Yeh Cal just messaged me deleted it and said its 'self promotion' - I've replied to him about that. Oh hey TT liked the images too
Anyhow anyone wants pics - on my Insta search via my name - its a "not for profit page".
My thoughts...
Nice frame and associated parts, the idler gear for the level wind is disappointingly thin, there is also a large gap between the levelwind shaft tube and body (light shines straight through in the pictures) which will allow water into the gearbox side (that is the wet bit of the reel - think capillary action) - Curado K had a O ring seal at that point now - would've thought the Bantam would've had the same treatment, considering that the Bantam being a much higher spec reel like $400 / $500 realm...
The Cu K is actually looking to be a better reel overall at this stage.
The side plate B spool hatch is a nightmare to rebuild - so many o rings and fiddly crap in there. See if those O rings are available in 5 years time huh??
Silent tune bearings - well theyre not available here in Aus "ever" so they'll go in time. Nice bearings but hard to get out of their seats - especially when the reel was built extremely dry.
Corrosion mitigation will and should be a conscious thing on people's minds owning this reel, especially with saltwater ownership and use - wont be straight away but eventually tears for those that throw caution to the wind.
Handle needs to be 100mm long - way way way too short imho!
How people are using this reel as a swimbait reel is beyond me
Drag pressure out of the box is frighteningly hard like 1kg or 2 kg possible - even upon rebuilding its still astronomically high!!! Like the wafer spring needs to be squashed a little to allow the drag to back off heaps more!!! Every Shimango reel ive owned could have the drag backed off to such a point that the spool hardly rotated while winding - this yeh nah.
Finish of the reel shows casting lines under it - could've been finished a little neater prior to painting especially for its price point... Side plate B machined aluminium and anodized - will show every scratch and blemish - will be a hard one to keep from destruction.
Overall I'm happy i got it for $300 - still not what I'd expect for a higher spec'd reel especially for the Bantam namesake. Especially compared to the old Bantam Tournament 1000 Professional - when you got rose wood handle knobs back then and gold inlay on a beautifully embossed gear and side b plates.
If someone applied a teardown like I did and I got to review those pics - honestly i would've waited a lot longer and watched for it to become a sub $250 reel or even second hander to play around - especially with some of the things I found - or waited for a series 2 uplift.
Buyers remorse yeh definitely after thinking more deeply about it tonight, should've and would've sat on the fence a lot longer than diving in based on some flakey online review's.