I came across my spool bearing remover tool and realized I hadn't used it in a LONG time. So my stupid question to you guys is do any reels still use spool mounted bearings? I know none of my Daiwas or Shimanos use that design anymore but I want to make sure I won't need this in the future before I send it to a home where it's needed.

I believe some of the Lews, Abu, and Bass Pro still have a need for that.

 

Haven't bought anything new from them for a while so can't be sure if they still do though.

The high end Daiwa’s with floating spool  and some upper end Shimano’s do. Those tools are priceless when you need it and don’t eat much in between. 

Actually this tool and the Roro copy is the only one that can reach the pin on a Daiwa floating spool without full end flanges - the spool bearing is recessed into the spool hollow.  Same holds for Lew's SP, which is the spool in the left photo. 

 

 

3 hours ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

The high end Daiwa’s with floating spool  and some upper end Shimano’s do. Those tools are priceless when you need it and don’t eat much in between. 

 

1 hour ago, bulldog1935 said:

Actually this tool and the Roro copy is the only one that can reach the pin on a Daiwa floating spool without full end flanges - the spool bearing is recessed into the spool hollow.  Same holds for Lew's SP, which is the spool in the left photo. 

 

 

 

This might be a good time to bring up a dumb question I have had for a long time....

 

What purpose does this bearing serve, why upgrade it or in some cases, go from a bushing to a bearing? I have had one bushing replaced and one upgraded/replaced.  I have noticed no difference in the two reels it was done to.  

20 minutes ago, FishTank said:

 

 

This might be a good time to bring up a dumb question I have had for a long time....

 

What purpose does this bearing serve, why upgrade it or in some cases, go from a bushing to a bearing? I have had one bushing replaced and one upgraded/replaced.  I have noticed no difference in the two reels it was done to.  

 

In the couple of reels that I have had with that type of bearing, there was no bearing on the spool tension cap, only a black shim. That bearings was the only spool bearing on the handle side. 

Lew's Super Duty G and ZPI Alcance (I'm guessing some Revo's as well) have 3. 

There's a third BB in the spool tension cap. 

 

Note, however, the spool cap bearing doesn't engage the spool spindle at all during casting - it functions as the pinion gear bearing during cranking. 

 

Certainly one reel and one application niche is no statistical sample. If there is a such thing as a dumb question, it would be one that wasn't asked as a question, but masked as a dumb opinion. 

I can present two backlash-proof improved-BB reels that will both cast from 1/16 oz to over an ounce, and both without making reel adjustments over the weight range. 

The braid-raced Ambassadeur is also the best skipping reel I've ever used. 

22 hours ago, FishTank said:

 

 

This might be a good time to bring up a dumb question I have had for a long time....

 

What purpose does this bearing serve, why upgrade it or in some cases, go from a bushing to a bearing? I have had one bushing replaced and one upgraded/replaced.  I have noticed no difference in the two reels it was done to.  

The spool mounted bearing serves the same purpose as any spool bearing: support, alignment and friction reduction. Bushing isn’t the dirty word it’s often made out to be. Good, close tolerance, polished bushings May provide all the above fictions adequately. The benefits of an upgrade to bearings depends on what you’re starting with and what you’re going to. 

The king of bushing reels lasted 100 years in tournament casting. 

 

But it was it replaced in just 10 years once ball bearing spools were available. 

http://www.realsreels.com/customABURecordreelsDaveBrown.html

 

And just like ball bearings, not all bushings were created equal.  Benchmade Meek, Shakespeare, Jack Welch Heddon and Talbot made excellent reels that likely still have good bushings if you find one today, 100 years later. 

 

you couldn't count on equivalent performance or life from Enterprise or Pflueger from the same time period as those great tournament casting reels. 

23 hours ago, garroyo130 said:

 

In the couple of reels that I have had with that type of bearing, there was no bearing on the spool tension cap, only a black shim. That bearings was the only spool bearing on the handle side. 

On floating spools and reels with solid shaft the bearing under the spool cap is just for lateral support and does not affect casting. 

if that were true, it would be a thrust bearing rather than a radial bearing. 

It's there to pin radial deflection in the spindle from pinion gear loads. Torsion on long spindles creates bending deflection.  

 

Here are classic winding plate designs with thrust bearings. 

In both reels, the spindle rides in a bushing.