okuma reels again!

[Phil Hackett 2]

I’ve written before about Okuma reels and praised them for quality and value for money.
So I’m going to do it again, and no I have no connection with them.

On the strength of the two interceptors I purchased back at the start of the season I decided to go for a pair of the top of the range Epix Bait Feeder 40. In fact I got the very top of the new range, the Epix Bait Feeder 40 Pro., which cost 59.99.

These reels are top-notch quality, 10 bearings, three spools, one polished aluminium and two graphite with a polished gold aluminium lip. Even these spools don’t cheapen the look of the reels. They come with two handles, one single polished aluminium and the other a double black graphite.
The body of the reel(s) are finished in a black colour with silver chrome and gold trim. The gear ratio is 5-1 and the clutch and bait feeder runs very smoothly with no snagging or jerkiness.
The reels are very smooth in the winding with the usual brass pinion and die-cast aluminium gears wheels that you find in all top quality reels, including Shimano.
The line lay is excellent and I can’t fault it at all.
All in all I personally think they are one of the best reels on the market at the asking price.

Interestingly, the assistant in Trafford Angling told me that he’d sold his Shimano 8000 and bought the 60 Epix Pros to replace them, as he thought they were a better reel all together.

Two further points I'd make are that the spools from the 40 Pros also fit the 40 interceptors I’ve got. The Pro spools have three bearings in them to give them the very smooth clutch that they have. This fact now gives me the facility to make the interceptor clutch even smoother than they were, if I so wish and they were smooth before.

Secondly, the handles are also interchangeable with the interceptors as well, giving me the facility to have a single handle on them, again if I so wish. Interceptors are double handled BTW.

I think it will be sometime before I post again on reels!

 

[Robert Woods 1]

Phil,
I've got a pair of Okuma Interceptor 40 reels and sold my old Michell 410's on the strength of your reviews. Is it any advantage of having a single reel handle. I like the Nexeve Barbel Power rod handles the trees well...!!! I feel like a born again tackle tart.

 

[Hutch]

Phil
I bought an Okuma Undertaker 40 baitrunner version from NW angling centre and could find hardly any difference between that and the Interceptor (Incidently i am very pleased with its performance) do you know what the difference is between them?

 

[Doug Butler]

I have a Okuma Interceptor 50 which I use with the feeder and 12lb brade it is a great reel and I would recomend it for all types of fishing.I have just bought the Okuma Epix 60 from the NEC show yesterday carn,t wait to try it out.

 

[Phil Hackett 2]

Robert
How do you find the interceptors? I hope you find them as good at the 410’s. I’m not sure I’d have sold them though, if I had them. I’ve repaired/serviced many 300/410’s over the years for mates, probably more 410’s than 300’s.

I like Michells of this period, sound like coffee grinders but with a good service every 12 months they will and have stood the test of time. One mate has had a pair of 300s for over 30 years and they are mint mechanically still! A bit battered paintwork wise, but so was I at thirty, even worse at 51 :0) My mate now stalks car boots sales for 300s for parts, for his pair.

I digress, back to your question, Single handles, I’m not sure there is any advantage to single handles over doubles. Read something about some anglers preferred them to doubles for distance work and cranking. That it in a nutshell I think, ‘personal preference.’ I like the doubles, but must admit they took some time to get use to them.

What I can say is that doubles give more balance to the reel, hence why a lot of reels now come with the counterweight on a single handle these days. This is true with interceptors because I messed about with the single handles off the pros on them, and there was a distinct wobble of the reel when it was held in the hand and I spun the handle vigorously. With the double handle I don’t get that wobble.

Hutch
I think the only difference is in bearing numbers. The interceptors have 1 more (3), I think, than the Undertakers. Having never had an Undertaker stripped down I can’t say for certain.
Now this might come a surprise to some but the first thing I do when I buy a new make of reel is strip it down……. What?
Are you mad?
Well possibly yes!
And somewhere I have certificate to prove it!

As you will have gathered, I have a very inquiring mind and I want answers to the how things are made, and how tackle manufactures cut costs or don’t as the case may be, particularly with reels.

It helps if your going to do things like this, that you have a very mechanically thinking brain (and I do), particularly when it come to reassembly.
IF YOU AIN’T, DON’T DO AS I DO, PERIOD!

The upshot of this is that, I have seen most of the components of many models of reels and as a general comment, modern reels do not have as robust components as older ones. Many parts having been (in my view) downgraded with inferior metals or composites of carbon or plastics. One advance that I think was correct in this field was to move to carbon fibre bodies for reels. Again in my view, carbon bodies are better than the old die-cast aluminium bodies we had, as they stand more bashing about. On two occasions in the past, I dropped reels onto a towpath and broke the reel seat foot. Carbon bodies seem to be better at resisting this clumsy abuse. Either that or I’ve become more careful through my early experiences as I’ve got older.

One final point on Okuma reels and that is, the bodies on the 40, 50, 60s are all the same size, it’s the heads that are different. The upper price range reels have more bearings and better quality metals as far as I can tell. It strikes me that they developed a standard format for these reels using many of the same parts internally, but as I’ve said, better quality materials on the top end reels. This in modern manufacturing is not unusual, as it keeps tooling and production costs down.

