adam32

Avids are definitely worth the money. I have a stockpile of them just in case st. Croix decides to change them. I wouldn't buy a premier or MOJO, and I've owned both.

Also some of the nuts and screws that hold knobs on have left handed threads. Keep that in mind when removing them so you don't strip the threads.

Current model Daiwa Zillion! On sale for 238 bucks.

The old quantum energy spinners were great reels. I have one that's well over ten years old and still butter smooth. Never had a shimano spinning reel stay smooth for more than a few months of regular use.

If a smallmouth is swimming at you and you're reeling as fast as possible I doubt a higher gear ratio would make any difference. Especially 5 or 6 inches per handle turn. I like my older daiwas with the 4.8:1 ratio much better than my shimanos with 6:1. The higher gears are good for burning a buzzbait in current, but I like the 4.8:1 daiwas better for everything else. Plus the lower geared daiwas are so smooooth.

The new symetre has one of the drive gear bearings downgraded to a plastic bushing. I liked my older symetre fjs better. The aluminum frames felt much better.

Uh... because I still use the reels and I would like them to work correctly.

If anyone is interested or having the same ptoblems, I was able to get some new friction rings from shimano. I was told by a shimano rep that they actually made a change to these friction rings because so many people were having the same issues. They make the ring with a slightly larger diameter now so it turns much easier. I replaced the rings in both my reels and they work perfect now.

Spinning, Daiwa ss1300. Get a few extra bail springs and your good to go for many years. For casting reels I'd have to go with the Daiwa Zillion.

Had the problem from day one before I ever added any grease to the friction ring. The friction rings come greased from shimano with permalube. I actually was going to replace the friction rings with new ones but couldn't find any. Shimano told they wouldn't have any in stock until September.

I understand that the bail will slam closed while casting if i remove the friction ring. That's why I was looking for a way to fix this problem without removing it. If I put a small amount of grease on top of the teeth of the ring it helps for a while until the grease wears away. The reels are over a year old so I assume they are not under warranty.

User error huh... Give me a break! So if i don't want to spend my money by sending the reels in to be repaired it's user error? I know exactly what the problem is, I was just wondering if anyone had a easy fix. I'm definitely not the only one with this problem. I've talked to other people that have this problem with stradic fjs and sustain fgs. It's more of a design flaw than something broken. The reels still work fine except once in a while the bail sticks when opening it. It still opens all the way, but takes more force to do so. When it does this you can turn the rotor slightly and feel the bail trip rod pop down into the the groove in the friction ring.

Thanks, but no thanks.

The bail mechanism definitely DOES contact the friction ring, that's what keeps the rotor from turning when the bail is open. The problem is when you open the bail the rod gets jammed on top of the teeth on the friction ring instead of going in between them. I understand if you open the bail with the roller side down its going to hit the bail trip ramp, that's not the problem.

I have 2 stradic fj 2500s. I really like these reels but I have a problem with the bail not opening all the way on both reels. About every 3 or 4 casts when I open the bail it doesn't want to open all the way. The problem is the metal rod that goes into the grooves in the friction ring. Instead of going in between the teeth on the friction ring it gets jammed on top them. It's really frustrating. Anyone else have this problem, or know of a fix besides removing the friction ring?

8# Seaguar Invizx for spinning reels works well for me.

Well i ended up returning the reel for a refund. I checked out at least 10 new unopened sustains at a few different stores and all of them felt rough to me. Some of them were just terrible. The ci4+'s i checked out felt smooth along with most of the stradic fj's i looked at. I have 2 fj's that i really like but i had to exchange the first two i bought because they had issues. The ones i exchanged them for have been perfect. I don't know whats going on with shimano and these sustains but i know i don't want one anymore. I took the money and bought 3 more daiwa ss 1300's.

I soak mine in acetone for a few minutes then use my air compressor and blow them out. I keep repeating this until i get all the old dirty grease blown out. Usually takes me five or six times to get it all blown out. I dont see how you can get grease out of a sealed bearing by just soaking it. When i get all the grease out and the bearing spins free and smooth i put one drop of oil on the shields and let it soak through the gaps. This is just for the spool bearings. The pinion bearing and main shaft support bearing (citica e has a bushing) should be packed with grease. You can buy a small bearing packer to get grease into shielded bearings. If you use a compressor make sure it has a good filter so your not blowing moisture and contaminates into your bearings. The little cans of compressed air will work also.

Man i need to get a job with shimano customer service. Long vacations and plenty of job security.

Not sure about their customer service but after checking out a friends KLX I will be buying one! Or ten!

It still does it even with the spool removed.

The problem isn't to much grease or oil. There's definitely something wrong with this reel and the first one i had. Now that i think about it the last reel i looked at at bass pro was probably the first one i returned. Anyway, the reel i have now if you freespin it slow will come to a dead stop at the spot where it makes the clicking sound. I'm not real fussy about reels but there's more of a problem here than just needing a cleaning and relube. I've seen other posts about people having this same exact problem with sustains. I called shimano today and got a message saying they were closed for the holiday. I didn't realize today was a holiday. Didn't say when they opened back up which is irritating. I also had a problems with two of my new stradic fj's when i bought them a last year. Once i exchanged them for new ones i haven't had any problems. They are actually my favorite spinners. I think shimano has serious quality control issues!

I got a new shimano sustain fg 2500 last month as a birthday gift from my wife. It felt smooth out of the box but had a clicking sound that you could feel on every other handle revolution. It wasn't in the drive gears it felt like it was in the spool oscillation gears. I exchanged for a new one in a sealed box. When i got home and tried it this one was worse. I should have checked it at the store but i just thought the first reel was a fluke. I went back and checked out two more new reels and both of them felt even worse. One was really bad almost like it had sand in it. Has anyone else had this problem with sustains? I would just return the reel for a refund but i dont want to make my wife feel bad. For 329 bucks i would think thesee reels would ALL be perfect out of the box!

When suffix 832 came out it was supposed to be the new hot braid because it sinks like flourocarbon. Now you don't hear anyone mention if it sinks or floats. I've used power pro for years and never had rusty reels. Your reels shouldn't rust to begin with.

Lews bb-1. Awesome reels!