as possible at high drag settings. If you need 6x17x6 angular contact bearings they can be bought through VXB bearings for around five
to six dollars a bearing.
Michael
These bearings should last longer, deep grove stock bearings tend to crack the outer race.