Grease suggestions please.

[the rockfish ninja]

Hey fishing folks, thanks for reading.

After reading up, taking the suggestions and breaking down/cleaning/lubing my SX, I got my casting distance back and doing OK with that. I also picked up a SXJ to switch off with it and not over-use the one unit. The one thing I did notice right away was that the big drive gear on my recently lubed unit is much more noisy when I'm cranking. I really can tell the difference if I crank the handle when it's in the freespool position and compare the two.

I used a heavy marine grade grease but I guess it's not heavy enough because we all know, when there is noise, there is wear. I may also contact Avet tech support about it but I'm hoping the Sensei or any of you have some suggestions.

I realize there is a tool/lube section but I thought maybe this is an Avet issue?


...oh yeah..
PS-RAIN!!!....WOOHOO!!!

[alantani]

let's hope it's the bearings and not the gears.  roughness when cranking could be one or both of the handle drive shaft bearings, or more likely the right main side plate (pinion) bearing.  those are easily damaged.  also examine the main gear for micro burrs.  it's got to be one of those. 

[SoCalAngler]

SXJ's are pretty new reels, did you have the grinding noise before the service? If not I'd look at the alignment of the gears after the service. Sometimes the the friction ring which goes into the main gear can cause the main gear to sit a little cockeyed on the drive shaft if not seated correctly.

[the rockfish ninja]

Maybe to clarify, it doesn't crank "rough" or "grind", in fact it's smooth as silk but I can hear the gears more than in my new SX. I doubt that it's a case of malfunction or damaged gears/bearings, and believe it's just getting the right grease to stay on the gear and quiet it down. The bearings were all replaced and are quiet as a mouse.

[Fish-aholic]

Stab in the dark here. When you said the grease used is "heavy marine grease", is it's properties thick and tacky? Did you pull the shields off the two drive bearings (part #29) and fully pack them with the grease mentioned? This "might" be the cause for increased gear noise (thick and tacky grease packed in bearings don't move as "freely/easily" as greases which have a more buttery consistency). To eliminate this possibility, remove both drive bearings, clean, "oil" and reassemble and check to see if there is any noise reduction? "IF" this is the cause, I'd cut the grease you're using with oil so to achieve a better consistency (buttery) and repack the two drive bearings with the new concoction.

Just a suggestion to try/process of elimination.  

Fish'

[the rockfish ninja]

I used heavy grease on the gears and lighter/faster mixture for the bearings, works well & I get good casting distance. The heavy grease is red and like you said "buttery". I'm going to break it down after a couple more uses and relube the whole unit, then I'll experiment more with how & what to grease the gears to quiet them down.

Makes me think of another question, Any subtleties to applying grease to Avet gears? Pack it in? Just enough to cover the gear teeth? I come from the less is best school of thought but I may be wrong.

Thx for the input.

[Fish-aholic]

Had the increased gear noise myself with a friends SX. Unfortunately he wanted his reel back before I got to the root of the cause. I never did see that reel again. 

I also like to adhere to the less is more principle. I personally use a short hard bristled brush to paint the grease in between the gears teeth. Teeth packed with grease will have the excess squeezed out when entwined with the pinion gear anyway, which inevitably leaves the same thin skin but with a wasteful amount of excess grease used.

Hopefully you get to the bottom of the increased gear noise and then give us an update when you do    

[the rockfish ninja]

I'll let you know how it shakes out.

[DaBigOno]

I have a few Avets, and have found that some reels has that gearing noise more than others.  Just seems like a normal characteristic of the inconsistent tolerances they allow.  Kinda like their anodizing.

[Shark Hunter]

I know a lot of guys fish avets and they seem to like them a lot. I'm not brand bashing here, but there is a lot of problems with these reels. Especially the bearings. They have lots of Bling, and lots of drag, but when someone complains of a problem. Its usually genuine. A defect or failure of a part or particular feature. 99% of the Senator failures or problems are usually an operator error on assembly or poor maintenance.
I'll stick with my Senators.

