Bearings for your reels?

So its been a while since someone posted anything regarding bearings and there have been many topics about this and arguments, so I thought I would revisit this again.

So as the heading states, ceramic vs stainless, Abec#3 vs Abec#7 etc.

Im planning on changing my bearings in my reels to Abec#5 or #7 ceramics on my multiplier casting reels. The reels are magged, so there will be more control over the bearings(spool) now that wasnt there before. Is there any reason that I shouldnt fit these? It is not purely intended for attaining more distance neccessarily, but also to have longer lasting and more smoother casting bearings.

I do know that ceramics can be harder bearings, but after a bit of run in they are fantastic. For spinning where one is doing hundreds of casts per session I feel these will benefit and allow me to have the absolute maximum out of my reels, what you think?

The last factor also, is , ceramics are more expensive, but If I take into account that i have to sometimes change y bearings 2 or even 3 times a season at lets say R30 rand a bearing, soon it adds up , so on cost factor it could also in the long run save you money.

They tend to be a bit noisier but last longer and work well.

Good quality Japanese high spec bearings (Only USA rates their bearings in ABEC) RSA distributors have differing ratings, these bearings will cost R80-140 a bearing so are not the R30 Fong Kong bearings.

I put those r30 bearings in my Tor 50 and couldn't get a cast past 90m...... Took them out and put 2 bearings in, Japanese brand of high spec from a local bearing distributor..... Average cast was 118m thereafter (1.5mm and 0.65mm)

Mag-IT, loose spool, Ceramics with Rocket fuel Yellow and good maintenance and you'll get 3-5 seasons of serious lure fishing with the bearings

Very interesting. So will the local bearing shops have these in stock? It's the first time I've heard of these small ceramic bearings. Even though I go buy and replace my own bearings. I've only heard of them on machines before.

@Enigma, I agree, ive bought my stainless bearings from the local rip off tackle shop, they last a few outings and need replacing. So , glad to hear that it will have more of a positive than negative.

@pirate, I think at this stage to get good ceramics you have to buy over the ocean, unless, one of the local guys, such as Enigma  have stock, because they are considered exensive, no one really wants to go through the effort of getting them, it would still be nice to get the suppliers in on it, I think SKF have, but not sure if its the ones we after.

And to clarify something I missed in my initial post, i meant ceramic hybrids, stainless housing and shield with ceramic balls.

These Japanese high end bearings, are they stainless or ceramic?

Hi. High Spec bearings available locally are Stainless, you can get very, VERY cheap bearing but believe me you get what you pay for.

All ABEC bearings I have in my smaller reels I bought online from Blakdog and Bocca. Both sell online.

It always amazes me how a guy will buy a top performance reel for over R4000 and when he needn't.Replace.the bearings he'll look for R40 or cheaper spool bearings.

Dan there is a reason the reel costs R4000+........ There's also a reason that it performs the way it does.......

It's fitted with high specification parts that are machined to micro tolerances and are made of the best materials.

To have those reels cast and run as good or BETTER than they do as new, fit equal or better replacement parts.

Fitting low spec spool bearings on a high spec casting reel will lead to either a decrease in performance or dramatically decrease the lifespan of the bearing or BOTH as there is no ways the bearing can handle the demands placed on it by the rest of the reel and your casting.

It's like driving a M5 and when you have to replace the tire you buy the cheapest set of Retreads you can find and expect them to do the job the original tires did?:shock:

Thanx Guys. Very useful info.

Enigma wrote:

It always amazes me how a guy will buy a top performance reel for over R4000 and when he needn't.Replace.the bearings he'll look for R40 or cheaper spool bearings.

Dan there is a reason the reel costs R4000+........ There's also a reason that it performs the way it does.......

It's fitted with high specification parts that are machined to micro tolerances and are made of the best materials.

To have those reels cast and run as good or BETTER than they do as new, fit equal or better replacement parts.

Fitting low spec spool bearings on a high spec casting reel will lead to either a decrease in performance or dramatically decrease the lifespan of the bearing or BOTH as there is no ways the bearing can handle the demands placed on it by the rest of the reel and your casting.

It's like driving a M5 and when you have to replace the tire you buy the cheapest set of Retreads you can find and expect them to do the job the original tires did?:shock:

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Craig, I agree with you completely. I have invested a lot of money in my tackle and won't settle for anything but the best for my gear. Same goes for my rods. I want the maximum out of it otherwise it's just another piece of equipment. I wish more people will see this. So far, I have, good reel magged with the best mag system I believe (mag-it), will be fitting orange seal ceramic bearings and matching it with a well designed custom rod layout, now I can finally say that I am getting the complete optimum out of my reels and rods and they will be ever so comfortable doing it... I also have an Alan Tani bearing packer which actually works very well, which I have been using with to make sure my bearings are well greased. Ceramic hybrids in abec7 tolerances all the way for me.

