Well as i could not fish today, i did some general maintenance on all of my reels......... i cleaned and re-greased all of my drag systems on all of my setups...

now for reels i use regularly, i do this once every six months or so......

but today i preformed this on reels that are very old, and i have never maintained (reels from my youth that i have just brought back into action).

so, generally speaking..... i clean and re-lube my drags about twice a year....

i was wondering what the norm was, or how often you all do this....

..................now for some ranting about a couple of the drag systems that i cleaned for the first time ever today!!

------the reels, daiwa regal-Z 1500 and shimano stradic 2000 (both pictured below)--------

first i cleaned the stradic's drag, which is an old model..... and i purchased it roughly 10 years ago. i noticed that the drag system only consisted of one metal washer, and one felt washer!!!!!!!!!!  this really surprised me at how non-existent the supposed "multi element" drag was...

so next i cleaned to daiwa regal-Z, which i purchased about 15 years ago..... i thought before i opened it up, "wow, i wonder what sorry excuse of a drag this thing is going to have".... seeing as how it is a lower model, and 5 years older, and half the price of the stradic....

.....well, the regal-Z had a true multi element drag that consisted of 3 metal washers and 3 felt washers!!!!!!!!!

and now im thinking...............WHAT!!!!!!!!????????????

how is it possible that a stradic which is a higher end model, and five years newer, AND $100 (at the time)....have such an inferior drag!!!!

as compared to the regal-Z... which is five years older, a lower end model, and only $50 (at the time).

what gives??????????

*********all of my newer shimano's have excellent drags though**********

Usually once a year depending on how hard i fish them. Sometimes two years with no issues!

Posted by: Dink whisperer      Posted on: Today at 7:44pm

Usually once a year depending on how hard i fish them. Sometimes two years with no issues!

once a year is likely good i assume,

sometimes i get a little OCD on my drags......

i dont know if i could let them go a full 2 yrs though, i suppose im just a little crazy in that respect!

(and ya, i know i did go for 10 and 15 yrs on the models pictured, but i was pretty young and............ i just put them back into the game )

I know im gonna get bashed for this, but, thats what you get with a SHEMANO. ;D ;D ;D ;D

I have mine serviced every sixty days. I fish every day rain or shine so my gear takes a lot of abuse. My local tuner only charges $12 bucks a reel to clean and lube. I have switched to braid and fluorocarbon for all my fishing so I get new guides every six to twelve months. It might sound like overkill, but I don't have time to waste on the water. I could do all the work myself but that would take time away from my fishing.  

Never for my freshwater gear, maybe a drop of oil once a year.

My saltwater reels are used everyday and hard. I get them cleaned and lubed professionally about every 6 months, it's all they really need.

Worst enemy is sand, and you don't have to drop it on the beach for it to get into your reel, 20 mph winds blow plenty of sand around.

I service all of mine and the boss' reels once a season, whether or not they have been used. As far as lubing the drag systems, only the reels that require drag lubrication get it.

Tight Lines All!!!  

So the drag on your Stradic lasted 10 years with no problems and now you're complaining about it? The multi element drag as you quoted is actually what it is. The washer uses Titanium fibers along with some other fibers. The drag plate is metal. This describes the multi elements.

The FE model Stradics made enough drag for what they were designed for back in 1997.  

So the drag on your Stradic lasted 10 years with no problems and now you're complaining about it? The multi element drag as you quoted is actually what it is. The washer uses Titanium fibers along with some other fibers. The drag plate is metal. This describes the multi elements.

The FE model Stradics made enough drag for what they were designed for back in 1997.

Only 10 years? Man, that really sucks!

You better check it again in 2019.

how is it possible that a stradic which is a higher end model, and five years newer, AND $100 (at the time)....have such an inferior drag!!!!

as compared to the regal-Z... which is five years older, a lower end model, and only $50 (at the time).

what gives??????????

Cue the "Shimano leg humpers" in 3..2...1...

Doh!  They're already out in force.  Let's see a good donnybrook!

10 trouble free years, and with NO maintenance either. :

Regardless of brand, this thread is a "boredom b i t c h" looking for a problem.

No leg humper here...  I currently have shimano, abu, and daiwa reels in service.  Unlike the haters, I actually buy for reasons other than brand.  

The question has been answered and the rant addressed.

Let's move on.

Good night Irene

-Kent  a.k.a. roadwarrior

Global Moderator