Bantam A

Reels are the hottest topic for TackleTour. Everyone wants to know what the latest and greatest is and how they compare to the old guard. What's the best for light stuff, or what's your suggestion for heavy cover. Do we really need different retrieve ratios? It's all in here.
DirtyD64
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Re: Bantam A

Post by DirtyD64 » Fri Feb 25, 2022 3:43 am

tdm wrote:
Thu Feb 24, 2022 9:12 am
i never had any problems with MM gears, all of my shimano reels when brand new
went from really smooth then developes some random noise but after using it for
at least a little while, everything seems to settle down and get smooth
again, not factory smooth but smooth enough to understand that there's nothing
wrong with the reel. it's like the reel needs a "Break-in" period much like any
thing mechanical. one thing i learned is to never put oil in those bearings when
the reels are new, i'll typically wait for a while otherwise they'll get really
loud and makes all kind of noise.

one way for me to test if the gears are bad (this only applies to reels equipped
with x-ship) is to remove the spool, give it some drag pressure then turn the
handle as if you are reeling in line, feel-listen for any kind of noise and
undestand if the noise are generated by the gear or by the pinion,x-ship or
AR bearings, if it's kind of "raspy" noise and no vibration then for me it's the
bearings, doesn't mean they're bad but could just be noisy and in my experience
the "raspy" noise just goes away overtime or just replace them is they don't,
now if it's smooth then followed by "geary" vibration after every revolution of
the handle then i think it's time to send it in for repair if it's still under
warranty.

the other test is to just put the spool back in, apply a "load" pressure using
my finger on the spool the turn the handle and listen for the same things.

i'm not sure if my ways of testing are good or not but it works for me. i would
think a damage gear set will produce all kind of weird noise other than just a
normal gear meshing noise and yes it can be louder in chronarch and metanium
compare to their aluminum cousins.

i've been there guys and don't let it get to you. i know how it feels :lol:

HG's are the fastest reels i own but have a few 6 ratio and i can tell that
the slow gears are quiter than the higher gears, i've read it somewhere that
XG's typically are more "geary" overall than the others?
I think higher gear ratios are FOR SURE not as smooth. I hated the 9.1 Zillion TWS so much I ordered 7.3 gears. This is also what led me to selling my Steez A finally, even though I just had it fixed. The reel was smooth, and at times on retrieve it was par with the new Zillion. Just overall it didn't feel much better than an SVTW (previous generation Zillion), so I had to let it go. Of course this reel was an 8.1 aluminum geared reel while most others described (other than the newest JDM Zillion I have) were all brass geared 7 ratio reels. I am not sure I will get any more extra high gear reels. Once I get Paypal funds released I still plan on a 7.4 Conquest, they seem built right to handle around 30IPT. I wanted the new Alphas in XH gear, but now and wondering if the 7.1 might be a better choice...

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Re: Bantam A

Post by twiggen » Mon Feb 28, 2022 1:45 pm

ss30378 wrote:
Wed Feb 23, 2022 7:42 pm
Current process that has worked with the Met, Bantam, Curado and Conquest thus far:
-Right out of the box I strip the factory grease off the gears with mineral spirits and a toothbrush
-I wash the gears again with dawn dish soap to get any mineral spirits residue off
-I pull and pack the pinion and main shaft bearings with superlube as its a bit thinner and slicker than the shimano grease. Once it works in it really doesn't add much to rotational resistance to the reel
-I reassemble and re-grease the gears with the star drag grease (I am now testing with krytox gpl227 instead of shimano grease to see if there is any difference)
-I have not had to do anything to address the drag pressure plate as mine have stayed in shape, probably due to the fact I do run lighter drag pressures

So far this process has kept my MM geared reels smooth with quite a few fish on them so far. It may be just luck but I'll watch closely for any change in feel. Now this is not to bash shimano, I've had gears from shimano, daiwa and abu all loose their initial smoothness over time and sometimes it just the fact things wear out with use but I should at least get a full season in with most of the initial smoothness still there in my opinion. On a bright note at least gear sets are cheap for shimanos I guess. I do also think the infinitydrive on the conquest and the new bantam will help maintain smoothness over time a little bit better (in theory) since the load is getting spread out over more than just the pinion bearings but we will see.

