My RTX40 seems to put up too much resistance when the anti-reverse is engaged, otherwise it turns freely and smoothly. I took it apart to inspect the roller bearing, and suddenly there's little metal rollers all over the desk! Wow, there's no way to remove the assembly without it falling all apart! The only thing holding all the tiny rollers is a ring, not a collar like I'm used to seeing.
Even worse, Okuma's schematic shows a totally different roller bearing, (one with a collar) not even close to the one actually in this reel. So what's up with Okuma's schematics???
Well, after searching for 1/2 hour, I finally found all the tiny rollers and reassembled it. I tried CorrosionX, still way too tight, went with a lighter lube, better, but still way too much resistance.
In conclusion, this roller bearing is just poorly designed. To its credit though, it's actually a very reliable IAR and won't slip regardless of how much lube you use. But after casting all day, the drag it exerts really take its toll. Too bad though, because the reel is very nice otherwise.
Probably one per 100,000. Try contacting Okuma. They may surprise you.
Quote from: nelz on June 26, 2013, 09:02:00 PM
My RTX40 seems to put up too much resistance when the anti-reverse is engaged, otherwise it turns freely and smoothly. I took it apart to inspect the roller bearing, and suddenly there's little metal rollers all over the desk! Wow, there's no way to remove the assembly without it falling all apart! The only thing holding all the tiny rollers is a ring, not a collar like I'm used to seeing.
Even worse, Okuma's schematic shows a totally different roller bearing, (one with a collar) not even close to the one actually in this reel. So what's up with Okuma's schematics???
Well, after searching for 1/2 hour, I finally found all the tiny rollers and reassembled it. I tried CorrosionX, still way too tight, went with a lighter lube, better, but still way too much resistance.
In conclusion, this roller bearing is just poorly designed. To its credit though, it's actually a very reliable IAR and won't slip regardless of how much lube you use. But after casting all day, the drag it exerts really take its toll. Too bad though, because the reel is very nice otherwise.
Already had to return one, it had a scratched spool lip. After rebate, it's a $55 reel, not worth further shipping hassels, Today I fished it and it seems the lighter lube has made it tolerable, and it's "breaking in" a bit.
I thought it was odd that Cabelas had this just released reel on clearance already, I'm starting to suspect why. But I have to say, the new carbon frame is really nice; light and very rigid, lives up to claims.
Wow, I just serviced a budget Daiwa Regal 2500c, who's msrp price is half that of the Okuma RTX ($100), and its anti-reverse is in a whole different class from this cheap Okuma junk! Its a robust single unit, making the reel easy to service, and adds virtually no resistance to the retrieve.
In the meantime, my RTX has not broken in at all, (unless you count grindy gears now too) and still offers too much resistance with the IAR engaged. Oh, and did I mention all the clunky noises it makes reeling in a 3/4 oz lure?
Ok, so just in hopes that this lemon is indeed "one per 100,000" as per Bryan, I finally broke down and returned it to Cabelas for exchange, and am awaiting reply.
However, that still doesn't change the fact that the RTX's IAR is made of tiny rollers held together by a thin ring, the whole thing which falls apart upon removing the rotor!
I just received the exchanged reel. It looks brand new, no cosmetic issues, looks well lubricated too. As for the smoothness... yes, it's better too, not great, but better. So... it took 3 reels, but I think I finally got a good one.
On a side note, the last Okuma spinner I got before this one (about ten years ago), was a Coronado bait feeder. That one took three units as well before I got one with smooth gears. Great reels, but right out of the box, they were very grindy. I purchased the RTX assuming that by now Okuma had gotten it together.
Well, now I'm off to catch me a Labor Day season-opener keeper snook on my new RTX! ;D