Hey fishing folks, thanks for reading.
After reading up, taking the suggestions and breaking down/cleaning/lubing my SX, I got my casting distance back and doing OK with that. I also picked up a SXJ to switch off with it and not over-use the one unit. The one thing I did notice right away was that the big drive gear on my recently lubed unit is much more noisy when I'm cranking. I really can tell the difference if I crank the handle when it's in the freespool position and compare the two.
I used a heavy marine grade grease but I guess it's not heavy enough because we all know, when there is noise, there is wear. I may also contact Avet tech support about it but I'm hoping the Sensei or any of you have some suggestions.
I realize there is a tool/lube section but I thought maybe this is an Avet issue?
...oh yeah..
PS-RAIN!!!....WOOHOO!!!
let's hope it's the bearings and not the gears. roughness when cranking could be one or both of the handle drive shaft bearings, or more likely the right main side plate (pinion) bearing. those are easily damaged. also examine the main gear for micro burrs. it's got to be one of those.
SXJ's are pretty new reels, did you have the grinding noise before the service? If not I'd look at the alignment of the gears after the service. Sometimes the the friction ring which goes into the main gear can cause the main gear to sit a little cockeyed on the drive shaft if not seated correctly.
Maybe to clarify, it doesn't crank "rough" or "grind", in fact it's smooth as silk but I can hear the gears more than in my new SX. I doubt that it's a case of malfunction or damaged gears/bearings, and believe it's just getting the right grease to stay on the gear and quiet it down. The bearings were all replaced and are quiet as a mouse.
Stab in the dark here. When you said the grease used is "heavy marine grease", is it's properties thick and tacky? Did you pull the shields off the two drive bearings (part #29) and fully pack them with the grease mentioned? This "might" be the cause for increased gear noise (thick and tacky grease packed in bearings don't move as "freely/easily" as greases which have a more buttery consistency). To eliminate this possibility, remove both drive bearings, clean, "oil" and reassemble and check to see if there is any noise reduction? "IF" this is the cause, I'd cut the grease you're using with oil so to achieve a better consistency (buttery) and repack the two drive bearings with the new concoction.
Just a suggestion to try/process of elimination. ;)
Fish'
I used heavy grease on the gears and lighter/faster mixture for the bearings, works well & I get good casting distance. The heavy grease is red and like you said "buttery". I'm going to break it down after a couple more uses and relube the whole unit, then I'll experiment more with how & what to grease the gears to quiet them down.
Makes me think of another question, Any subtleties to applying grease to Avet gears? Pack it in? Just enough to cover the gear teeth? I come from the less is best school of thought but I may be wrong.
Thx for the input.
Had the increased gear noise myself with a friends SX. Unfortunately he wanted his reel back before I got to the root of the cause. I never did see that reel again. :-\
I also like to adhere to the less is more principle. I personally use a short hard bristled brush to paint the grease in between the gears teeth. Teeth packed with grease will have the excess squeezed out when entwined with the pinion gear anyway, which inevitably leaves the same thin skin but with a wasteful amount of excess grease used.
Hopefully you get to the bottom of the increased gear noise and then give us an update when you do ;)
I'll let you know how it shakes out.
I have a few Avets, and have found that some reels has that gearing noise more than others. Just seems like a normal characteristic of the inconsistent tolerances they allow. Kinda like their anodizing.
I know a lot of guys fish avets and they seem to like them a lot. I'm not brand bashing here, but there is a lot of problems with these reels. Especially the bearings. They have lots of Bling, and lots of drag, but when someone complains of a problem. Its usually genuine. A defect or failure of a part or particular feature. 99% of the Senator failures or problems are usually an operator error on assembly or poor maintenance.
I'll stick with my Senators. ;)
Quote from: Shark Hunter on March 08, 2014, 05:51:22 AM
I know a lot of guys fish avets and they seem to like them a lot. I'm not brand bashing here, but there is a lot of problems with these reels. Especially the bearings. They have lots of Bling, and lots of drag, but when someone complains of a problem. Its usually genuine. A defect or failure of a part or particular feature. 99% of the Senator failures or problems are usually an operator error on assembly or poor maintenance.
I'll stick with my Senators. ;)
In defense of Avet I think people have higher and sometimes unrealistic expectations. Fundamentally they think they have spent more so the reel will last longer than a Senator and must be "better". Of course, I would venture that vastly more Senators are bought and abused and are never serviced once in their entire lives so we never hear about them.
What the Avet guys have actually gotten IS an amazing value for a Made in USA lever drag reel...but lever drags are more complex so in fact they may be getting less for their money in terms of ultimate reliability as I think we all feel.
What else are they getting? They are getting a very light reel that casts beautifully for a lever drag and they get the ability to rapidly increase their drag setting, get to dial in a preset they like and get to feel all leet fishing a "big boy" reel like the big game guys do. Plus it's pretty.
Don't underestimate the value of pretty ;D. Old guys that know better still buy Senators for certain jobs. New guys like sexy reels. You gotta rope in the young guys if you want your business to have a future.
Hi Guys,
I don't really want to add fuel to a fire about which reel is best, but I think that folks need to have a more open mind about some generalise comments- and how different people have different priorities for their reels, according to the fishing that they do.
I can understand the patriotism for American made products, and that is commendable, however there are plenty of situations where Penn do not have the answer to all the fishing needs of all the anglers; least of all with a Senator.