Hope this helps , good luck on getting your Met back in shape.
Thanks for the info! So to summarize, the main things you did were to fully clean the factory grease off of the gears, reapply with star drag grease, and then also pack the gear bearings with superlube? In that case, it seems like maybe the combination of superlube with star drag grease was causing some issues with the gearing...

Also, what does it mean for the pinion bearing to "go bad"?

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Re: Bantam A

Post by ss30378 » Mon Feb 28, 2022 5:22 pm

twiggen wrote:
Mon Feb 28, 2022 1:45 pm
Thanks for the info! So to summarize, the main things you did were to fully clean the factory grease off of the gears, reapply with star drag grease, and then also pack the gear bearings with superlube? In that case, it seems like maybe the combination of superlube with star drag grease was causing some issues with the gearing...

Also, what does it mean for the pinion bearing to "go bad"?
For the pinion bearing to go bad means for excess play to develop which will cause the gears to come out of alignment, therefore creating the buzzy feel. It seems like quite a few pinion bearings were going bad on the Mets (most appeared to be untouched from the factory) so I don't know if there was a bad batch or maybe they were underlubed? Superlube seems to mesh better with the factory shimano grease than does the star drag grease (on the JDM model at least) and I haven't had an issue since using the superlube in the bearings.

I do think using the star drag grease on the gears without cleaning the original grease off was part of my problem, once it got to the point of changing color (happened very quickly) I think some of the protective properties faded causing premature wear. I've been fishing quite a bit lately with the shimanos and they are still going strong and all are very nice and smooth. I have a tournament and the end of the March and plan on fishing as much as I can through then so these will definitely get a workout in the next few weeks.

Will keep posted if I have issues.

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arrowslinger1
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Re: Bantam A

Post by arrowslinger1 » Sun Mar 13, 2022 6:08 pm

Anyone know handle lengths, spool depth? Will us and Japan versions be the same like previous versions?

jprice92
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Re: Bantam A

Post by jprice92 » Sun May 08, 2022 4:20 pm

Has anyone had time with the new bantam and can provide feedback on it?

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Re: Bantam A

Post by dragon1 » Tue Jan 17, 2023 5:50 am

jprice92 wrote:
Sun May 08, 2022 4:20 pm
Has anyone had time with the new bantam and can provide feedback on it?
Bump, I'm experiencing what I believe is bearing whine on a 22 Bantam that has less than three hours on the water use. Smooth on the gears, still noticable raspy whine when cranking with the brake blocks turned off. It did quiet down with a little bit of oil on both the spool and sideplate bearings, a small bit under the tension knob (although I have now read that oil of any sort shouldn't be used on X-Ship bearings?).

Should I just use this reel and see if a break in period occurs and the bearings just get smoother and silent?
"It is like a finger pointing away to the Moon...don't concentrate on the finger, or you will miss all of that heavenly glory."

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Re: Bantam A

Post by dragon1 » Tue Jan 17, 2023 9:10 am

Cracked open this new 2022 Bantam, added a small amount of Abu Silicote to the main gear (it was a bit dry), and very light dabs on the X-ship bearings and worked them in with the flat side of a toothpick.

It feels smoother now, and the whine is less noticable, and I also confirmed some of the sound was coming from the VBS brakes on the inner race, even with a light coating of oil on it.

Gonna just fish it hard and complete my head to head comparison vs my 2019 Morethan PE SV 7.1 this season.
"It is like a finger pointing away to the Moon...don't concentrate on the finger, or you will miss all of that heavenly glory."

