Re: Baitcaster Reel for Rivers, Shimano or Daiwa
I dunno, I would categorize my old swedish abu as a clunker, albeit reliable but still a clunker, not nearly as refined and smooth as other newer offerings (I was still rightly pissed when it was stolen lol )....my modern production abu 7000 had worm gear/pawl failure that mike's reel repair upgraded to their ceramic pawl, which has since been reliable....drag also became sticky pretty quickly and I replaced with carbon washers....still good reels, but they are what they are, work horses, not the same class as calcuatta's or lexa's imo
grew up a diehard shimano fan, but past few years I've grown to like my newer diawa stuff...tatula and BG spinning reels, and couple lexa's
my lexa really hasn't been put to the test yet, had some fun on the kitimat but not a ton of abuse yet....guys back home in ONare using the 400 HD and burning double 10's with good reports....I personally think river fishing is pretty easy on reels, they only get tested when you hookup....but chucking and retrieving musky lures all day will really work them, and both the tranx and lexa are getting good reports there, so I don't think you would go wrong with either
back to the original question, I noticed the daiwa drive gears tend to be oversized for the model, on my reels when I lube them up, perhaps to make up for cast vs forged? if you aren't familiar with Alan Hawk's reviews yet, I would check to see if he has done a review, very thorough and usually does new reels pretty quickly
Unfortunately, the rifles are getting lighter because we are getting heavier and more unfit as a society. This is the key to the mainstream acceptance of the short magnums. - Nathan Foster