Anybody ever try these Carbon Fiber Drag Washers?

SteveL · January 04, 2021, 09:11:39 PM

I was looking around aliexpress.com and found these. The seller seems to be the main source of drag washers and sheets on Aliexpress, and the material looks decent in the photos. No need to wait for China delivery on standard washers, but what caught my eye is the custom cut washers to your specs. Anybody ever tried them?

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000382924930.html

philaroman · January 04, 2021, 11:02:46 PM

CF cloth on glass board -- how good is the cloth, if the board is necessary?
looks kinda' thick -- may be great for 2-stack, but too fat for 6-stack replacements

wfjord · January 04, 2021, 11:11:18 PM

FWIW, according to Wikipedia:

"AliExpress is an online retail service based in China owned by the Alibaba Group. Launched in 2010, it is made up of small businesses in China and other locations, such as Singapore, that offer products to international online buyers."

For the amount of CF washers I order for my reels, I'd rather continue giving business to Smoothdrag here in the US. Dawn has given me excellent service and is always a pleasure to deal with. Sometimes I might have to trim them or ream out the center a bit, but that's okay.

philaroman · January 04, 2021, 11:29:06 PM

I realize this is no longer the case, but originally "Alibaba" was quite descriptive
i.e., forty thieves, per one honest vendor

SteveL · January 04, 2021, 11:30:57 PM

Quote from: wfjord on January 04, 2021, 11:11:18 PM
FWIW, according to Wikipedia:

"AliExpress is an online retail service based in China owned by the Alibaba Group. Launched in 2010, it is made up of small businesses in China and other locations, such as Singapore, that offer products to international online buyers."

YB034-02 Dawn has given me excellent service and is always a pleasure to deal with.

As I mentioned, for standard sizes available here, there is no need to go through China. However, the price for custom cut washers seems decent and the material looks decent.

SteveL · January 04, 2021, 11:39:44 PM

Quote from: philaroman on January 04, 2021, 11:02:46 PM
CF cloth on glass board -- how good is the cloth, if the board is necessary?
looks kinda' thick -- may be great for 2-stack, but too fat for 6-stack replacements

Thickness of the washer can be deceiving. They come in thicknesses from 0.5mm to 1+ mm. I would expect thinner ones not to have the glass reinforced center while the thicker ones probably do. Some of the thicker HT100's had reinforced center layers.

JasonGotaProblem · January 05, 2021, 01:23:27 AM

Are you somewhere that you can't just order smooth drag parts? Either from site or 3rd party on the 'bay? Just saying they're not that expensive as to warrant a gamble on something random like this? If so it makes sense, if not just stick to established vendors. My 2c

Gfish · January 05, 2021, 01:30:08 AM

No advice either way. But if you (or someone else)try it let us know. I'm lookin for some sheets and they have 0.6 and 1.0 mm.

SteveL · January 05, 2021, 01:39:05 AM

Quote from: JasonGotaPenn on January 05, 2021, 01:23:27 AM
Are you somewhere that you can't just order smooth drag parts? Either from site or 3rd party on the 'bay? Just saying they're not that expensive as to warrant a gamble on something random like this? If so it makes sense, if not just stick to established vendors. My 2c

I already said twice that for standard parts, there is no need to source from China. I don't think Smoothdrag is set up to do small batch custom sizes, which is why people keep ordering sheets and cutting their own.

Midway Tommy · January 05, 2021, 05:38:20 AM

After what the world has been put through for the last year I'm not sure I understand why anyone would buy something made in, and/or shipped directly from, China when there are other and possibly better alternatives.

Rancanfish · February 12, 2021, 06:30:39 PM

Tommy, Shopping on line for anything is a chore because the point of origin is getting harder to find. I hate hitting the Buy-it-now button and finding a speed-pak from China will be arriving in a month. I have been boycotting Chinese products for years already. It's the only smart choice for the future. Any further statement and I'll be full on political.

oc1 · February 12, 2021, 07:19:10 PM

Quote from: SteveL on January 04, 2021, 11:39:44 PM
I would expect thinner ones not to have the glass reinforced center while the thicker ones probably do. Some of the thicker HT100's had reinforced center layers.

I have the different thicknesses of sheet from that guy in Australia. They all seem to have a rigid core. The carbon fiber does not have much backbone.

oc1 · February 12, 2021, 07:26:30 PM

Quote from: Midway Tommy on January 05, 2021, 05:38:20 AM
After what the world has been put through for the last year I'm not sure I understand why anyone would buy something made in, and/or shipped directly from, China when there are other and possibly better alternatives.

If you do not buy Chinese made products then you will just have to do without. All the domestic manufacturing has been put out of business by price conscious shoppers.

Midway Tommy · February 12, 2021, 08:33:29 PM

Quote from: oc1 on February 12, 2021, 07:26:30 PM
Quote from: Midway Tommy on January 05, 2021, 05:38:20 AM
After what the world has been put through for the last year I'm not sure I understand why anyone would buy something made in, and/or shipped directly from, China when there are other and possibly better alternatives.
If you do not buy Chinese made products then you will just have to do without. All the domestic manufacturing has been put out of business by price conscious shoppers.

I decided I'll just do without if there's no other option. I don't have that many years left so if I have to spend a little more of the $ I can't take with me, so be it.

If enough people opt out of Chinese made merchandise and we keep an America first attitude other alternatives will become more affordable.

Jim Fujitani · February 13, 2021, 05:21:59 PM

My wife and I try to support US businesses, but product availability has suffered because US companies have stopped production, sometimes even when the exact product is not produced by third world companies. And sometimes the only way to find out which businesses are truly US companies supporting US manufacturing is when you suffer through a fiasco.

Last June we made a $250 online purchase from a company we believed was based in Kansas. Our order was not received as ordered, but we received something made in the PRC, in its place. In order to apply for a refund, we were required to return the item to the manufacturer, outside of Hong Kong, in the PRC! Shipping would cost us over $160! The only indicator would have been for us to read through the entire online information (how often does anyone do this?) regarding the company, purchases and returns, and limitations and legal mumbo jumbo, and seen that the attorneys listed offices in Hong Kong.

We dug more, including Google Maps Street Views of addresses that we uncovered. The "company" in Kansas was a mail drop. The return address for the item we received was in the LA basin. The company name on the return address was a 2-person company, with a different (but close) address as the return address.

The PRC provides free shipping for companies based in the PRC for shipments to the US (and probably any western countries).

Our only way out was to initiate a complaint with VISA, within the time limits. VISA staffers decided in our favor, by default, because the company did not submit any information or cooperate in any investigation. We got our refund, but our $250 in funds were tied up for three months during the entire process, and we still had to find something that we needed. I had to resort to jerry-rig a repair.

This spring, we will donate the item to a local hospice thrift store.