I recently lucked into finding a few Core's on clearance, two of which are 100mg's, and I am thinking about upgrading one of them to a 7:1 using an upgrade kit available from an online retailer. Kit includes all parts needed for upgrade plus Carbontex drag washers for $38. Would you guys do the upgrade to one of the reels or leave them both stock?

For those of you who had owned Core100's and sold them, I am curious why you sold them. Just trying something new? Was line capacity an issue?

With my budget I am guessing these will be the best reels I will ever own but I still wonder if I should sell and get something else. Haven't had a chance to fish them yet as the season is closed for the year.

Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated.

What did you pay for them? They feature a very user friendly and often loved breaking system of Shimano called VBS. The Metanium MGL and the prior 13 Metanium are your likely replacements since the reel was discontinued and they feature many of Shimanos newest features . You may wish to purchase one to compare it to your Cores but I am guessing the Metanium will be more $.

I still have my original Core 50mg7. I have no reason to sell it. It casts great, is smooth, reliable, and even lighter than the Metanium MGL I have. Both are among my favorite reels.

If you need the higher IPT and want to beef up your drag, $38 isn't too bad to pay for those upgrades. If I had the cash I would do it for several reasons. 1 you can see if you feel the upgrades are worth it. 2. You now have an extra a set of gears on hand for a discontinued reel. Parts will be harder to come by years from now.

No.

I bought the 100 when it first came out and the 50 when it was introduced. Have yours cleaned just because you don't know how old the reels and lubricants really are or maybe wait until next year if they seem perfect right now.

 

The Core 100 was (is) a great reel.  If it was me I would leave the stock gearset in.  I owned a 100 mg7  and could feel a definite resistance when retrieving spinnerbaits and cranks.  The core series was before X-Ship was introduced.  Others may counter that the 7:1 drive gear is brass vs. aluminum and is smoother.  Either way it will serve you well.

On 11/18/2016 at 2:40 PM, kickerfish1 said:

What did you pay for them? They feature a very user friendly and often loved breaking system of Shimano called VBS. The Metanium MGL and the prior 13 Metanium are your likely replacements since the reel was discontinued and they feature many of Shimanos newest features . You may wish to purchase one to compare it to your Cores but I am guessing the Metanium will be more $.

I still have my original Core 50mg7. I have no reason to sell it. It casts great, is smooth, reliable, and even lighter than the Metanium MGL I have. Both are among my favorite reels.

If you need the higher IPT and want to beef up your drag, $38 isn't too bad to pay for those upgrades. If I had the cash I would do it for several reasons. 1 you can see if you feel the upgrades are worth it. 2. You now have an extra a set of gears on hand for a discontinued reel. Parts will be harder to come by years from now.

I paid $91.58 for each 100mg and a 50mg7. I certainly wouldn't be able to afford them otherwise so buying a Metanium to compare of out of the question sadly. My only other 3 reels are 2 50E's and a 200e7, so 4 reels in the 6.2 - 6.4 ratio. This is what is prompting me to think about a speed upgrade.

23 hours ago, roadwarrior said:

No.

I bought the 100 when it first came out and the 50 when it was introduced. Have yours cleaned just because you don't know how old the reels and lubricants really are or maybe wait until next year if they seem perfect right now.

 

The guy at the shop said they brought in the shimano reels in 2012 so they have been sitting on the shelf at the shop since then. No clue if the lubricants break down in that amount of time or not. I spoke to DVT a few weeks ago in regards to having him clean, tune and install the gear set and drag but the red tape and cost of shipping from Canada is a nightmare so not sure what I will do. Doubt I can do it myself.

23 hours ago, The Bassman said:

The Core 100 was (is) a great reel.  If it was me I would leave the stock gearset in.  I owned a 100 mg7  and could feel a definite resistance when retrieving spinnerbaits and cranks.  The core series was before X-Ship was introduced.  Others may counter that the 7:1 drive gear is brass vs. aluminum and is smoother.  Either way it will serve you well.

May I ask why you don't have the 100mg7 any longer?

Why don't a lot of guys have some good reels they've owned previously?  The Bait Monkey is a formidable force.  We're always buying and selling.  When I was a kid my dad was always trading shotguns and rifles but rarely went hunting.  Same concept different sport.

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Those are some really nice Shimano reels in your collection. Any Core purchased for under $100 is an absolute steal given they were $369 full retail. I would have bought all of them.

I wouldn't worry a bit about the fact that the grease and oil were sitting on the reel for years since the shop couldn't move them. They were probably stored indoors and not sitting in the cold or extreme heat. There would be no need to send them in or take them apart unless you feel like something is off or the casting distance is lacking. And flushing the bearings is pretty simple process if casting distance is your concern. You just need some time and a few products and you are set.

I would buy another core right now if I could find a 101 and I also have a buddy in the market for another 101 as well.

Thanks guys. I appreciate all the comments.

The difference between gear ratios you're talking about is more about preference than suitability for the application. Don't sweat that. If the reels feel good use them a bit before servicing. The Carbontex drag is a nice upgrade and not expensive. They are easily dropped in when the reel gets opened for cleaning. 

On 11/18/2016 at 0:03 PM, roadwarrior said:

No.

I bought the 100 when it first came out and the 50 when it was introduced. Have yours cleaned just because you don't know how old the reels and lubricants really are or maybe wait until next year if they seem perfect right now.

 

Grease coagulation would be the only issue I would be concerned with, and that would in most cases only effect the drag system. Easily remedied with a service, but I would caution installing a new aftermarket drag in any reel containing aluminum gears. Just installing cross/carbon sets in a reel with aluminum gears can cause issues and gear teeth rolling over. Those drags (stock) are a wet drag system and going to a lockable drag will defeat the purpose of smooth drag operation. There are ways to increase drag pressure a bit without risking gear damage. Aftermarket is not always the answer.....Dan

I use greased carbon fiber drag washers in my baitcasters and they're smoother than ever.  It's never wise to fully lock down your drag regardless if your gears are aluminum or brass.  I like carbon fiber mainly because they don't degrade like stock. They're becoming more common from the factory now anyway.