Ball bearing race for centerpin reel

[tigger]

I would imagine its to try to improve the performance of the reel although I wouldn't want one that was even more free running than the bearing reel I already have as it requires very little inertia to start it revolving as it is.

If i'm honest I don't think it's possible to make any noticeable improvement on mine, they're all super slick runners and rotate with very little inhetria.

I never have been able to understand why people will buy a cortessi reel for 30 notes when you can pick up a mint okuma aventa pro for 50 notes....mg:

 

[sam vimes]

Advice on how to treat bearings varies hugely depending on who you ask. After buying a couple of bearing reels where the manufacturer stated categorically that no oil of any kind should be used and their quality bearings should be run dry. I've done just that. Prior to that, I had used a light oil on other reels when it seemed necessary.

I've since cleaned out every bearing reel the best I can. I use IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol), rather than lighter fluid, in the belief that it leaves less residue. My experience is that the lower quality bearings benefit from a little oil more than the better quality. Oil is a mixed blessing anyway, because sooner or later it just attracts small particles of crud. Occasionally you'll encounter genuinely sealed bearings. With these you are wasting your time doing anything much with them beyond keeping them clean and free of corrosion.

 

[Philip]

I'm curious to know what other people are doing with their reels so as to need to repace them?

The reason is because there is this idea put out there that as the reel ony costs £30 the bearings must be naff & therefore changing them to "better" bearings will make the reel better. The fact the reel already runs perfectly seems to be overlooked.

As you correctly mentioned the reason I am changing mine was not to try and "improve" the reel..it was to "fix" the reel as I knackerd it dropping it in the sea

I never have been able to understand why people will buy a cortessi reel for 30 notes when you can pick up a mint okuma aventa pro for 50 notes....

How is it better ? I would pay 20 quid more if there was a good reason to do it...

 

[maggot_dangler]

Be warned you get what yoo pay for with ball races .
Those are exactly the same bearings in the Advanta pins as well i have 3 of them but there are cheap bearings yea they work then there are the better quality bearings and the difference is very noticeable .
If you are prepared to play with the preload on them a bit you can get an easy 2 mins spin time ..

I used a company called Simply Bearings Ltd their number was 618/7-2Z-MB 7x14x5 mm at £2.63 each but worth it for me ...

PG ...

 

[Philip]

Be warned you get what yoo pay for with ball races .
Those are exactly the same bearings in the Advanta pins as well i have 3 of them but there are cheap bearings yea they work then there are the better quality bearings and the difference is very noticeable .
If you are prepared to play with the preload on them a bit you can get an easy 2 mins spin time ..

Sorry not sure what you mean...that the bearings in an Advanta are the same as in a Cortesi ?

I love reels that spin for ages ..its hypnotic ! ...however i think its probably start up inertia thats a bit more important...

 

[tigger]

How is it better ? I would pay 20 quid more if there was a good reason to do it...

Put one next to the other, pick them up and handle them, you wouldn't even need to use one to see and feel the difference in quality etc. That would be good reason to pay the extra 20 nicker.....for me at least.

Before you get all protective of a cheapo reel don't bother, you won't convince anyone with half a brain cell that they're anything other than that. If your happy with it then fair play to you, I know I wouldn't be happy with one.
Regarding spin times I have reels that will spin for up to 5 min's...so what?
I think my CL reels spin for less than half that time but they start up with the slightest puff of air.

 

[Philip]

A cheapo reel that i'd wager has got more people into centerpin fishing and trotting a float than all of your extortionately priced bush pins put together.

Yes you get what you pay for but your not getting a "bad" reel with a Marco Cortesi...your getting something that actually does a pretty good job and at a price that opens it up to the masses.

Cant be a bad thing can it ?

 

[maggot_dangler]

Sorry not sure what you mean...that the bearings in an Advanta are the same as in a Cortesi ?

I love reels that spin for ages ..its hypnotic ! ...however i think its probably start up inertia thats a bit more important...

Nail on the head bingo ..

PG ...

 

[tigger]

A cheapo reel that i'd wager has got more people into centerpin fishing and trotting a float than all of your extortionately priced bush pins put together.

No idea about that. I'm not interested in how many people are into centrepin reel use. I like using them and that's all that matters to me.
As far as I can remember the majority of people I have heard talk about the cortessi have been complaining about it's build quality so maybe in reality it put more people off using a pin than what it encouraged to use one?....but who cares anyhow?

 

[Philip]

As far as I can remember the majority of people I have heard talk about the cortessi have been complaining about it's build quality so maybe in reality it put more people off using a pin than what it encouraged to use one?

I very much doubt that and I would say the growing interest in pins was probably down to a combination of a Passion for Angling seris and the price of pins dropping. If the early cheap pins such as the Cortesi had been so bad then it would have killed the interest in the bud but it didnt and pins appears to be even more popular than ever now.

Yes I have heard some stories about people getting a duff Marco Cortesi...I also hear allot of positives things said about them too.

I hear ALLOT of bad stories about Acolytes...and they are not cheap. Point being that you can always get a duff unit of anything from time to time.

I have 2 Marco Cortesi's...I stress both are MK1s ...i have not handled the later MK2s ...

