9 hours ago, MickD said:

I think if the reel is sort of quickly deteriorating, it's due to contamination from sand or other external stuff getting in.  I've bought a lot of reels of all brands over the years, and have never had one go from smooth to anything less than smooth, and I've used most of them for many years.  Cheap reels, expensive reels, doesn't seem to matter.  I just add some lube now and then and keep them clean.  Why would one person's reels go bad and another one's reels never go bad?  Maybe it's not about the reels. 

Some people stop the lure in mid air by turning the handle and engaging the gears just before the lure reaches the target.  This wasn't to bad when everybody was using springy mono, but change that to braid and you get a shock when the gears are meshing.  This can be good ! 

Some of my shimano reels that were terrible in terms of noise, vibration, crunchiness....it was a bearing that needed replacing: (5x9x3mm)

How/what do you fish? Flipping in matts? Cover sniping spinnerbaits? Dragging jigs? How do you store /transport them? Multiple reels across multiple brands make me think it might be something with the archer, not the arrows. Maybe a use issue or a sandy environment. 

On 7/13/2025 at 6:10 AM, MickD said:

As WRB says, use the thumb and point the rod at the snag, pull on the rod.  I have never tightened my drag to retrieve a snagged lure.  And I have never locked it down.  Maybe that's why I don't have reel problems. 

I usually go a step further. Take the rod and reel totally out of the picture and wrap my line either around a stick if on the bank or my assault paddle and pull out the snag that way. BTW snags usually come out much easier with a straight pull and no shock absorption. 

Some reels are just geary.

 

In the early 2010s I ran a full deck of Shimanos. 200E7 Curados and Citicas. Every single one got geary almost instantly out of the box. Grease makes it feel better for a bit, but then it goes back to being loud and clunky. It won't affect the performance in most cases, you just have to live with the noise.

 

I can't speak to more modern Shimanos. Technology has come a long way. I remember back then Shimanos had centrifugal brakes that you had to remove the side plate to adjust. What a pain.

 

Have not owned a geary reel since selling those Shimanos.

I’ve got 14 daiwa reels that I’ve never cleaned or even opened. They are all between 2-8 years old. Work like new