Having said the above, they do produce very good reels at sensible prices and they come with a 5 year warranty.

 

[Robert Woods 1]

Phil,
I like them but don't know how they handle a fish yet.I sold my reels because I have too much tackle laying around and I wanted the versitility of a bait runner.Go my first around 1969 nearly as old as my young lady...!!!

Bob.

 

[Phil Hackett 2]

One slight correction to my first post on these reels. I wrote “The gear ratio is 5-1….. In fact its 4.5. Sorry about the mistake, couldn’t see the writing on the spool without my reading glasses.

It’s a bugger you know when you start getting old, things start to wearing out and your nasal hair for some unexplained reasons want to become a beard. :0=) Your trousers also, again, for some unexplained reason, start to travel up your chest towards you neck. Have you noticed how many 80 years old men, well I think they’re men, but I’m not sure, as all you see are a pair of trousers with a flat cap stuck on top walking about these days.

 

[Phil Hackett 2]

P.S. you also write like this, “start getting old, things start to wearing out,” which makes no sense at all. So I’ll put it right….. “things start to wear out” or “things start wearing out,”
Oh and BTW, I should have an appointment for a fitting for the incontinence pants through by the start of next year :0) :0) :0)

 

[john conway]

Phil, I’ve made my mind up to buy the Okuma Epix Bait Feeder 50 Pro for ?59.99 instead of my usual trip down to Go Fishing @ the NEC. I was going to buy another Shimano bait runner but I like the look of the Okuma and you also rate them highly.

 

[Phil Hackett 2]

Oh no, you'll see me on Sat and if you’ve bought one by then and you don’t like it, I fear for my personal safety.

Best if you put it off until you’ve seen and had a play with one of my news ones on Sat.
Few! Got out of that possible personal damage nicely.

 

[Doug Butler]

John I brought my Okuma Epix bait runner 60 for ?39.99 at the NEC on Saturday from WMAC,used it today it was just great had 3 nice carp on it as I say great just grate.

Doug.

 

[Phil Hackett 2]

Reels work OK had 3 barbel and a chub on them last night. Always a good omen when you catch first time out with some new kit.

 

[A Wayne]

I bought an Amazonium BF30 from NWAC but haven't been able to use it yet. However the line lay is perfect and it's the most beautiful reel I've seen for a while in my opinion.

 

[kevin brooks]

I bought a pair of the longbow bait runners a couple of years ago, and to be honest i think the free-spool adjustment is better than on the 10,000xte`s i relaced them with,
good value for money and well made, i now use them on my marker and spod rod`s and they are well up to the job of lobbing a loaded spod out and cranking it back in for (what seems like )hours on end.

 

[Les Clark]

Kevin,longbow bait runner`s? Okuma? who makes them? cheer`s.

 

[Les Clark]

Kevin, found them on the wedb at swifty`s, good price,good reel,but i must admit the ep 50 `s look the d/b`s.

 

[jason fisher]

les i've got an eb50 that i bought late on last year to start with i slagged it off a bit but now all but one of the problems i've had with it have cleared up as i've worn it in.
the only problem left is a design fault, the bail arm has a sharp bend in it as it enters the roller, and when i reel right in while lure fishing so that the swivel hits the tip eye the braid gets stuck behind this bend even with the bail arm open.

 

[kevin brooks]

Les , okuma make two different types of the longbow one has the normal brass gears but the other actually has stainless steel this is very noticable when you spin the handle as the stainless gears seem to rumble slightly but this is more of a sensation felt through the handle as opposed to an audible noise.
they were sold as the Okuma longbow LB50 , and come with a quality aluminium spool and a cheaper looking graphite one which doesn`t do the reel any favors in the looks dept, what did surprise and please me was the fact that the reels come with two spare side-plate gaskets that were actually made of good quality rubber.

 

[dan brambley]

Shimano R.I.P. asap IMHO lol

Bought myself an interceptor IBF40 (NOT the apparently 'upgraded' PRO model which in my opinion is drastically inferior) as a tide-me-over reel .. and fell in love with a ?30 cheapo'

i tried everywhere to get another one but it seems i bought the last remaining one in existance

Next reel i bought was an okuma EPIX BF, simply a delight to use

and all this after 500 recommendations from experts to 'only buy shimano or daiwa'

imho, only a complete twonk would now buy a Shitmano

just my 2c
all the shimanos and daiwas i tried where extremely rough to use, winding them was like grinding your teeth together, overly heavy

 

[Ian Gemson]

If you ever get a chance have a look behind the counter at the local tackle shop you will be stunned by all theDead Okuma reels they have got.

My local freindly shop has got a pile nearly two foot high of dead and dieing Okumas, I have had my fair share or Okuma reel both Free spool and big pit stylesome with over 13 gearings !. But all of them never seem to last the course they all tend to get tired and dog eared and often fail dismally despite the best of care.

For me its always a policy of if you rely on your tackle to perform in all conditions all the time buyquaility and pay a little more . Dont buy cheap becuase in the long run you will buy twice. Ther are only two reel manufacturers in the world worth considering One is Shimano and the other is Diawa