Collecting B-Grade Spinning Reels

[foakes]

Can't pay too much for a good reel, IMO...

At the end, if we have a couple of tons of reels -- they will either all be sold to someone else -- or not cherished perhaps as much as we would wish.

And the grim reality is -- if any of our tackle stashes were sold when we needed the extra $$$ -- they would likely only cover 2 or 3 months of care in an advanced non-medical facility.

So, get what you can afford & enjoy -- while you are still sucking air -- and enjoy the ride..

It's All Good!

Best,

Fred

[festus]

Looking for ideas on more B-grades, maybe Daiwa, Zebco, South Bend, and Omori made Shakespeares. The better grade South Bends have been scarce on the big auction lately.

  I think those Omori made reels are a good bargain Chester. They seem to have made reels for everyone at some point. Either that or everyone was copying them! I scored this boxed SB 960 Classic a few days ago...paid top dollar too...it pains me to say that.

Here's my take on a NIB South Bend 960.

Those were list priced at 40 bucks.  Suppose you found a blue light special for 25 bucks in 1977 at Kmart.

Using one of several online inflation calculators, that would equate to roughly $112 nowadays. 

I seriously doubt you can find a brand new reel off the shelf reel at Dick's, Academy Sports, Cabela's, or BPS for anywhere near that price. 

[basto]

I recently paid $150 AUD for a very nice DAM 3001. In 1985 I bought one new for approx $300 AUD.
Sometimes, dealers know they have something good, but don't know how good.
We have a couple of local people who do yard sales frequently. I give them reels that I have enjoyed and lost interest in.
They are good people going through a tough time and appreciate the reels.
Basto

[festus]

Scored these two Mitchell 304, one with the big spool and one with smaller spool.

I know nothing about these reels, but gave them a B because I've always heard they were were in the lower end of Mitchells.  Not really seen anything yet that convinces me they are B grade other than maybe the spool and drag.

[foakes]

Hate to disagree, Chester --

But those 304 - 305 - 304S - 314 - 315 round bodied Mitchells are "A" reels, at least in my book.

Solid components, simple mechanisms -- no shortcuts on these.

These came from the old CAP's -- and carry an impressive amount of history.

I have maybe 40 of these, plus a lot of NOS parts, spools, bodies, rotors, etc...

Check out the 314 model -- it even has a modified/double hesitation system for better line lay -- like on the 308 & 302.

I will trade you any Heddons I have for those "B" grade reels in that photo -- straight across...

Clean, service, observe, soak in the engineering -- mount one on an ultralight rod -- then make your evaluation.

Can't take what others say as the Gospel -- they may or often times -- may not have enough information -- to be correct.

Judge for yourself.  You already have the expert skills and knowledge to do a proper evaluation.

Looking forward to one of your excellent tutorials.

Best,

Fred

[Midway Tommy]

Fred posted while I was typing & I agree with him. I have about 15 variations of the CAP/Mitchell/Garcia 304 & 314 series', probably 25 reels. That was my first open faced spinning reel and I used it exclusively for about 7 or 8 years until I broke the handle stud off the main gear shaft when I was 20. The replacement was my first Cardinal 6 and I never looked back with my Cardinal love. I kept that 304 and bought a replacement main gear so fixed it a few years back. It still has the Shakespeare 8# Braided nylon Wonderline on it. I may get nostalgic and put it on one of my fiberglass SB or Wonderods one of these days and catch a few fish with it again.    I would say A-/B+. They are very, very basic but at least they were made with quality materials. The really good ones had planamatic gearing for even line lay. Even the plastic crosswind blocks have pretty much stood the test of time. I would take one of these over most Japanese or Asian spinners any day.

[oc1]

That was my first open faced spinning reel

Hey, we have something in common after all Tommy.    My first open face spinner was a 304 as well.  I bought it because it was less expensive than the 300 that I really wanted.

The 304 always seemed a little clunky compared to the 300.  It may just be the larger rotor with its larger bail slamming shut.  It's a big spool for such a small reel.  Very robust too.
-steve

[Midway Tommy]

That was my first open faced spinning reel

Hey, we have something in common after all Tommy.    My first open face spinner was a 304 as well.  I bought it because it was less expensive than the 300 that I really wanted.

