Delaware Valley Tackle

My comments are generalizations, for what a tip guide costs by all means give it a try and experiment. You’re not going to hurt anything just a matter of how it feels to you. If there’s enough tip left it might cast some baits well enough, they’ll just be heavier ones.

You nailed it. Same old stuff with a name stamp and paint job. As for the pitching reel, Ardent did that years ago with Denny Brauer, see how that’s turned out. We here on the forum that pay attention to all this are a small fraction of the angling population and it’s a competitive industry so I understand the move but ya, I got a chuckle.

Most braids aren’t sold as 12# is it 12# equivalent? If so you should be fine. 30-40# braid should handle well enough if you don’t have that. If braid diameter isn’t the problem, you might just need to strip off a long cast worth and reel it back under tension to get it to lay right. Working jerk baits or popping jigs can throw loops and loose coils into the line that need to be cleared periodically.

I can see a shock leader for big musky but for bass any advantage of a long leader could be accomplished with the right rod, drag setting and technique even with braid. I fish straight braid with confidence. If you really want to stick with it I’d try a slimmer Albright and coat it with superglue and see what happens.

Trimming a blank from either end slows the action. Remember action is not tip stiffness, only a location in the blank. It won’t increase the power as the butt and mid section are not affected. It will greatly raise the casting weight range on the low end. What you’re left with is a pool cue or close. You might get away with light cover flipping or live bait fishing the bottom with heavy weights. You’ll have to try different things as no one can be certain sight unseen.

110% personal preference. I’m not all that fussy about grips where as others are driven to distraction by the wrong ones.

Not likely directly related, but may indicate that a deep cleaning and lubrication time has come.

How often do you feel the rough spot per revolution of the handle? Could be a gear tooth but more likely a plastic idler gear tooth or debris in the level wind. Could be dirt or corrosion in the AR clutch. Really impossible to say for certain.

Drill it out in steps, smallest increments.

Do as you will but strongly advise against locking down the drag. It’s important to protect the rod and reel gear train as well as the line.

S Hovanec you’ll get a kick out of this. I did a seat and handle replacement in a St Croix LTB and the stock seat was a large fitted seat mounted on a blank scrap then glued to the blank with a thin arbor. Getting all that off was a good time.

Ya they’re all similar. Just go slow and easy and they’re fine. Something else you can do is leave some arbor sticking out the front and use it at a base for an epoxy ramp. Depends on blank diameter.

The only problem with arbors is they ream VERY easily and you can get them non concentric which defeats the purpose.

The felt drag washers get soaked and swell up pinching the main shaft as it oscillates. The permanent fix is Carbontex. An alternative is to keep them greased up. Has nothing to do with bearings or gears however, keeping them clean and lubricated is obviously essential for long life.

Tape is a fine arbor IF done right. It has no structural purpose, it just keeps the seat concentric on the blank. Just make sure the gaps are filled with epoxy and the tape is encapsulated. I use tape for thin arbors and graphite or sheet rock tape for thicker ones.

It happens even to me after servicing literally hundreds of reels of every kind. Sometimes it’s just not right, take it apart and reassemble and boom problem solved. Never really getting to the bottom of the cause.

None of those gears have any affect on spool rotation. The spool just wasn’t seated completely initially. Also, free spinning the handle is not an indication of either performance or quality.

Something isn’t right there. Can’t diagnose just from the video though. Doesn’t sound like line noise from here.

Make sure you’re using the same rod to compare reels. I doubt the reel is the issue. Most likely the rod. Either not loading or guide train. Cast on the yard and look for the loops coming off the reel. If they’re ballooning and slapping the blank the first guide is too small or low for the reel.

Don’t waste your line but ditch the reel magic. It’s just silicone like WD40. They contain petroleum distillates that actually slightly degrade the line. KVD line and lure is a copolymer that coats the line. Good for taming coils of mono and fluorocarbon. I’m not sure what it will do for braid.

Pure Fishing is under COVID restriction in their state. I can’t get reel parts or anyone on the phone. They’re ordinarily very good. I d cut them some slack on this one.

It depends on the specific rod. A slower action is not necessarily softer. Mod fast isn’t always much off of fast labeled rods. Try it and see what you think.

You’re just not comparing comparable rods. You can definitely get backbone and responsiveness in a thin walled larger diameter blank. You unnecessarily limit your options by summarily excluding one design type.

There are two lines of thought among blank makers. Some use a thick wall, small diameter and others a thin wall larger diameter. Different ways to skin the same cat. One is no more right or wrong than the other.

For guides, do a Fuji k double foot 10, k5.5 belly guide to your recoil runners size 5 and an alconite tip top 5.5. Measure blank diameter where the seat will go. If between sizes round down .5mm the dealer will size the seat for you if you request con ordering. Just have to know how long of a handle you want.