Both seem solid enough to me ...now I have also opened one up to replace the bearing (knackered by my own stupidity & not the reels fault) I am even more impressed by the build quality, yes its a bit heavy but keep in mind its £30...not £300

All I can say is what I see ...bad finish on the exterior ? ...nope ! ...flakey bit of paint or metal ? ...nope !...screws or springs falling off or breaking ? ...nope !...wonkey spinning or wobbling about after a couple of trips ? ...nope !

And belive me I dont treat mine like a small pet as others appear to treat their pins...mine are tools that i use not ornements I admire.

Have you handled a MC MK1 Ian ? ...yes of course you can get a duff one but what exactly should I be looking for that demonstrates the bad build quality ? ...And really I am not trying to be facetious ...I am genuinly interested.

 

[tigger]

Yes, i've handled them Philip. Infact Alan Roe uses them to demonstrate wallise casting. He used to use okuma avents but after one scrote dropped one onto some rocks and damaged it he deciided to use some cheap reels that he wasn't too bothered about. He uses the cortessi and the TFG and as he says the TFG is a much better reel. Alan does a talk after his practical demos and passses the reels around for anyone interested to look at.

One obvious sign of build quality which has got to be easy enough for anyone to see is the tolerance between the drum and the backplate.
The overall build of the reel, the way it's put together, the design etc etc.
Actually the old TFG reel was imo a better made version of the cortessi, remember it?....it had black handles. They do rarely come up for sale nowadays on ebay and they bring better money than the cortessi.
Philip, as i've already said if your happy with the cortessi then good luck to you.
Mhave you ever used a higher end cp reel?

 

[Philip]

Yes, i've handled them Philip. Infact Alan Roe uses them to demonstrate wallise casting. He used to use okuma avents but after one scrote dropped one onto some rocks and damaged it he deciided to use some cheap reels that he wasn't too bothered about. He uses the cortessi and the TFG and as he says the TFG is a much better reel. Alan does a talk after his practical demos and passses the reels around for anyone interested to look at.

One obvious sign of build quality which has got to be easy enough for anyone to see is the tolerance between the drum and the backplate.
The overall build of the reel, the way it's put together, the design etc etc.
Actually the old TFG reel was imo a better made version of the cortessi, remember it?....it had black handles. They do rarely come up for sale nowadays on ebay and they bring better money than the cortessi.
Philip, as i've already said if your happy with the cortessi then good luck to you.
Mhave you ever used a higher end cp reel?

Ok thats fair enough. Its funny you mention the TFG reel ...I recently purchased a Centerpin for someone, a very experienced angler but had never used a pin so I wanted them to have one as I know it opened up new avenues for me in my fishing. ...I actually looked for a TFG as I heard good things about it but I couldnt find one new.

The tolerance to the back plate ...what exactly do you mean ..that the reel will rub the backplate ?

No I have not used a high end CP ...but I am interested to try to see if the difference justifies the price in my eyes. One things for sure...I would probably enjoy fishing with it less for the simple reason that i would be forever worried about every spec of mud that got near it ...with the Cortessi I really dont worry at all ...hence why it got a good salt water dunking.

 

[tigger]

Ok thats fair enough. Its funny you mention the TFG reel ...I recently purchased a Centerpin for someone, a very experienced angler but had never used a pin so I wanted them to have one as I know it opened up new avenues for me in my fishing. ...I actually looked for a TFG as I heard good things about it but I couldnt find one new.

The tolerance to the back plate ...what exactly do you mean ..that the reel will rub the backplate ?

No I have not used a high end CP ...but I am interested to try to see if the difference justifies the price in my eyes. One things for sure...I would probably enjoy fishing with it less for the simple reason that i would be forever worried about every spec of mud that got near it ...with the Cortessi I really dont worry at all ...hence why it got a good salt water dunking.

The best way I can explaine what tolerances are is to say....put it into google and read about it.
I would imagine the tolerances on the marco reel won't be too good.

I look after all my gear wether it was expensive or cheap, so if I had a cheap centrepin i'd still look after it just the same. The reel in my recent pics is a cheap okuma aventa pro which I paid 50 notes for a few years back. I still look after that reel just as I do one of my CL's etc and appart from a little wear of the anodising where my fingers rub it the reel is in as new condition, that's after many trips out fishing in all kinds weather conditions.

 

[john step]

Just read the above posts relating to the cheap Marco Cortisi jobby. I bought one quite some time ago and paid about £15 new at the time from Dragon.
It is sturdy and I only use it for still water close in carp just because I enjoy that. I wouldn't use it for trotting due to its weight although it does revolve freely. As it does not have an adjustable tension I put a polythene shim behind the screw to slow it down to avoid spinning off the reel tangles.

It is quite a lot heavier to feel than my Youngs pins which are for "best".

 

[tigger]

Just read the above posts relating to the cheap Marco Cortisi jobby. I bought one quite some time ago and paid about £15 new at the time from Dragon.
It is sturdy and I only use it for still water close in carp just because I enjoy that. I wouldn't use it for trotting due to its weight although it does revolve freely. As it does not have an adjustable tension I put a polythene shim behind the screw to slow it down to avoid spinning off the reel tangles.

It is quite a lot heavier to feel than my Youngs pins which are for "best".

Of course, you gott'a have your Sunday best John .