Bearings are what binds the reel together. Use the best there is. Additionally match it with the best oils and greases. I have been using grease for a long time in my bearings over an oil. I found the grease better suited the style of fishing I do and eventually found the best for me was to use both combined. These being with cheap Ss bearings because the bearings couldn't handle the speed and heat generated by using only oils. It did effect the casting but in my application distance wasn't an issue but rather a smooth cast. By fitting a mag system and ceramics I can now go back to using oils which will slightly enhance the bearing and know that it is working without worries.
Choose the right bearing and oils and grease and your reel will give you years of optimal performance. That's my take.

Also, seeing as though I'm going to order some bearings from boca , perhaps if there are more guys interested we should see about doing a bulk order and can save hundreds on shipping charges. If anyone is interested let me know.

I recently replace the line roller bearings and handle bearing in my spinning reels with locally sourced bearings I was quite surprised they could get there hands on them as they are small rather strange sizes. Saved a lot of money as they are pretty pricey when you get them from Shimano.

Hi Grootvis,

I recently ordered bearings from Boco. I chose the more expensive of the two shipping options as the SA Postal system is beyond useless at the moment. If you choose the cheaper shipping option it could take 3 months to see your goods, if you ever do. I used the slightly more expensive option and had them had hand delivered to me at my house within 10 days. Just be careful of the VAT and import taxes! Buggers nailed me 50% of the package value...

Apparently you can take the invoice to the Post Office and dispute it.

Also a neat little trick is to browse the Boca website a bit, then log off and log onto Sealine. The advertising boxes should then give you a 10% or 15% coupon code from Boca. ::happyd:

I would be nice to see these types of bearings available in SA , It is strange that it is not, seeing as though we are a big angling nation, but in SA cost is also a problem and not alot of people can afford the bearings, but like craig says, if you can purchase a 4-5000 rand reel you should be able to afford the bearings.

There have been 2 guys trying to deal with Ceramics and both gave it up as the outlay to have enough and 10 of each results in a R40-50k outlay with a return not made after 3 years of starting up.

It's not worth it, try sell someone a good quality Stainless bearing for R75 and he'll openly accuse you of robbery.

Never mind ordering in R8k of Ultegra and Bullseye drag washers (Smoothdrag) only to have the guys cut leather washers to replace their washers..... Cheapest option on a R5k reel????

Hmm, I know, pity.

Oh well, I'll just order mine anyway, should last a while, in that time I can cut grass to save money for the next batch!

Having 3 trini a reels it can become expensive. I might think about giving someone who is going to the states a heads up and maybe he can bring some back, will be cheaper.

I've just never found the bearings supplied in SA to be good. Always have problems and just don't last. I'm tired of battling with bearings, I don't know what it is , maybe my casting method I don't know, but they don't last.

Time to just do it! Explain to the wife that I will have to buy a new reel if I don't replace the bearings with new ones, that might soften it..........definately worth it... I think:?:?:?:?

Get proper bearings local or look at the TG Rocket Abec7 bearings from Blakdog http://www.blakdogtackle.com/product_info.php?cPath=91_136&products_id=231

Smoothdrag also supplies Abec5 rated Ceramics rated up to use of 100'000 RPM. I can add those to a drag washer order for you.

Enigma wrote:

Get proper bearings local or look at the TG Rocket Abec7 bearings from Blakdog http://www.blakdogtackle.com/product_info.php?cPath=91_136&products_id=231

Smoothdrag also supplies Abec5 rated Ceramics rated up to use of 100'000 RPM. I can add those to a drag washer order for you.

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I'll take you up on that offer, ill send you a Pm.

So before i jumped into a expensive purchase, i thought i might research this a bit deeper. Seeing as though im on my maintenance year, this part of the maintenance intrigues me and i want to know that im using the best set up for my reels, like i have said to achieve the optimum out of them. Its been interesting reading and here is what i have learned so far or understood, its by no means cast in stone but it seems fair and logical, some will disagree but im thinking along these lines too

Spool bearings: stainless steel , in abec # 5 or 3 , or equivalent rating.

Pinion bearings: ceramic or stainless abec# 7 ratings. Ceramic preffered. This was interesting, as the higher the rating the tighter the tolerance, which is more designed at slightly lower speeds but for more sustained use, these are the bearings which you want tight, as it keeps things together more so than the spool bearings, i hope that makes sense, and i also say ceramics because of the corrosion resistance and also for more easier and less fatigue when reeling.
Driveshaft bearings:stainless steel or ceramic in abec#7 ratings, again to keep a tight tolerance on the gearing and reeling.