[johndtuttle]

I know a lot of guys fish avets and they seem to like them a lot. I'm not brand bashing here, but there is a lot of problems with these reels. Especially the bearings. They have lots of Bling, and lots of drag, but when someone complains of a problem. Its usually genuine. A defect or failure of a part or particular feature. 99% of the Senator failures or problems are usually an operator error on assembly or poor maintenance.
I'll stick with my Senators.

In defense of Avet I think people have higher and sometimes unrealistic expectations. Fundamentally they think they have spent more so the reel will last longer than a Senator and must be "better". Of course, I would venture that vastly more Senators are bought and abused and are never serviced once in their entire lives so we never hear about them.

What the Avet guys have actually gotten IS an amazing value for a Made in USA lever drag reel...but lever drags are more complex so in fact they may be getting less for their money in terms of ultimate reliability as I think we all feel.

What else are they getting? They are getting a very light reel that casts beautifully for a lever drag and they get the ability to rapidly increase their drag setting, get to dial in a preset they like and get to feel all leet fishing a "big boy" reel like the big game guys do. Plus it's pretty.

Don't underestimate the value of pretty  . Old guys that know better still buy Senators for certain jobs. New guys like sexy reels. You gotta rope in the young guys if you want your business to have a future.

[Jeri]

Hi Guys,

I don't really want to add fuel to a fire about which reel is best, but I think that folks need to have a more open mind about some generalise comments- and how different people have different priorities for their reels, according to the fishing that they do.

I can understand the patriotism for American made products, and that is commendable, however there are plenty of situations where Penn do not have the answer to all the fishing needs of all the anglers; least of all with a Senator.

Before I get shot down in flames, early in my boat angling career, I owned several Senators, up to a 9/0, and a fine robust, almost bullet proof reels they were – in that situation. I, even still have a 30 year old Penn 49, fitted with HT100 drag washers – from before the internet was invented, and for the application that I used that reel, it was superb – wire lining.

However, things move forward, new materials come to the market, perhaps the biggest change has been the introduction of braid, and now we need smaller reels to offer the same capacity of much finer lines, but still with huge drag capabilities. Having evolved away from 'big' reels, now folks are finding that this smaller reel fishing is fun, and more sporting, so apply it to even lighter fishing, where perhaps the smaller series of reels from Avet come in.

So, it is a matter of horses for courses, and personally I have been importing Avets into southern Africa for 9 years now, and generally for the right anglers these reels have transformed some of our fishing. There have been a few guys that have abused them beyond their design limits, and the appropriate failures have happened, however those that work within the design parameters have exceeded those around them in terms of casting distance and fight performance.

I certainly don't think that there is a Penn model that would compare to what we are doing with our Avets, and that includes sharks to over 300lbs. That is not to say that an appropriate Penn reel wouldn't be the right reel for sharks of a similar size, where casting of baits wasn't a requirement.

I'm probably repeating myself, but I think that the small series of Avet reels are a super little reel, especially when used within their design parameters. Technology is a wonderful thing, and we all respond to it, whether it is reels or the latest cell phone. That is not to say that a 15 year old cell phone doesn't do the job, which is make a phone call – but how many of you are using such old technology. It is at the end of the day, basically 'boys with their toys'!!


Cheers from sunny Africa


Jeri

[DaBigOno]

Thanks for the reminders Jeri.

[Shark Hunter]

Point Taken John and Jeri. I was just voicing my opinion. No fire here.

[Alto Mare]

Hello Jeri, no argument here, I always enjoy your comments. I just want to give my worthless two cents .
In the case that durability is more important than functionality, especially for the guys that don't have as many option as we do, lets take an older Senator with a 1.6:1 ratio vs an Avet or anything else with a 6:1 ratio, both retrieving the same amount of line.
The reels with the 6:1 ratio is working 5X harder that the 1.6:1 ratio.
I believe that same new reel has a better than 5X chance of breaking down than the older reel. You're right, technology moves on and I'm not against it, but material used isn't what it used to be .
As stated above, just my 2 cents.
sal