I like the new spinning reels, but some old spinning reels had one big advantage: the side plate came off to clean and re-lube without touching the rotating head or linkage. It was fast, simple, fast, reliable and fast.   ?   I can't find a modern reel that can be taken apart this way. Does anyone here know of one?  Thnx for the help.    jj

jimmyjoe, your probably thinking of the older Mitchell 300/308 or ABU Cardinal 3/4 spinning reels. There were others beside these also. These had one screw to take the sideplate off, and access the gears. Great reels, but I havnt seen this style of reel for a long time. Most newer ones I've seen use 2 to 4 screws to open them up. You can still find these in E bay, and parts are available also. I still use an ABU Cardinal 4.

  I really don't mind how many screws there are, what I'd like is the ability to access the gearbox without dismounting the rotor. And yes, I had the Mitchell 300a and the 4000-series Penns. It was fast and easy to do a re-lube right in the midst of fishing. You wouldn't believe how much I miss that capability when something goes amiss with the newer-design reels. I checked out new Cardinals on fleabay, but they're the "Anniversary" models made for the JDM market. A little too rich for my blood. I never thought of a regular used reel in good shape, with new parts as needed.

   I'll chk that out. Thnx!     jj