So my conclusion is thus, to get the absolute most out of your reel, the higher rated bearings should be kept for the pinions and driveshafts and the lower rated bearings for the spool bearings.

If you fit ceramics to the spool bearings , you need to make sure you give them a clean and relube on a regular basis. For the others it should not be such a big issue but is always good practice to do so.

It has also been said , that the shimano ARB bearings are considered the best in the field as stock bearings and with regular cleaning , lubing should last a while.

So for me,
Good quality stainless bearings for the spools and good quality stainless(abec#7 or equivalent) for the rest. That being said, with regular, maybe every third outing, a good clean and relube.

Its always been that the spool bearings are always looked upon as the only bearings one should replace or look after, but, it works in harmony with all the bearings, the reel needs them all to be working well. So , pay attention to the other bearings, they are if not more important than the spool bearings and if maintained properly will give your reel a long and troublesome free life......

An example, abec#7 bearings are better suited to trolling reels than casting reels, make sense or not?

Fyi,
Here is some reading material, there are hundreds out there, but all more or less come to the same conclusion.

http://www.planetseafishing.com/features/read/battle-of-the-bearings
http://www.westernbass.com/forum/there-difference-between-stock-bearings-and-abec-t64289.html
http://www.thebasscollege.com/apps/forums/topics/show/6867744-ball-bearings-the-reel-deal-

Spool bearings: stainless steel , in abec # 5 or 3 , or equivalent rating. Refer to my earlier post on High Spec Jap bearings for the Spool

Pinion bearings: ceramic or stainless abec# 7 ratings. Ceramic preffered. This was interesting, as the higher the rating the tighter the tolerance, which is more designed at slightly lower speeds but for more sustained use, these are the bearings which you want tight, as it keeps things together more so than the spool bearings, i hope that makes sense, and i also say ceramics because of the corrosion resistance and also for more easier and less fatigue when reeling. Not many of our R&S reels are fitted with Pinion bearings ie only the Tn A series in

Driveshaft bearings:stainless steel or ceramic in abec#7 ratings, again to keep a tight tolerance on the gearing and reeling.

So my conclusion is thus, to get the absolute most out of your reel, the higher rated bearings should be kept for the pinions and driveshafts and the lower rated bearings for the spool bearings. Always been my approach and as a result not worth the cost of importing the Extremely costly Ceramics

If you fit ceramics to the spool bearings , you need to make sure you give them a clean and relube on a regular basis. For the others it should not be such a big issue but is always good practice to do so. This is why it is almost exclusively tournament casters who fit these bearings on the spool, they will in tournament service the bearings up to 3 times a day

It has also been said , that the shimano ARB bearings are considered the best in the field as stock bearings and with regular cleaning , lubing should last a while. Once again, these are high spec Jap bearings without dust shields for the spool.......

Not only do dust shield keep gunk out of spool bearings...... they keep it in when it gets in turning lube into a grinding past and destroying a bearing.

Going for a 150m cast with a Tn 16A means a startup speed of the spool at 10'000rpm+. junk between the races and bearings = destruction

With the tightest of tolerances provided by Ceramics these speeds will destroy the hardest of bearing materials. The extremely high quality Ceramics don't even have speace for dust and salt particles in them so wading in the surf with salt and sediment in the bearings all the time will be disasterous to say the least

So for me,
Good quality stainless bearings for the spools and good quality stainless(abec#7 or equivalent) for the rest. That being said, with regular, maybe every third outing, a good clean and re-lube. Refer back to my post on quality Stainless bearings

Its always been that the spool bearings are always looked upon as the only bearings one should replace or look after, but, it works in harmony with all the bearings, the reel needs them all to be working well. So , pay attention to the other bearings, they are if not more important than the spool bearings and if maintained properly will give your reel a long and troublesome free life...... I naturally assumed that anglers maintained and replaced all bearings on a regular basis, Spool bearings just wear out a lot faster as they are lightly lubed and exposed to high speeds and any material in them drastically reduces life span

An example, abec#7 bearings are better suited to trolling reels than casting reels, make sense or not? Yes because their tolerances are tighter and the bearing is exposed to much higher pressures under rotation than casting and hand held reels. 100lbs of directional pressure on the bearing while it is under rotation requires better load distribution and stability that the ABEC 7 will provide.

Hi Enigma, which distributors in SA do you recommend one egts stainless steel bearings from?