03-26-2004, 10:22 PM
Hey there gdzilla,
A warm welcome to the BFT boards. Thank you for registering. Our population of 'zillas' are certianly growing at a steady pace.
Main question is use for fresh, saltwater, or both? Lot's of pro's and con's on the annodized aluminum vs graphite products. Especially if you're talking about the spool which can also be made out of ...cough cough Plassssssstic! I have a Quantium with a plastic spool and I really don't trust it to hold up as I would an aluminum one.
My guide when choosing a spinning real is 1) how many ball bearings?(I won't buy anything with less than 5, with 7 being about top of the line now), 2) How smooth is the drag? I mean from the point where the drag is in the low ounces to hammered. Another test is to hammer the drag... then substantially loosen the drag and see if the spool catches. If so.... and finally 3) Check to see what the winder travel is to engage and bring the bail down. 4) Check the back spooling, 5) How much play is in the gears when the bails down and you're moving it counter-clockwise.
It's gonna be tough to find a reel for $50 bucks that pass these tests but we have deals here on BFT all the time.
JapanRon
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