The 304 always seemed a little clunky compared to the 300.  It may just be the larger rotor with its larger bail slamming shut.  It's a big spool for such a small reel.  Very robust too.
-steve

Cool! That larger rotor helped reduce line twist. At least, though, the rotor spins in the appropriate direction.  I never have gotten used to the backwards motion of the 300. 

[festus]

Hate to disagree, Chester --

But those 304 - 305 - 304S - 314 - 315 round bodied Mitchells are "A" reels, at least in my book.

Best,

Fred

Fred, my mistake.  I had the 204 mistaken for the 304.  Then again, maybe it was the 324 that I remember that was a cheaper built reel.

I serviced one of the 304 this afternoon.  This isn't really a tutorial, only a look inside.  Didn't really see anything inferior.

Only problem I had was removing the cover plate screws.  I didn't have a flathead screwdriver that fit those very well, but this tool from an old Shakespeare Royal Maroon did the job.


Both of these reels were fully capable of fishing without tearing them down, but I wanted to see the insides of at least one of them. Similar grease as I've found in Mitchell 308 and 408 in the past.


The oscillation slide was in good shape.


Drive gear also looked good.


Anti-reverse assembly reminds me of some of the larger reels, only designed to fit a round housing.


These flathead screws that hold the oscillation block are also very fine.


Removing the axle.




The schematic doesn't show a breakdown of the drag assembly parts, so let's see what's underneath.


Interesting.


The rotor nut has regular right hand threads, and if I remember correctly it was 7mm.




The bail assembly and anti-reverse assembly were functioning as they should, so I left them intact, but gave them a good scrubbing with a toothbrush and Dawn dishwashing detergent, then a rinse in water and let dry.




These are compact little reels with a nice diameter spool.  They should be very versatile, could be filled with 4, 6, or 8 lb mono and maybe even 10 lb. mono if the situation arises. This one weighs 8.15 oz without line.  Maybe a tad heavier than a 308 or 408.  Apparently these reels wholesaled for less than 10 bucks.  On one box there was a sticker that read, "FSA EA."  Usually that's some type of code.  I used to buy wholesale from Star Sales in Knoxville.  The used the code GREAT SMOKY which translated into 12345 67890.  So, if you picked up an article in the store that read "ORK EA," it wholesaled for $8.29.

[steelfish]

cute little reels those 304

I have the the "lefty" version, right handed 305 mitchell.
its one of my precious collectible reels on my office corner desk

https://alantani.com/index.php?topic=24256.0

[Irish1]

Great Job! I always wanted to see what they looked like broken down. Thanks for sharing  .

[Midway Tommy]

Well done, Chester! I am surprised, though, that you seldom disassemble the bail to clean out the cavities and clean the bail arm & spring. That is, in my procedures, one of the more important steps. I want to know what's in there, which is usually a bunch of old grease because they used to think greasing the bail springs was a good idea, and make sure it's good to go over the long haul.   

[festus]

Well done, Chester! I am surprised, though, that you seldom disassemble the bail to clean out the cavities and clean the bail arm & spring. That is, in my procedures, one of the more important steps. I want to know what's in there, which is usually a bunch of old grease because they used to think greasing the bail springs was a good idea, and make sure it's good to go over the long haul.   

Tommy, if the bail is functioning poorly or the bail arm and other parts of the assembly are dirty, I always disassemble them for cleanup.  I learned the hard way by breaking and disfiguring a couple bail springs beyond repair that should have been left alone.

[oc1]

These are compact little reels with a nice diameter spool.  They should be very versatile, could be filled with 4, 6, or 8 lb mono and maybe even 10 lb. mono if the situation arises.

I was using at least 12#; maybe 15#.  There must have been a lot of Spanish mackerel at the pier that year because that's what I think of when someone says 304.  You need the heavier line to sling shot macs over the rail.
-steve

[mo65]

  Ahh...the ol' Mitch 304...everybody's sentimental favorite it seems. Personally I feel it falls right into the "B" camp. It has a more budget minded design, no steel/bronze main, not much in the way of bearings, but performs very well when used as intended. That is the definition of "B-Grade" to me. Great look inside Chester, I guess I better buy myself a 304 too. I'm already lurking for a 302. I can't seem to stop finding reels I want...