So I’m considering replacing the bearings in my lews reels with Boca bearings or something of that style. Has anyone had good positive results after swapping them? Better casting distance? Smoother operation? Or just not worth the money?

I've had better luck swapping-in unshielded bearings, and especially, unshielded microbearings - these are KTF/IXA MBS, but you can find an excellent equivalent from Hedgehog - Air HD.

Looks like I better add, cast distance improvement up to 15%

Anything but the overprice garbage from Boca.

If you have to replace... then Stainless Abec 5 bearings are fine. If they're just dirty then get them cleaned up. Bearing swaps are pretty low on the dollar spent vs improvement to your fishing scale.

That’s what I wanted to hear. Thank you!

Unless your original bearings are worn out, just cleaning them and adding a single drop of low viscosity oil is the biggest improvement. The original spool bearings in a Lew's reel will be very good. Quite likely, as good or better than anything they'd be replaced by.

Take a look a Spool Speed Bearings also I have used bearings for the JZN store on Aliexpress. I haven't had any issues. Hybrid ceramics and ceramic bearings a little noisy, but that doesn't bother me/

I sent several reels off to be super tuned and the bearings replaced with Bocas. There wasn’t much difference. The noise bothered me so I sold them.

I won a set of spool speed bearings years ago when Scott started the company and I put them in my Okuma Helios reel that I used for frogs and it

Bombed frogs like no other reels. I had to take them out to stop it from spooling out every cast. Very little effort to the cast as well. I had them in another reel as well and it was the same thing. Those bearings I noticed a big difference over stock bearings so whatever bearings he uses or wherever he’s getting them from, I’d say there was a difference. I tried bearings from Ali express and never noticed a difference so now I’ll just replace them if I feel like they need to be replaced.

17 minutes ago, MiceNReets said:

I won a set of spool speed bearings years ago when Scott started the company and I put them in my Okuma Helios reel that I used for frogs and it

Bombed frogs like no other reels. I had to take them out to stop it from spooling out every cast. Very little effort to the cast as well. I had them in another reel as well and it was the same thing. Those bearings I noticed a big difference over stock bearings so whatever bearings he uses or wherever he’s getting them from, I’d say there was a difference. I tried bearings from Ali express and never noticed a difference so now I’ll just replace them if I feel like they need to be replaced.

What company?

@new2BC4bass

The company is spool speed bearings, the owner is Scott.

I use his abec 7 and 9 in most of my baitcasters. Major difference, less effort for long casts.

@Joedodge I have a few replaced spool bearings on mine. In my case, I gained some distance, but what I really saw was an improvement in my accuracy. It took less effort to cast, so I was able work on my skills in hitting the target, so to speak.

I was very happy with up grading the bearings, I use ABEC 5 stainless, I really didn’t like ceramic, they do make the reel cast easier, but I didn’t like the noise. I like a silent casting reel.

19 minutes ago, little giant said:

@new2BC4bass

The company is spool speed bearings, the owner is Scott.

I use his abec 7 and 9 in most of my baitcasters. Major difference, less effort for long casts.

I just looked them up. Stuff looks nice and nicely priced.

4 minutes ago, GRiver said:

@Joedodge I have a few replaced spool bearings on mine. In my case, I gained some distance, but what I really saw was an improvement in my accuracy. It took less effort to cast, so I was able work on my skills in hitting the target, so to speak.

I was very happy with up grading the bearings, I use ABEC 5 stainless, I really didn’t like ceramic, they do make the reel cast easier, but I didn’t like the noise. I like a silent casting reel.

Ahhh ok. Yeah wouldn’t like the reel making noise lol. I can’t stand the dc reel sounds

7 hours ago, little giant said:

@new2BC4bass

The company is spool speed bearings, the owner is Scott.

I use his abec 7 and 9 in most of my baitcasters. Major difference, less effort for long casts.

I noticed the same thing in the few reels I had the bearings upgraded in. Never the 30 yards extra some claim. (Obviously an exaggeration on my part. 30 feet more likely.)

Unlike some I have never minded the sound of a DC reel or one with ceramic bearings. The set in my Curado 51E that DVT worked on for me were purchased used at a good price because the original purchaser didn't like their sound.

EDIT: I'm like FloridaFishinFool...I use the sound of the bearings as a helpful guide when casting. Appreciate his post. If I upgrade any bearings again, I will go full ceramic and stay dry with them.

13 hours ago, little giant said:

@new2BC4bass

The company is spool speed bearings, the owner is Scott.

I use his abec 7 and 9 in most of my baitcasters. Major difference, less effort for long casts.

This is the thing that gets me about US-based bearing resellers, especially those who target the fisherman. The ABEC scale only deals in dimensional tolerances. ABEC doesn't account for Rockwell hardness, ball quality, raceway finish, or internal tolerances. The bearing resellers use ABEC as a marketing point, which comes across as intentionally misleading customers in order to generate sales.

I think the biggest flaw with bearings in general; nobody has tested them in a controlled environment. Once all potential for human error is removed from the equation, hard data can be obtained and analyzed. Nobody casts exactly the same, plus there is wind to contend with which is also variable. On top of that, the bearing peddlers sell clean bearings, while the actual big players sell them greased. This is where the end user sees an "upgrade". The NMB bearings that come in Daiwa, Shimano, Isuzu, Lew's, and Abu models are some of the best out there, they just need to be degreased. If Isuzu didn't think they were high quality, they wouldn't put them in $1000 reels.