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Re: Bantam A

Post by Freddie » Tue Apr 18, 2023 7:28 pm

I'm seriously looking at this reel for landlocked striper fishing and other big bait/big fish purposes. It has all the things I'm looking for in a Heavy baitcasting combo including weight to help balance a big stick.
1) casting ability-I mostly bank fish
2) once piece frame-just makes sense in so many ways; strength, rigidity, simplicity, coolness
3) infinity drive-torque and smoothness under load, I'll take that anyday

I'm not seeing a lot of info on this reel however...how are people finding them to hold up??

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Re: Bantam A

Post by godshippy » Thu Apr 20, 2023 4:41 pm

Freddie wrote:
Tue Apr 18, 2023 7:28 pm
I'm seriously looking at this reel for landlocked striper fishing and other big bait/big fish purposes. It has all the things I'm looking for in a Heavy baitcasting combo including weight to help balance a big stick.
1) casting ability-I mostly bank fish
2) once piece frame-just makes sense in so many ways; strength, rigidity, simplicity, coolness
3) infinity drive-torque and smoothness under load, I'll take that anyday

I'm not seeing a lot of info on this reel however...how are people finding them to hold up??
What kind of rod are you thinking about using it on? I have 2 Bantam A's, and use them for fishing jigs with 20# Trilene 100% fluorocarbon and it holds about 60 yards. I haven't had any issues with mine and I love the weight to balance out my jig rods. I have them on a Dobyns Xtasy 755c and a Daiwa Steez AGS Bottom Contact.

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Re: Bantam A

Post by BARRAMANIAC » Sun Apr 23, 2023 6:42 pm

Real Pudd legend wrote:
Fri Jan 21, 2022 7:40 pm
Yup, it’s a tank and was hoping as well for a reduction in the weight but that’s not the case.
The weight is the price you pay for having round reel strength in a low profile reel. Nothing comes close to the core solid body for rigidity unless you go to a round reel like conquest or ryoga. The metanium is the obvious choice if you want core solid in a lighter package. The new 100 size should be a winner with slightly more capacity.

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Re: Bantam A

Post by DirtyD64 » Mon Apr 24, 2023 3:44 am

I still can't help but look at the Bantam. Just really hard now that I found another Conquest 100HG in stock. I don't know if the $100 difference is worth it, but you get more bearings, higher end micro gears, a clicking drag, round reel nostalgia, a clicking tension knob (minor thing), and a lighter more finesse capable spool. I have wanted to branch out and try more Shimano models, but it has been very hard with how they offer features at the moment.

Maybe next a 6 ratio Bantam could fill in on my deep cranking rod, just hoping no one else has had gear/bearing issues or a busted O-ring on the sideplate.

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Re: Bantam A

Post by Freddie » Mon May 01, 2023 5:33 am

I ended up picking one up from Digitaka at a pretty good price. I've put it through it's paces throwing a 1/2 oz wake bait on a St Croix Victory 7"4" Heavy stick and it performed wonderfully. Great casting performance and powerful and smooth reeling. This will be my go to Heavy combo now...

I'm running 30# braid to a leader and it casts like a machine...even with a 1/2 oz top water lure

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Re: Bantam A

Post by oops » Mon May 01, 2023 9:51 am

For anyone on the fence, I figured I'd share my experience and opinion. Bought one on Digitaka when they were first released. Fished it for 1 afternoon, washed it and boxed it up to resell (it's naturally still sitting in the spare bedroom I keep all my tackle). Great reel but I prefer my Metaniums. I know some people prefer that super solid feeling for cranks or whatever and I get it. Calais 100A gave me that feeling, and if I was a crankbait guy, I'd want a Bantam or Conquest on deck, but I'm not that guy. For freshwater, my Metaniums are a dream. For inshore, my Chronarch G has been an absolute stud. For some people, this reel fills a perfect niche. This reel would do an incredible job fishing how I fish, but the reels I already use feel just a little bit better.

Freddie
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Re: Bantam A

Post by Freddie » Mon May 01, 2023 2:56 pm

One thing that draws me to the Bantam is the solid aluminum frame and the heavier weight...it just helps balance out those Heavy sticks a little bit.

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