Delaware Valley Tackle

It’s all opinion. There’s no right or wrong. Personally I prefer the fast, soft tip. Try it and see.

The Lews, Revo and PQ are all built in the same factory and share tooling and many parts. Nothing inherently wrong with any of them. The PQ is a great bang for the buck on sale <$100. It will hold up fine if cared for at all.

They’re both well made. Comes down to features preference and deals. The PQ on sale is probably the biggest bang for the buck.

Order 1 size small and ream gently to perfect fit. I’d like to slide a foam arbor into the threaded barrel too. Your call.

Whoa. So sorry. Prayers from our family to yours.

In general I’d skew the budget toward a rod for “feel” techniques like plastics and jigs and toward the reel for moving baits like cranks etc. You don’t have to spend a lot.

If it does let me know.

Length, power and action are separate attributes that compliment but not necessarily affect one another. Which combination of the three suit your application and preference can only be determined by trial and error while other’s opinions may help narrow down options.

Darren, the binding is an easy fix. Hit me up when you’re ready.

Disregard the power rating for a second and look at the lure weight range. The sweet spot is usually near the mid range. Then think about the cover and how much power you’ll want in the butt. Look for something that’s fills both requirements regardless of the subjective label.

“Plastic” isn’t the dirty word it’s made out to be, lots of technological advances in the field. Just an observation. One could make the argument I suppose that it might be easier on the pawl than an inexpensive metal alloy. Time will tell as it always does.

I’ve recently serviced some SLX reels and the level wind worm gears looks and feels like a hard plastic material. Surprised me on an otherwise decent looking reel at $100. May not be an issue but made me pause.

Surprised no one has mentioned the plastic worm gear on the SLX. It may or may not be a longevity issue. Has no place on a $100 reel imo.

Did I fall asleep and wake up in February?

Whoever is helping you at the PO doesn’t know what they’re doing. Priority Mail over size doesn’t kick in until after 8’ on a 3” tube.

What’s loose, the grip or seat? If grip, what material is it? You’ll want to use a liquid adhesive epoxy and a syringe. Drill two small holes into the void area (one to inject and one to allow air to escape) being careful not to drill into the blank.

If you have a trip or something I’ll wedge you in. I just want to go into the new year with a clean slate and be sure to live up to expectations. Thank you all for your support!!!

This is where a slip float comes in.

Email me and I’ll try to help. It’s easier to do than to explain.

Not right off the top of my head. Mostly familiar with bare blanks. I’ve handled some Steez and old all star rods that fit the description if not the price.

Soft tip but fast action. Not always easy to find but do exist.

The difference in feel is due to weight. The light weight reels tend to transmit any vibration in the reel. There’s nothing wrong with it, just a trait you may not care for. The Bantam is smooth partly because it’s a heavy, rigid reel comparatively. Similar to the D series Curado etc. Gear material is just another contributing factor with the alloy gears being lighter but perfectly durable.

Clean them like any other bearing. Run them dry for best performance or oil lightly to quiet them.

Re spooling is relatively cheap insurance but in the meantime pull off several yards of line and reel it back in keeping tension on it and make of the line lay. You’ll get an idea of what it should look like. While the line is out, you can put a wrap of electrical tape on the spool. This is a trick to keep the inevitable birds nest from going too deep while you’re learning.

Those brake dials are a fairly common repair. One of the teeth on the knob might be bad. I’d explore the warranty route first.