Abec 7 Ceramic Bearing Upgrade ?

[osider]

Would it make sense to upgrade the Dauntless bearing to Ceramic Abec 7 Ceramic bearings for better casting ?

Thanks, Gerry

[alantani]

i know alot of guys like ceramic bearings, but i'm not a big fan.  the cost is usually higher and i see no advantage in castability or corrosion resistance.  once cleaned out and lubed, all stainless steel abec 5 bearings cast great.  and for corrosion resistance, and all ceramic bearing would be fine, but the stainless steel cages and races of the typical "ceramic" bearings rust just as easily they do in plain stainless steel bearings.  if you want to try them, go for it!  they are very popular and the extra cost is not that much.  it's just not something that i generally recommend. 

[Tiddlerbasher]

As the boss has said - the advantages of hybrid ceramic bearings (for the spool) are minimal. If you are a tounament caster you may get an extra few yards. For the average fisherman no difference. For lever drag reels forget it - the axial forces will crush them more easiliy For casting star drag reels full ceramic bearings (including races) do have advantages - lower friction,
no lube (therefore they can spin faster), they will cast further (virtually all tounament casters in the UK use them) no corrosion in the salt. The downside is cost. The last pair of full ceramic I bought cost $65 from the PRC. Thy were bought as an experiment - wasn't worth the cost. For freshwater baitcaters hybrids work fine (and don't cost a lot more than SS).
For the salt I've gone back to full stainless. Far cheaper - therefore disposable

[johndtuttle]

If you were a Pro freshwater Bass guy flipping 1/4oz lures then maybe...and a super light spool from Hedgehog Studios would be in your future as well.

For Saltwater fishing there are zero advantages to ceramic bearings.

1. They have to be lubed anyways to protect the cages.

2. They are less durable and more easily crushed by axial forces (known issue in Lever Drag reels without a thrust bearing).

3. cost

4. abec 5 SS bearings lubed with TSI 321 are fast as hell, cheap and strong. Once guys start this route...how to slow the reel down with magnets is usally the next issue .

[Tiddlerbasher]

Quite so John - Most of my reels are so darn fast that they need the magnetic control

[osider]

Thanks for the education guys. Gerry