what makes a smooth reel?

[crankbait1007]

One thing that I have had to explain to customers is that a super tuned reel while still smooth may feel slightly different than it did before. I tell them once I strip a lot of grease off their reels there will be more metal on metal contact. Some reels I have opened had grease caked on their friction ring (brake ring,). I explain to them that the reel may have a more metal feeling. Ok I have two Curado that I have super tuned one was a rougher feel. Can all the grease that I striped off have coated a rough feeling reel. What really makes a smooth reel? I want to say it’s the pinion gear and the drive gear. Should I be putting more grease in between the teeth for these two items. Has anyone ever lightly sanded the teeth. I have started sanding the inside of the pinion where the spool engages with the pinion.

[Nitroman77]

gear tolerances, number of bearings, quality of bearings type of metal used in the gears, grease, and oil used I would think would all have something to do with smoothness.

[Bronzeye]

A spinning reel felt rougher after I did a complete takedown, cleaning, and relube. Besides replacing gobs of grease on the gears with a light coating, I oiled instead of regreased the rotor bearing. The handle turned much more easily (it would continue turning on its own for several revolutions if I released it), but vibrations were no longer dampened by the grease. When I get time, I will be cleaning and regreasing the rotor bearing, since in a spinning reel there is no need for that to turn at high speed.

Sorry that I can't respond more specifically to your question.

[RWSCHMITZ]

I think it is funny when I see someone spin there reels to see how long it will spin, WHO CARES !!!! I fish with my reels for 12 hours a day, so I want a reel oil that will last all day !!!! Rem oil and ZPI oil will only last in a reel for hours !!!! Plus the noise ceramic bearings make when they need oil will drive me nuts. I use HOT SAUCE oil for my spool bearings and HOT SAUCE grease for the frame bearings and a 50/50 mix of H/S oil & grease for the ANTI/REV bearing. When I go fishing my reels will not need any oil or grease for a good week of hard fishing 12 hours a day !!!!!! Try telling your customers that there reels will be smoother and not make metal to metal noise, not spin the longest.

[crankbait1007]

So I’ve heard that grease is a no no on the anti reverse bearing….is this true. Wouldn’t grease give way to smoother cranking?

[RWSCHMITZ]

if you fish in warm weather, a 50/50 mix of HOT SAUCE oil and grease will last longer then oil by itself. If are fishing in cool or cold weather then only oil for the ANTI-REV bearing. Like I said before I'm fishing for 12 hours a day, so the H/S mix of 50-50 oil and grease will last.

[RussB]

gear tolerances, number of bearings, quality of bearings type of metal used in the gears, grease, and oil used I would think would all have something to do with smoothness.

In a similar vein, I have found that using thicker grease (I like and use Daiwa Blue Grease) in the bearings (NOT the spool bearings!) gives any reel a smoother feel with less felt vibration. I have also seen some particular reels respond better to tuning than others. I rekon that's just a matter of parts tolerances and wear patterns. A little too much clearance here and there, and reel can exhibit some vibration and a "grindy" feel to it. Well used gearsets can have slop in them as well as foreign matter and/or corrosion embedded into the metal itself, and conversely a new gearset can feel a bit rough until it's broken in a bit.

Noisy spool bearings can be quieted down with ABU Garcia's silicone oil, which is indeed kinds thick, but we all use tension on our spools anyway, right?

On some reels I use thinner greases (I use MIl-Comm TW25B) and get great results, with the reel able to free spin more freely. As RWSCHMITZ says, it doesn't matter all that much how "free" a reel feels when just spinning the handle and watching it go round 'n round, I think it's how smooth it is when when it's working that really matters.

Sometimes a little extra shimming is in order to take up some extra clearance between parts. I get them from McMaster/Carr in various sizes and thicknesses.

Metric Shim washers,
http://www.mcmaster.com/#shims-and-shim-stock/=87bgn6

[RussB]

So I’ve heard that grease is a no no on the anti reverse bearing….is this true. Wouldn’t grease give way to smoother cranking?

SOMETIMES grease in the anti-reverse bearing with make the anti-reverse feature vanish!

[D.R.]

I think it is funny when I see someone spin there reels to see how long it will spin, WHO CARES !!!! I fish with my reels for 12 hours a day, so I want a reel oil that will last all day !!!! Rem oil and ZPI oil will only last in a reel for hours !!!! Plus the noise ceramic bearings make when they need oil will drive me nuts. I use HOT SAUCE oil for my spool bearings and HOT SAUCE grease for the frame bearings and a 50/50 mix of H/S oil & grease for the ANTI/REV bearing. When I go fishing my reels will not need any oil or grease for a good week of hard fishing 12 hours a day !!!!!! Try telling your customers that there reels will be smoother and not make metal to metal noise, not spin the longest.

X2 well said.

D.R.