TackleTour

mark poulson wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 04, 2019 7:24 pm

bwjay wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 04, 2019 6:56 pm

hoohoorjoo wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 04, 2019 4:52 pm

Generally speaking, the higher gear ratios are less smooth than their lower speed counterparts. I had a Tatula SV 6.3 that was glass slick even after a ton of use, but the two 8.1 Tat SV I had were both geary right out of the box. Same with the
8.1 Steez SV TW I bought....way less smooth than my 7.1 Steez.

I thought that might be true but hadn't heard of it before. Bummer... so maybe this is normal. But it's a pretty substantial difference between the HG SLX and XG SLX XT. I'm wondering if maybe the XT will improve with time, like it needs to break in, but wouldn't it get worse with time? People talk about their Met MGLs being great in the beginning but turning geary after some use. Still not sure if I will keep the XT even if this is normal, but I also don't want TW to reject my return, so..... maybe I will keep it. Maybe I could mod it. I have zero reel disassembly or modding experience though so prooobably not.

That reel is supposed to have brass gearing, which is typically smoother than aluminum gearing, so I'd contact TW and see if you can still return it.

johnD wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 04, 2019 7:33 pm

If it's geary that quick, something is not right. Mine is smooth , the anti reverse bearing was squeaky right out of the box. A little grease fixed that , I also greased the gears and added carbontex washers , that made a huge difference in drag pressure.
Funny you mentioned the chronarch mgl getting geary , mine did the same thing. Never again with a baitcaster that doesn't have a metal frame.

bwjay wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 04, 2019 7:47 pm

johnD wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 04, 2019 7:33 pm

If it's geary that quick, something is not right. Mine is smooth , the anti reverse bearing was squeaky right out of the box. A little grease fixed that , I also greased the gears and added carbontex washers , that made a huge difference in drag pressure.
Funny you mentioned the chronarch mgl getting geary , mine did the same thing. Never again with a baitcaster that doesn't have a metal frame.

My SLX is occasionally squeaky and I got a little squeak out of the XT. Is that what it is, the anti-reverse bearing?

Sad thing about the Chronarch is that it was geary right out of the box. Not barely noticeable, but not in your face terribly obvious either. But easily noticeable and it really cheapened the feel of the reel IMO. A reel at half the price with the same amount of geariness wouldn't be so bad, but even then I really don't enjoy that feel. I would prefer to spend more and not have it. Hence my 2 Bantams. lol

bwjay wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 04, 2019 4:21 pm

Another update on SLX XT performance.

Caught my first frog fish on it, maybe a pound and a half largemouth, and had to tighten down the drag while pulling the fish through a ton of slop. You really gotta lock it down on the standard SLX too... the minimum drag is actually so little that sometimes it won't turn the spool even with no pressure on the spool (from my finger or line tension). Lesson learned there. I am still satisfied with its casting performance so far. Unfortunately, the reel has developed a geary feeling just like the Chronarch MGL I have (and am returning soon). I thought, well it's a cheaper reel, can't expect perfection, but my standard SLX does not have it at all. In fact my standard SLX is quite smooth. This is quite concerning. The XT should be just as smooth. I don't know what the deal is but it has quite a bit of vibration going through the reel. I think I may return it to TW but I am gonna have to clean it thoroughly because it's got a ton of gunk on/in it from frogging. I would take it out again tonight for some frogging but I don't want to get it dirtier or risk damaging it. I'm really disappointed because I have enjoyed fishing with the reel so far, and I like the looks of it a lot. But there is no reason it should have this geary feeling when my standard SLX doesn't. The SLX is HG and the XT is XG but that shouldn't matter. I don't know if it's because of the housing differences or what but the standard SLX feels a lot nicer to reel.

Wondering if anyone else experiences this with their XT, if anyone gets one. I know a lot of people here are all about high end gear but... maybe someone else will take the plunge.

LgMouthGambler wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 16, 2019 2:43 am

Since 2 of my friends liked my SLX reels soo much, I lost them both. I took advantage of American Legacy SLX XT reel/SLX rod combo for $149.99, and now have an SLX XT HG on the way. I will fish this one stock before I do anything to it. I want to see what it's like out the box. Well, I may change out the bushings in the knobs for a little more smoothness, but I'm gonna leave the drivetrain and spool bearings alone....for now.

mark poulson wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 16, 2019 5:34 am

LgMouthGambler wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 16, 2019 2:43 am

Since 2 of my friends liked my SLX reels soo much, I lost them both. I took advantage of American Legacy SLX XT reel/SLX rod combo for $149.99, and now have an SLX XT HG on the way. I will fish this one stock before I do anything to it. I want to see what it's like out the box. Well, I may change out the bushings in the knobs for a little more smoothness, but I'm gonna leave the drivetrain and spool bearings alone....for now.

I try and put handles with knob bearings on all of my reel, if they don't come with them. For me, it makes a big difference when I'm fishing moving baits all day.