ABEC 9 Bearings?

[Strewth]

From personal experience, those numbers are on the money for 1/4 oz and up. You can, of course, improve the performance of many stock bearings by giving them a good clean and then re-lubing with a low viscosity oil. For straight casting, I typically see an improvement of 10-15% in my Shimano/Daiwa reels, with the smallest improvements in distance occurring for the heavier weights. The black Shimano A-RB bearings (such as those in the Scorpion XT1000) are nice units, especially for those who fish in the salt.

[Buck2thPerch]

Agree with Ian..
Quality bearings WILL/DO make a difference In casting and its tough to get specific numbers as every reel is different in casting..
I've run stock
SS 3,5,7s
Ceramic hybrid 5,7s,9s
Full ceramics that were $$$$$$$$$
Every reel I own has some sort of upgraded bearing from 5-9s in ceramic hybrids...Zpi, boca or VXB and there IS a difference in casting distance and ease of casting..
You won't know till you install a set and feel the difference..

Trey, are the full ceramics like those from VBX worth the $60 for one and $120 for 2?

Back to topic, Bearing upgrades is as Ebasser is stating - improvements in any casting situation. And as others have stated, when a person such as Ebasser talks....just listen.

[Nitroman77]

I wish they were 120$ for a pair..
No they wernt worth it..
Bocas abec 9s for 100$ arnt a visible upgrade from their 7s as I've got 3 pairs of those..

[Buck2thPerch]

I wish they were 120$ for a pair..
No they wernt worth it..
Bocas abec 9s for 100$ arnt a visible upgrade from their 7s as I've got 3 pairs of those..

Good thing you guinea pigged it. I almost pulled the trigger for VBX's full ceramic bearings for my Shimanos. Glad I didn't.

[CaptBob]

As part of my Charter Service on the Great Lakes I have serviced and tuned reels for years, I have used all three, 5's, 7's, and 9's. I tell most of my customers to go with 7's, only if they are extremely proficient with a baitcaster go with ceramic hybrids only if you don't mind more noise. I have had some customers that I actually had to lube with heavier oils to get their reels slowed down so the customer would be able to cast it efficiently. I will not even sell an abec 9 as there is 2 cents worth of improvement for $$$$$$ investment! Used them once and will tell you, most wont see enough difference to justify the cost. Plus most are not proficient enough with a baitcaster to gain anything, and some will actually have more problems casting than seeing any improvement other than smoother.

I have found there is a much improved difference between say abec 5 bearings from different makers. I buy abec 5 bearings from a distributor that is known for top quality bearings, and have bought abec 7's from cut rate sellers that were not near as good as the high quality 5's. I can sell you anything as a 5,7,9, and other than if they have ceramic balls in them or not, a consumer cannot distinguish the difference.

As I said, I won't use abec 9's they are not worth the money, and if you are buing $25.00 abec 9's, sorry, there either not 9's or not of the quality to outperform a top quality 7! Buy a 5 or 7 and have the reel properly polished and tuned, it will cost less and perform better, only buy bearings from a known reliable distributor or supplier.

[BassFreak]

^Amen!

[VRG]

Several years ago I had a couple of reels tuned and bearings replaced by D.R. Fielding (he was a regular on this forum at the time). One of the reels I had worked on happened to be a Chronarch 50. Before sending the first reel I discussed in email w/ him what kind of results I should expect with what kind of upgrade, etc. He gave me a percentage rang for initial improvement and for after break-in. I don't recall the exact numbers but as a percentage it was something like 5 pct on the low rnd to 15 on the high, but don't hold me to it. Before sending the first reel I tested casting a 4 in Senko, no weight added. I may have notes stashed somewhere but recollection is that I was casting it in low to mid 80 ft range. After return I was in the mid 80 ft to low 90. This matched or exeeded what D.R projected for initial results. Testing was done on the water by marking the yellow braid I use with a permanent marker for 6 casts. Of course I avoided casting into or down wind, but the test was by no means scientific. You'd need to be indoors for one thing. But the real proof point for me was Routinely reaching some spots that were previously a stretch or impossible on the river I fish, plus the noticeably smoother operation.