Shimano Sustain 4000FE Handle needed

[coores14]

Hey all, I'm working on some Sustains for a customer and one of the handles is completely frozen. The rubber knob part won't come off even after soaking in Liquid Wrench for 4 days. Attempts at removing the small slotted nut on the inside resulted in it basically just breaking.

My question is this -- does anyone know where I might find a Sustain FE handle? They don't produce the FE line anymore. Or perhaps you know of another shimano handle that would fit the same?

thanks for any help.

[johndtuttle]

Hey all, I'm working on some Sustains for a customer and one of the handles is completely frozen. The rubber knob part won't come off even after soaking in Liquid Wrench for 4 days. Attempts at removing the small slotted nut on the inside resulted in it basically just breaking.

My question is this -- does anyone know where I might find a Sustain FE handle? They don't produce the FE line anymore. Or perhaps you know of another shimano handle that would fit the same?

thanks for any help.

Have you tried contacting Shimano. They are usually very good at answering what the alternatives are on an older reel like this.

best

[coores14]

they do have the handle in stock for this reel. I guess I was just hoping someone might have something laying around that I could acquire for a better price than what Shimano wants to charge.

[Irish Jigger]

Why worry if the customer is paying? After all he neglected the reel and  can't expect you to work miracles. I come across cheapskates all the time who want a reel serviced but with a "don't worry about the bearings,I can live with the noise" comment.  In which case I hand the reel back telling them that I'm not interested. We have a reputation to sustain

[coores14]

I see your point, but I still try to keep the costs as low as possible for the customer. If I can make them happy using parts that cost significantly less, then I will. I'm up front about it all, I present them with both options (new or used) and hopefully they'll be thankful that I went through the extra effort instead of just ordering brand new every time. That might keep them coming back to me. 

[Alto Mare]

Usually when I replace parts on reels, the parts that I take out are worthless . Where do you get your used parts from?

[Irish Jigger]

I only fit new parts for those who are prepared to pay for them and  can then stand over the job. Many of the reels I'm handed are worthless and their owners want them  repaired as cheaply as possible. Too much Scots blood in the population here is responsible for their inherent thriftiness.  
It's only a hobby with me so I can afford to be intolerant.

[bluefish69]

I have 2 reels here that I was told fix no matter the cost. A Penn 160 & a Z714 Spinner. I have $60 in part in them & I told the person they were ready the beginning of Jan. Well they are still here in my closet.

Mike

[Alto Mare]

I only fit new parts for those who are prepared to pay for them and  can then stand over the job. Many of the reels I'm handed are worthless and their owners want them  repaired as cheaply as possible. Too much Scots blood in the population here is responsible for their inherent thriftiness.  
It's only a hobby with me so I can afford to be intolerant.

Same here Tom, I only do it as a hobby and an expensive one at that. I usually pay for parts out of pocket .
The point I was trying to make above is: if you fix reels for a living and you replace a bearing or something else, that part should go to the scap pile. If you're able to use that part on another reel by offering it as used,  that tells me that the customer that paid for the new part got screwed, or the customer getting the bad one . Either way, it doesn't make sense....just my opinion.

[coores14]

interesting how this has somehow turned into a question of integrity...

i don't do this for a living. like you guys, this is just for fun and I actually rarely get paid in the true sense. Most reels are for good friends, charter captains, etc. and I get paid with free fishing trips, 12 packs of beer, and such. For most of them, the labor is free and they pay only for any parts that I have to purchase out of pocket.

let's take this current reel, for example. The handle is shot. It can't be repaired without serious surgery that may or may not work. My options are to find a brand new one from Shimano/parts store OR I can maybe find a perfectly fine used one from you guys/ebay/other fishing forums. The new one is expensive, the perfectly fine used one is less expensive. I ask the owner of the reel which way he would like to go. Sometimes, he is fine with paying new prices. Sometimes he chooses to get the part that isn't brand new. It's his choice. I would NEVER get a used part and pass it off as new and charge as if it were new. But if I can find a, say, brass pinion gear that is perfect on ebay that some guy stripped out of an old reel and I can get it for much less than the same part from the manufacturer, then yeah, I'm going to get it. And my "customer" pays exactly whatever I paid. I don't mark parts up because, again, I'm just doing this for fun to help some friends.

I also get used parts from my own stash of stuff that gets accrued over time. Reels that are given to me because they are deemed by the owner to be "junk" might have salvageable parts such as washers, oscillating gears, spool shafts, and (gasp!) maybe even bearings!  So, again, let's say my buddy gives me a reel to work on and it has a left side spool bearing that is trashed. I might have that exact bearing in my parts bin that is perfect, even though it came from some reel in the past that ultimately ended up in the garbage. Instead of ordering a brand new bearing from Penn Parts, paying 100 bucks in shipping for one bearing, and charging my buddy exactly that price, I will install the bearing that I have and charge him nothing. He gets a reel returned to him that is completely fixed and he pays nothing. He's happy because he didn't have to pay for a part and I'm happy because he will probably bring me a 12 pack of brewskie as a thank you for getting him back a perfectly operating reel.

[johndtuttle]

No worries matey! I doubt anyone was questioning your integrity, just relating how they do stuff in an off-topic sort of way.



best

[coores14]

No worries matey! I doubt anyone was questioning your integrity, just relating how they do stuff in an off-topic sort of way.



best

i hear ya. but it was suggested that I might be lying to my customers by charging them for new parts when in fact I'm using used parts.  No way, no how. Not gonna happen here.

[Alto Mare]

Yes you're right coores, this was not related to you personally, it was phrased wrong by me.  You  bring up a good point about using  parts from older reels  that are in good shape.
Sorry, just a misunderstanding...happy fishing

[coores14]

thanks Alto.  No worries. I just wanted to make sure I made myself understood to y'all. It's all good.

So, nobody has a Sustain 4000 handle for me? 

[Irish Jigger]

No worries matey! I doubt anyone was questioning your integrity, just relating how they do stuff in an off-topic sort of way.



best

X2
We're all in the same boat here guys. We repair reels for our friends, get paid in kind  and usually at a financial loss to ourselves. The anglers over are as tight as a duck's a55 and it's watertight.