7 minutes ago, redmeansdistortion said:

This is the thing that gets me about US-based bearing resellers, especially those who target the fisherman. The ABEC scale only deals in dimensional tolerances. ABEC doesn't account for Rockwell hardness, ball quality, raceway finish, or internal tolerances. The bearing resellers use ABEC as a marketing point, which comes across as intentionally misleading customers in order to generate sales.

I think the biggest flaw with bearings in general; nobody has tested them in a controlled environment.

Not sure how we are being misled. Not seeing it that way.

"ABEC stands for the Annular Bearing Engineering Committee. An ABEC rating measures the manufacturing precision and dimensional tolerance of ball and roller bearings.

The scale ranges in odd numbers: 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9.

• Higher Ratings = Higher Precision: The higher the number, the tighter the manufacturing tolerances, meaning the bearing is crafted to stricter, more exact measurements.

And that is how I see it as well. The higher the rating the smoother the bearing should be, and higher quality as well.

The next consideration is ceramic versus steel with ceramic 40% to 50% lighter than steel meaning less weight to start up spool rotation and lighter lures might cast a little better.

And you are right about not having objective data on bearing differences in reels. There is a forum dedicated to tackle and they don't even do it. So basically it is up to each of us to do our own side by side comparisons, and then endlessly & vigorously debate the results. 😉

That said, I am sold on full ceramic bearings. All of my baitcast reels have them. In some I even replaced the pinion support bearing with full ceramic because it sits right next to the spool and is the first bearing to get wet and begin to rust. Replacing it with full ceramic is just to prevent rust and less maintenance over longer period of time. That bearing has nothing to do with casting ability since spool shaft does not touch inside of the pinion gear any longer.

So only spool bearings go full ceramic and no oil. I run them dry and don't mind the noise they make. I use it to judge my casts. Hearing it gives me ability to close eyes during a cast. I also think ceramic bearings kind of put my sense of feel into better contact with the reel than steel did buried in grease. Ceramics are more responsive and increased feel I think.

That said, to me a bearing upgrade is going from full steel to full ceramic. No in between bearings like the hybrids. That's not really an upgrade.

The full steel have two steel races and steel balls and usually a steel or plastic retainer to keep balls positioned between the races. A hybrid still has 2 steel races, but now with ceramic balls. Those steel races still need oil to keep them from rusting. Ceramic does not need any oil. It does not rust, is its own lubrication due in part to hardness and low surface friction.

Going full ceramic is now 2 ceramic races, ceramic balls, and usually a plastic retainer. No oil needed. Nothing to rust.

Some might use oil on full ceramics just to quieten them down some. To me that also slows them down. I simply keep mine clean and run them dry and never look back. Maybe I should change the name of my boat to screaming demon reels!

So with bearing, go all the way or stay at home with what ya have. Steel work fine. Just maintain them. Upgrade advantages are not all that. For me its not about casting distance. Its more about being able to use lighter lures than I normally could have with steel bearings. They just make things a little more versatile rather than explosive casting gains like I read 30 feet somewhere. I even consider the sound a gain where others do not.

If one were to purchase ceramic bearings and then packed them with grease would nullify any real gains. In cases like this, I'd say full steel bearings soaked in solvent to remove thick grease and now only oiled would outperform full ceramic bearings packed with grease. Upgrading is one thing. Getting the most out of them is another. Which is in part why I went full ceramic for full benefits and run dry also for full benefit. I maximized for reels that sing.

One thing I would do is homework on bearing upgrade prices. I prefer wholesale from source is cheapest.

But there are companies here in USA and Florida that are little more than middle men raising prices through the roof. Not going to mention any names, but I'd go around them. Skip the middle man. Buy direct and save is all I can say.

And the higher the ABEC the better! I don't think this rating is meant to mislead us. I think maybe more in terms of it not being understood the way engineering ratings and terminology are meant to be used. I view it in terms of roundness quality.

The higher the number, the more accurate the balls will be closer to most perfectly round translating into a smoother ball bearing. Has nothing to do with load bearing capabilities. Just a measurement of roundness accuracy is all it is.

And this rating also relates to a speed rating meaning the more perfectly round a bearing is, the higher the speed it can travel. "ABEC 9: Represents the tightest manufacturing tolerances for precision, high-speed applications."

But with little old no load- no speed fishing reels we can get away with using plastic nylon bearings with an ABEC rating of 1 and you might be surprised how many never notice.

Tweaking bearings is kind of a specialty. Hopefully for a gain one can use. Its more than just upgrading to a different bearing. It is also in using them differently to maximize gains or benefits.

2 hours ago, FloridaFishinFool said:

measures the manufacturing precision and dimensional tolerance of ball and roller bearings.

Exactly as I stated, nothing to do with internal tolerances, purely dimensional.

ABEC guide

Remember, stainless bearings are dirt cheap in the grand scheme of things. Ceramic hybrids and full ceramics are not, assuming you're getting them from a reputed manufacturer like GRW of Germany or SKF of Sweden and not a fly-by-night brand. Wholesale on hybrids is in the neighborhood of $20-$25 each buying in quantities over 100, retail is at least double. The big takeaway with truly good ceramic hybrids, they're just as noisy as good stainless. This is because they follow the ISO clearance classes

Hedgehog Air bearings are worth the money for me. ZPI too but those are less readily available.

I get them from Tackle Trap usually.

BOCA bearings are loud (don't mind) and their quality control sucks (do mind).

If you're going to spend money, spend money.