What are your opinions on this. I tend to think you really don't need 10 bearings in a spinning reel. I've got some older reels that In still using with only 2 or even 1 bearing, and their still smooth. I think the bearing quality and where they are placed is more important than the number of bearings. What do you think?

The fish won't know the difference, there are more important things to worry about.

It is a selling point. More bearings, at one time, meant better quality and smoother performance, but bearings are cheap, even when compared to plastic bushings. And many of the bearings used in higher bearing count reels are factory lubed with a heavy lubricant to make the reel feel smooth and make up for poor tolerances. 

Bottom line when it comes to reels with more bearings; if it’s low price seems to be too good to be true, it is. Stick with quality, name brand, or proven performers. 

Quality over more poor bearings.

The number of bearings  are not a selling point for me at all. 

I think quality over quantity. I have a big spinning reel for catfishing that only has 2 bearings and I think it’s pretty smooth for only two bearings. With baitcasters, 3 bearings help with casting distance and any more than that will only help with retrieve. 

It's always quality vs quantity for me. That's why I stick with daiwa/shimano. Some cheap reels tout crazy amounts of bearings as a selling point, but I'd rather have a daiwa/shimano with half the amount. However, within those two brands if there are more bearings in one particular reel it usually means it is of higher quality.

Sure, I've thought about buying a half a dozen of these spinning reels for presents for my buddies. What's not to like about a spinning reel with *** stainless steel ball bearings.

 

The ad says it consists of 12 pieces of ball bearing plus one-way clutch.

 

And only $16.98 with free shipping (over $25)   There are cheaper reels, but I wasn't bottom feeding.

 

www.amazon.com/Stainless-Bearings-Spinning-Freshwater-Saltwater/dp/B01D9IIFQK?th=1&psc=1

 

 

 

 

I have never purchased a reel based on bearing count. My answer is no.  

Me too Dwight 

That is what attracted me to Shimano years ago.  Maximum performance with a minimum number of quality bearings through thoughtful engineering.

2 hours ago, Dwight Hottle said:

I have never purchased a reel based on bearing count. My answer is no.  

 

2 hours ago, OnthePotomac said:

That is what attracted me to Shimano years ago.  Maximum performance with a minimum number of quality bearings through thoughtful engineering.

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Bearing quality and placement is more important to me than amount. I tend to let reviews and reputation help steer me in the right direction.  Obviously shimano, daiwa, lews all build quality reels regardless of the naysayers.  

18 bearings is the only way to go .)

 

 

At some point it becomes OCD, kind of like clock speed used to be a big selling point in computers and then megapixels in cameras and then neither continued to be relevant so much any more.

 

 

2 hours ago, burros said:

18 bearings is the only way to go .)

 

 

That thing has more than my ryoga.  It must be the bomb

I think the gearing is more important than the bearing count.  Compare the smoothness of a quality reel with the newer micro-gearing to an inexpensive reel with old-school gearing and lots of ball bearings...

 

I think there is more perceived "smoothness" with good gearing than there is with bearing count.

 

Tight lines,

Bob

3 hours ago, burros said:

18 bearings is the only way to go .)

 

 

Forget bearing count.  The BLING! ? 

Bearing count isn't even something I look at when considering a reel. You can add 10, 12, 16, or even 18 bearings to a reel and it will not matter one bit unless they are good quality bearings. In fact, I think some of these companies using bearing count as a selling point are actually making the reel WORSE by adding so many. Consider where the bearings are in the reel. Once you get up above 10 they usually start adding 4, or even 6 or 8 to THE HANDLE. Now ask yourself, bearings are meant to reduce friction in areas where a bushing would be making contact with a shaft otherwise, but nothing is friction-less, including bearings. So if I have 1 bearing on one side of the handle, with X amount of friction...what good does it do to add another? Am I not doubling the amount of friction by stacking two bearings on top of eachother? What counts is good bearings in the places that count, and not overdoing it in the areas that aren't as critical. Quality spool bearings are probably the single most important factor when considering bearings. 

Quality bearings in key areas are critical. Total count means little. Many high quality reels have been built without handle knob bearings for example. 

Their was a time though that bearing count was a very good marketing strategy but ppl cought on to it or I did at least. I’m sure it’s still very important to some. 

 

 

I’ve seen you tubers still have this mindset.  1000 bearings equal awesome reel.

Yeah the number of bearings isn’t important but I still rather have bearings than orange bushings .

You know those reels with the orange  “space age bearings bushings” Anyone haha no. Ooook 

2 ea ball-bearings & 1ea roller bearing ?

 

Calcutta: solid as an anvil, versatile as a pair of Channellocks®, & dependable as a 30/30