Baitcaster

[gotmuddy]

I have 4 johnny morris signature series reels from BPS and IMO they cannot be beat for the money. 10 ball bearings, excellent magnetic drag and a very good feel. I have three different speeds: 5.4:1, 6.3:1, and 7.1:1. Just bought the 5.4:1 sunday for a jigging reel. $130 with tax.

[N Wolf]

Hi Trevor, As for the BPS reels, you can do alot better for the same money. I use pinicle reels that I buy from wal.... I have twelve of them and have not had a failure yet. I will say that I do regular maintenance on all of my reels so I have no idea how they will work if you dont. I also have three BPS reels and they all have the same problem. The anti reverse sticks causing the reel to backspin on the hookset. If you take the one way bearing apart and clean it with WD-40 then alcohol and re-lube with 3 in 1 oil they do much better. In their defence, all manufactures use grease that is to thick to work when its cold but a cheaply made 4 bearing BPS still costs more than a very well made 9 bearing pinicle. If you will be at mozingo this weekend you are more than welcome to give one a try. There are better reels, but not anywhere close to this price.

[Trevor K]

Hi Trevor, As for the BPS reels, you can do alot better for the same money. I use pinicle reels that I buy from wal.... I have twelve of them and have not had a failure yet. I will say that I do regular maintenance on all of my reels so I have no idea how they will work if you dont. I also have three BPS reels and they all have the same problem. The anti reverse sticks causing the reel to backspin on the hookset. If you take the one way bearing apart and clean it with WD-40 then alcohol and re-lube with 3 in 1 oil they do much better. In their defence, all manufactures use grease that is to thick to work when its cold but a cheaply made 4 bearing BPS still costs more than a very well made 9 bearing pinicle. If you will be at mozingo this weekend you are more than welcome to give one a try. There are better reels, but not anywhere close to this price.

I think I have one of those same pinacle reels. I don't have a single negative thing to say about mine either. I won't be able to make it to Mozingo this weekend. Stuck up in the land of corn (Iowa). Good luck in your tournament though!

Thanks everyone for all the input and advice. Now I just have to hurry up and make a decision. It sucks when you start shopping around for stuff like this, because it just makes you realize how much stuff you want to buy. haha

[gotmuddy]

which bps reels are you talking about? I caught a 8lb bass on the first one I bought(which was used) and it handled that bass just fine.

[Wayne SW/MO]

The anti reverse sticks causing the reel to backspin on the hookset. If you take the one way bearing apart and clean it with WD-40 then alcohol and re-lube with 3 in 1 oil they do much better.

You can't use grease on an anti reverse bearing. You're right that a thin oil like 3 in 1 is all that's needed.

[hawghunter24]

Hi Trevor, As for the BPS reels, you can do alot better for the same money. I use pinicle reels that I buy from wal.... I have twelve of them and have not had a failure yet. I will say that I do regular maintenance on all of my reels so I have no idea how they will work if you dont. I also have three BPS reels and they all have the same problem. The anti reverse sticks causing the reel to backspin on the hookset. If you take the one way bearing apart and clean it with WD-40 then alcohol and re-lube with 3 in 1 oil they do much better. In their defence, all manufactures use grease that is to thick to work when its cold but a cheaply made 4 bearing BPS still costs more than a very well made 9 bearing pinicle. If you will be at mozingo this weekend you are more than welcome to give one a try. There are better reels, but not anywhere close to this price.

Does the handle spin backwards too? And how much backspin are you talking?

[N Wolf]

Yes the handle spins backwards too. And Im not saying that you cant catch fish on it, two of my biggest fish this year were caught on one of mine. Im just saying that the anti reverse is poorly made and has to heave of lube. If you take it apart you will see that there is a plastic bearing seperator between the inner and outer race. That plastic peice is the part that is the biggest problem, it has alot of burs in it. You can take the time to clean them up but removing the grease does a pretty good job of it. To be more specific Im refering to the BPS reels with the "Power lock" instant anti reverse. It comes on their low to mid grade reels.

[gotmuddy]

To be more specific Im refering to the BPS reels with the "Power lock" instant anti reverse. It comes on their low to mid grade reels.

I dont believe the johnny morris reels fall under that category.

[Wayne SW/MO]

The problem with bearings ar two fold, one you never know what quality you're getting in cheaper reels. I can almost guarantee that a reel with a lot of bearings and and a low cost is not going to be filled with quality bearings. The other is that a lot of bearings create more of an illusion than fact. There are only a few that really matter. The spool bearings can promote better casting, and bearings on both ends of the level wind shaft can also help. The anti reverse avoids the take up of slack in a mechanical anti reverse, which also requires more parts and makes the roller bearing cheaper. The rest of the bearings are more show then practical, they can make the reel a little smoother, but they also provide more opportunity for foreign matter to enter and more surface area to be effected. Good design, close machine work and quality bushings will trump a bunch of cheap bearings any day.

[Kelroy]

Just to throw in my $.02- check out an Abu Garcia Orra SX or Revo S. I've got ten Black Max, two Silver Max, an STX-L, two SX-L, three S-L, BC5601, 5601C4, Kalex 51, and a Revo Skeet. Of the whole bunch, the Revo S gives the most bang for the buck, wish I had discovered them first! It doesn't have adjustable magnets, but has a really nice centrifugal brake. The Orra is nearly the same thing, but I haven't tried one personally as it is one of two models they don't make in a left-hand version.

For a round reel, the Kalex is hard to beat for around $80.