ABEC 5 vs 7 ceramics for heavy rigs.

[Eagleye]

My CVZ 300 is at Mikes Reel Repair for a cleaning and tune up. I want to upgrade my spool bearing but he only carries ABEC 5 ceramics. I recall reading somewhere that lower abec rated bearings were actually better for casting larger weights. Do you guys think I'd be better off getting ABEC 7 or 5's for casting 1/2-4 oz? I would like to hear your opinions on using ceramic bearings for casting heavy rigs.

[ChuckE]

Eagleye,
The amount of improvement you see while casting with ceramic hybrids over stock bearings will depend on several factors. How tight the spool and anti-backlash adjustments are set, type of braking (centrifugal vs magnetic), and spool weight are just a few. Most anglers that have made the upgrade usually report they can cast the same distance with less effort and more accuracy. If you readjust the magnetic braking, or your reel has sufficient braking weights that can be moved on a centrifugal braking system, you should be able to achieve about 15% additional distance with ceramic hybrids. However, many anglers don't necessarily care about the increased distance, but instead prefer the more accurate casts that result from casting with less effort.

Improving the precision of the spool bearings will result in faster spool startup and higher average spool speeds, if the braking system doesn't restrict the spools ability to do so. In addition, many long distance tournament casters use higher precision (and even ceramic hybrid) bearings for their reels with lighter oils. They often cast very heavy weights with little or no braking on the spool, or change the braking during the cast.

The downsides to ceramic hybrids and higher precision bearings is that they are more affected by fouling from debris, etc. given the same conditions; they may cause the reel to sound a little different while casting (audiable, vibration, braking noise, etc.); and are more expensive than stock bearings.

Lastly, I've compared the difference between Abec 5 and Abec 7 ceramic bearings many times, and have concluded that some anglers won't notice much difference and/or can't justify the additional cost between the two. (Especially since, some braking systems don't have enough range or adjustment, which limits achieving the higher spool speeds.)

...just my opinion.

Chuck

[just4kix]

Chuck,

How do think Daiwa's Mag Force V Braking System fairs in terms of range/adjustment to achieve higher spool speeds when comparing the ABEC 5 and ABEC 7? I'm thinking about installing the ABEC 7 on my Stock Alphas Ito Ai Spool. Much Appreciated!

[ChuckE]

j4k,
I've played with a set of Abec 7s bearings in a few of my TD-Z's and Fuego, and think that Magforce V is in some ways better than Magforce Z, since it is a little more aggressive as the spool initially spins up. Because of that, the range of braking adjustment doesn't seem to be affected as much, and there is still plenty of balance between spool tension and magnet adjustment to provide optimal casting adjustment. I was concerned the first time I put them in, because I thought I'd have to seriously crank down on the spool tension to keep magnetic braking within is range -- however that was not the case.

I've been playing with some Abec 7 ceramic hybrids in the Steez, and even with the +R tuning it has specifically for pitching, its Magforce V still works great. I have no reason to believe the Alphas ito won't be the same.

Chuck

Chuck

[just4kix]

Thanks for the insightful response Chuck!

[Eagleye]

Thanks again for the info ChuckE.