Before I get shot down in flames, early in my boat angling career, I owned several Senators, up to a 9/0, and a fine robust, almost bullet proof reels they were – in that situation. I, even still have a 30 year old Penn 49, fitted with HT100 drag washers – from before the internet was invented, and for the application that I used that reel, it was superb – wire lining.
However, things move forward, new materials come to the market, perhaps the biggest change has been the introduction of braid, and now we need smaller reels to offer the same capacity of much finer lines, but still with huge drag capabilities. Having evolved away from 'big' reels, now folks are finding that this smaller reel fishing is fun, and more sporting, so apply it to even lighter fishing, where perhaps the smaller series of reels from Avet come in.
So, it is a matter of horses for courses, and personally I have been importing Avets into southern Africa for 9 years now, and generally for the right anglers these reels have transformed some of our fishing. There have been a few guys that have abused them beyond their design limits, and the appropriate failures have happened, however those that work within the design parameters have exceeded those around them in terms of casting distance and fight performance.
I certainly don't think that there is a Penn model that would compare to what we are doing with our Avets, and that includes sharks to over 300lbs. That is not to say that an appropriate Penn reel wouldn't be the right reel for sharks of a similar size, where casting of baits wasn't a requirement.
I'm probably repeating myself, but I think that the small series of Avet reels are a super little reel, especially when used within their design parameters. Technology is a wonderful thing, and we all respond to it, whether it is reels or the latest cell phone. That is not to say that a 15 year old cell phone doesn't do the job, which is make a phone call – but how many of you are using such old technology. It is at the end of the day, basically 'boys with their toys'!!
Cheers from sunny Africa
Jeri
Thanks for the reminders Jeri.
Point Taken John and Jeri. ;) I was just voicing my opinion. No fire here. ;D
Hello Jeri, no argument here, I always enjoy your comments. I just want to give my worthless two cents ;D.
In the case that durability is more important than functionality, especially for the guys that don't have as many option as we do, lets take an older Senator with a 1.6:1 ratio vs an Avet or anything else with a 6:1 ratio, both retrieving the same amount of line.
The reels with the 6:1 ratio is working 5X harder that the 1.6:1 ratio.
I believe that same new reel has a better than 5X chance of breaking down than the older reel. You're right, technology moves on and I'm not against it, but material used isn't what it used to be :-\.
As stated above, just my 2 cents.
sal
Hi Guys,
I can whole heartedly agree that a 6:1 is working that much harder than a 1:1 reel, and the 6:1 is more likely to have failure points before the 1:1.
However, given that we have seen considerable advances in technology, with CNC machining, etc, we end up with much closer tolerances in the build, obviously faster build times, and potentially cheaper products than the equivalent 20-30-40 years ago.
Not that I'm old enough to remember some of the prices that were paid for 1:1 reels 'back in the day', but when you compare those prices and allow for annual inflation through the years, what price would they be now, and how would that compare to one of the higher tech machines that we now have at our disposal? Also, there is the factor that back when the Senators were originally designed, the concept of a 'consumable society' wasn't even thought of – now things are made with a 'designed' shorter life span, so that you go out and buy the latest upgraded model. Cynical??? – yes, very!!!
Here in Namibia, we still see an awful lot of Penn 49 & 500 reels being used on the beach, some even with plastic (Bakerlite) spools!!!! I even get to service a few – quick job, just grease the gears and bushes – very quick and simple. But, very few would be expecting that such reels, despite their very senior years are going to perform like some of the newer technology. That is not to say the reels are wrong, people do catch fish with them, and are happy with what they are doing, which possibly is the whole point.
Think I will have to dig out my old Penn 49, and auction it, just to see what price it would be worth today? But then I would lose a lovely kite reel, loads of slow power to bring in a kite on a windy day. Horses for course.
Cheers from sunny Africa
Jeri
This is my OBJECTIVE view,
Two cars A and B:
A) 327 CID/250HP, 2Barrel carb, 2.83 rear end = RELIABILITY, LOW COST, LOW MAINTENANCE.
B) 327 CID/425HP, INJECTORS, 4.10 REAR END = PERFORMANCE, HIGHER PRICE, DEFINITE INSPECTION & MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE!
If one chooses to ABUSE/NEGLECT the performance vehicle (B) it WILL MALFUNCTION. Its that simple; I add synthetic Mobile 1 oil to my Lexus, NOT my Nissan get-around. This does NOT mean that I dont maintain my low cost, low maintenance ANYTHING(S).
Leo
Wow! I didn't realize my grease issue was going to spark a Senator vs Avet debate. ::)
What everybody doesn't realize is that I use Avet reels for surf & rock fishing, where a lighter, better casting, and higher gear ratio is needed and makes a senator almost useless by comparison. I own a 113h 4/0 for heavy boat fishing (which I don't do anymore) and a 155L I've used since 1977, so I know about durability but I have to be honest, my Penns collect dust now. The weight and gear ratio alone makes them a little obsolete, that's why they're so cheap on eBay and Craigslist, but I'm from the Penn lineage and keep them ready if I want to go oldskool.
Bottom line: The right tool for the right job. ;)
Well folks, this is what I've found out. After talking with the tech guy at Avet, he admitted that the grease used on their drive gear is extra thick and is one of the reasons some people feel that their reels are a little bit sluggish in cranking right out of the box. That and the design makes it a clear difference from star drag reels, I can slap the arm on my old penn in the freespool position and it will spin like hell, leverdrag reels barely budge. Apples and oranges I guess.
I relubed the gear with the grease I had and it quieted down a bit, that will work until I find a thicker type of grease.