Hey guys. I just got a new Lew's Tournament Pro LFS and took it out today. When casting, it makes a "whining" type sound. Not sure that's the right word. Kind of like a buzz sound maybe? Or humming noise?

 

None of my Shimano's or Daiwa's make a noise, or even my only other Lew's I own (BB-1). 

 

Now, the thing casts like a dream. So as long as the sound is normal I have no problem with it. I'm just curious if this is normal for this model.

 

Thanks! 

My Lews does the same thing. I think every reel has a different noise so to speak lol. My Abu's make a bit more noise than my Shimanos as well. 

 

 

 

If that model has centrifugal brakes oil the drum lightly. 

Just now, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

If that model has centrifugal brakes oil the drum lightly. 

Exactly. I always reoil the reel even new

27 minutes ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

If that model has centrifugal brakes oil the drum lightly. 

It does. And excuse my ignorance, where/what is the drum? 

Read the owners manual and it should tell you where to oil.  This has been discussed many times. Its essentially where your brakes are rubbing the drum dry. A drop or 2 of oil and it will go away if this is your problem. I've gotten to where I do this to all my lews monthly or so to keep them quiet. Some of the shimanos I've had were the same way. 

Friction brakes (centrifugal) from different manufacturers make different sounds. They all benefit from periodic oiling. That period may be once a month or less depending upon use. Once you've oiled the brakes and use your reel you'll tune into when oiling is required.

 

A bottle of oil came with your reel. Remove the side plate. Put 1 small drop of oil on the brass ring shown in the pic. Using a q-tip spread it out on the surface. Using the clean side of the q-tip proceed to wipe it clean. A small amount will remain and that's all that's necessary. If you hear the sound begin to change greatly then repeat. It's not a cause to panic though and doesn't require you stop fishing immediately. If you fish in the rain and the reel gets soaked you may need to repeat the process a bit earlier.

 

 

I don’t think your tournament pro LFS should be making noise I’m sure you have experience with centrifugal brakes and the basic oil maintenance since you have shimanos. I would send it back and get a replacement just in case, if your still in the realm of a return/exchange?

12 hours ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

If that model has centrifugal brakes oil the drum lightly. 

what he said.put a drop on bearings also.. it has 27 position externally adjustable centrifugal brake.some noice is normal.

6 hours ago, Meeno said:

I’m sure you have experience with centrifugal brakes and the basic oil maintenance since you have shimanos.

You might be surprised by how many people with Shimanos have never oiled their brakes or would even have the first clue where to oil them. I'm not saying that's the case with the original poster, but the fact that he mentioned Daiwa in the same breath as Shimano regarding braking sounds...well.

17 hours ago, Shimano_1 said:

Read the owners manual and it should tell you where to oil.  This has been discussed many times. Its essentially where your brakes are rubbing the drum dry. A drop or 2 of oil and it will go away if this is your problem. I've gotten to where I do this to all my lews monthly or so to keep them quiet. Some of the shimanos I've had were the same way. 

+1 My Lew’s Pro-TI came with a tube of oil and instructions on oiling the drum.

Ok thanks guys. I just didn't know what exactly could have been causing the noise or if it was something that's the norm with Lew's. 

 

So I did what you guys said, and it's still makes a hum/zing noise on the cast. Efishin said he's does the same, so maybe that's just the norm? Like I said, it doesn't affect the casting at all. 

38 minutes ago, NorthernBasser said:

So I did what you guys said, and it's still makes a hum/zing noise on the cast. Efishin said he's does the same, so maybe that's just the norm? Like I said, it doesn't affect the casting at all. 

It's probably normal. Mine doesn't sound like my white block Shimano SVS reels, or as zippy as the early gen SVS Infinity with the red blocks. Definitely different. My new Quantum Tour sounds way different than both. Sort of DC-ish sounding actually. My LFS's sound changed slightly as the blocks wore in. Still casts really great. They all employ one version or another of plastic tabs/blocks rubbing against metal, so it'll sound one way or the other. None are as quiet as a mag brake. As long as it doesn't sound like chuffing or chatter it's probably just fine.

8 hours ago, dodgeguy said:

what he said.put a drop on bearings also.. it has 27 position externally adjustable centrifugal brake.some noice is normal.

You don't say?

54 minutes ago, jbsoonerfan said:

You don't say?

Yeah. Mine makes a very slight sound. If you watch a lot of fishing videos a lot of reels make some sounds casting. I don't  understand why people think machines are totally noiseless. I work as an automotive technician and people complain about normal operational sounds all the time. 

My Lew's BB-1 also has centrifugal breaking but doesn't make the sound my LFS does. Just wanted to get some thoughts. Thanks to those who have commented. 

They're both centrifugal, but their braking mechanisms are constructed quite differently, therefore sound different.

40 minutes ago, PhishLI said:

They're both centrifugal, but their braking mechanisms are constructed quite differently, therefore sound different.

Gotcha. Like I said, I'm not the smartest when it comes to the inner working of each reel.