Delaware Valley Tackle

Both the revo and Tatula offer durability beyond the Max models and imo the Tatula features are best, while on the water performance may be less apparent.

Merry Christmas All!!! Sincere thanks to all the members, moderators, Admins and even Lurkers that make this a great community and resource. Your support and participation are priceless. Mike

Every brand has stand out models and quality offerings north of $100 and sometimes less. I see the logic in consistency but personally own and use an eclectic collection of tackle.

I don't like handles to free spin, just turn easily with no gritty feeling. I clean bearings then dip them in 80/140 gear oil. Same for frame bearings. Bushings aren't necessarily a dirty word either. Keeping them clean and oiled helps significantly.

Don't forget you're watching TV too. A lot of what you see is for effect. Even more so in that format.

Take the orange seals off and run them open. They're supposed to be non contact seals but often are not. Also check the Boca Bearings thread for more posts on the same general topic.

The answer to most "is it worthwhile " questions begins with your expectations. Any potential gains must be compared to a properly cleaned, flushed, lubricated and setup reel. Adding high performance parts is largely an enthusiast endeavor. Actual gains are modest at best. The cost of bearings is driven more by ABEC rating than material. A fishing reel does not experience sustained high speeds to gain from anything more than ABEC5 bearings. 7's might make sense in a true BFS application. The main advantage of ceramic hybrids is that they can be run dry. Oiling them slows them down enough to negate the gain. If longevity and silence are priority stick with SS. The exception would be in salt water reels to fight corrosion. Lastly on bearings, like many things, they're made in a couple places and rebranded by many sellers. Just stick to trusted sources to avoid counterfeiting of ABEC ratings. In my opinion here are upgrades in order of bang for the buck: deep cleaning Carbontex drag SuperTuning (on appropriate models) spool bearings after market BFS spools bushing to bearing swap for crankshafts & levelwinds handle bearings other personalized parts. One more thought: improving free spool whether by cleaning, Tuning, bearings or spools aids accuracy more than raw distance which is arguably over rated anyway.

No need to get so bogged down with the finer points initially. Fish it hard out of the box then have it serviced after a season. Load the spool with cheap 10 lb mono leaving room for 75 yards of braid. Skip the leader. Peel off 120' of line and put a piece of electrical tape around the spool. This will keep backlashes from getting too deep. Google the thumb pressure method of removing a backlash. Line ratings are useless on fresh water rods, ignore them (within common sense). Tie on a 3/4 oz weight or casting plug. Master light side arm lob casts progress to overhead and roll casts and pitches. Keep varying thumb pressure as the line feeds stopping the spool before touchdown. The goal is not "thumbless" casting, rather control and accuracy.

Whatever anecdotal evidence you may have witnessed or heard , cold has no affect on rods.

Awesome reels.

Any time.

Use a popscicle stick to scrape it off.

Only time will tell if the blank is compromised. That is the kind of thing that can raise Caine with a high modulus blank though.

Zero anti reverse is just marketing speak for anything with a roller clutch. Any back play is likely due to the fit of the roller sleeve on the main shaft. Normal and won't hurt a thing.

They don't. No harm in little extras even if it's just a confidence thing.

You can use straight braid too.

The drag has nothing to do with the AR or spool turning backwards. Likewise the weight of the bait has nothing to do with the AR. I think Reason was right, the reel has multiple issues.

Close tolerances and new lube. Nothing to worry about but if comparing will give you peace of mind no harm in it.

That's not indicative of anything, positive or negative. If it feels good cranking normally like you would fishing, you'll be fine.

Maybe I misinterpreted the comment and took offense at all Rod builders being classified as know it all. My main point was that CCS is intended to eliminate subjectivity. I think manufacturers prefer the subjectivity to aid in marketing.

On a more relevant note, don't confuse fast action with a stiff rod. That's the uniqueness of some of the blank suggestions.

"Know it all" rod builders huh? School that fool by pointing out that arguing CCS is like arguing inches or ounces, an objective measurement.

All the brand names are good. I have them here.

Just a Fluke. Replace it with an ABEC5 stainless after market and move on.

I'd try cleaning it in place first. Let us know how you make out.