Have you ever been disappointed after an upgrade?

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zelmo
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Have you ever been disappointed after an upgrade?

Post by zelmo » Sat Nov 20, 2021 5:07 pm

I am new to upgrading reels. So far I have only changed bearings on a couple reels and replaced knobs that were deteriorating.

I am going to do more but I am not sure if I should mess with one of them. I have an Aldebaran Mg7 (Bob) mounted on a MBR 842 GLX from when GLX was top dog. I use it to throw 5” senkos and love it.

I have newer rods and reels that I use for other applications and I like them as well. I am wondering if I should just leave Bob alone or if I should change the bearings at the same time I do the knobs. I am inclined to put in the best bearings that I can and if I don’t think it improves the reel I can revert back and use the bearings in another reel.

Have you ever undone a bearing upgrade?

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LowRange
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Re: Have you ever been disappointed after an upgrade?

Post by LowRange » Sat Nov 20, 2021 7:00 pm

Fix Bob up and never sell it. Selling is the only regret around these parts.

Dalleinf
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Re: Have you ever been disappointed after an upgrade?

Post by Dalleinf » Sun Nov 21, 2021 2:36 am

I have often been disappointed with the effect or lack thereof of a bearing upgrade.
It can improve feel/castability/distance but often does not.
However, a bearing upgrade is among the easiest upgrades you can do, and I have done it to most of my reels.
I encourage you to give it a try💪. See what happens 🤞🙏🤗

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Cal
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Re: Have you ever been disappointed after an upgrade?

Post by Cal » Sun Nov 21, 2021 6:00 am

Dalleinf wrote:
Sun Nov 21, 2021 2:36 am
I have often been disappointed with the effect or lack thereof of a bearing upgrade.
It can improve feel/castability/distance but often does not.
This... i've stopped playing the upgrade game a long time ago but especially given how much use reels get after I finish writing them up.
Cal, Managing Editor
"fish with mindfulness : beware the darkside"

HobeyBaker
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Re: Have you ever been disappointed after an upgrade?

Post by HobeyBaker » Mon Nov 22, 2021 7:14 am

Cal wrote:
Sun Nov 21, 2021 6:00 am
Dalleinf wrote:
Sun Nov 21, 2021 2:36 am
I have often been disappointed with the effect or lack thereof of a bearing upgrade.
It can improve feel/castability/distance but often does not.
This... i've stopped playing the upgrade game a long time ago but especially given how much use reels get after I finish writing them up.
Same. I stopped upgrading the bearings. The stock bearings in high-end casting reels are good. I also don't like the noise ceramic bearings make.

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Cal
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Re: Have you ever been disappointed after an upgrade?

Post by Cal » Mon Nov 22, 2021 7:40 am

HobeyBaker wrote:
Mon Nov 22, 2021 7:14 am
I also don't like the noise ceramic bearings make.
Very annoying and not high end sounding at all. It's a grinding noise making it seem as if the bearings are dirty. :evil:
Cal, Managing Editor
"fish with mindfulness : beware the darkside"

zelmo
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Re: Have you ever been disappointed after an upgrade?

Post by zelmo » Mon Nov 22, 2021 1:38 pm

Thanks for the responses.

This is certainly subjective, but how do you define high end that doesn’t need bearings upgraded? As an example I would classify the Daiwa Steez as high end, but is the Shimano Curado far enough down the scale that better bearings would help?

Fishing4Fun
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Re: Have you ever been disappointed after an upgrade?

Post by Fishing4Fun » Wed Nov 24, 2021 6:14 am

I was told by a famous Shimano reel tech many years back that reels like Curado and Scorpion have Abec 5-7 level bearings stock and reels like the metanium, Antares, Core etc have Abec 7/9 level bearings. If you take the stock bearings out of a Curado 50 and a Core 50 you can see they are different. He suggested not upgrading the bearings unless they were bad/ruined/faulty.

zelmo
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Re: Have you ever been disappointed after an upgrade?

Post by zelmo » Wed Nov 24, 2021 7:21 am

Fishing4Fun wrote:
Wed Nov 24, 2021 6:14 am
I was told by a famous Shimano reel tech many years back that reels like Curado and Scorpion have Abec 5-7 level bearings stock and reels like the metanium, Antares, Core etc have Abec 7/9 level bearings. If you take the stock bearings out of a Curado 50 and a Core 50 you can see they are different. He suggested not upgrading the bearings unless they were bad/ruined/faulty.
That is very helpful. Thank you.

zelmo
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Re: Have you ever been disappointed after an upgrade?

Post by zelmo » Sat Dec 18, 2021 5:12 am

Fishing4Fun wrote:
Wed Nov 24, 2021 6:14 am
I was told by a famous Shimano reel tech many years back that reels like Curado and Scorpion have Abec 5-7 level bearings stock and reels like the metanium, Antares, Core etc have Abec 7/9 level bearings. If you take the stock bearings out of a Curado 50 and a Core 50 you can see they are different. He suggested not upgrading the bearings unless they were bad/ruined/faulty.
Is there any info like this on Daiwa baitcasters (specifically Steez.)

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