Is the more roller bearings the better? What do you need to know to answer this question.

When they consider buying a reel, anglers can't help but notice how many bearings it provides. But the fact is that a reel with a large number of bearings is not necessarily better.

The quality of the bearings and the quality of the reels containing them is much more important than the number of bearings. For example, a $30 reel with 15 low-quality bearings may not work as well as a $500 reel with only 6 bearings.

A better bearing in a well-made reel will not corrode as quickly as a large but cheaper bearing in a cheap reel. When you catch a big fish, high-quality bearings can also achieve longer casting, easier winding and better performance.

Ben Joyce, brand manager of Penn (pennfishing.com), said: "You pick up a 15-bearing reel and it feels very good." "But after you catch a few fish, it feels like a coffee grinder. "Reiterate that the quality and location of the bearings determine how they affect the performance of the reel.

Basic knowledge of bearing has four main factors that will affect the performance of the reel: the main body of the reel, especially its composition; the gear train of the reel, Joyce said, "It can be from the basic low quality to the highest you can imagine. Quality"; the resistance of the reel; and the entire bearing system.

He pointed out that the Penn reel has an all-metal body, 41 stainless steel bearing system and brass gears. "When you mix all these components together, if you have precise tolerances, you don't need a lot of bearings; you just need to use high-quality bearings in the right place."

When talking about spinning reels, Joyce cited four key bearing positions: two supporting main gears, two supporting pinions, "basically there is one at each end of the gear. They come together, and this is The reason for rotating the entire top of the rotor and providing you with a good-feeling reel that is fully supported when fighting fish."

He added that some reels use bushings, which are round and can provide support like bearings, but there are no ball bearings inside. "Bearings are more suitable for high-torque fish," Joyce explained. "When you put pressure on the reel while fighting a fish, when you turn the handle, there will be a lot of metal-to-metal components in contact with each other. Bearings help them slide smoothly against each other and provide better performance than bushings. "

As an additional feature, some reels have bearings in the handles, wire rollers in the rotating reels, and horizontal winding mechanisms in traditional reels.

The design of the reel bearing and the material used to make the balls also affect performance. The three main types of fishing reel bearings are open, shielded and sealed. The ball is exposed in the open bearing, so the friction is smaller and the rotation speed is faster. But they are more susceptible to corrosion by salt water and sand. Shielded bearings usually have a metal shield to cover the bearing and are more resistant to the effects of salt water and sand. Sealed bearings have rubber seals to provide maximum protection.

High-quality reels usually use stainless steel ball bearings. Inexpensive reels may use chrome steel balls, which are harder than stainless steel but are more prone to corrosion.

Boca Bearings (bocabearings.com) produces two ceramic hybrid bearings for fishing reels, which are sold directly to the public and fishing tackle shops. The ceramic orange seal and the ceramic metal shield are equipped with ceramic balls in the stainless steel cage. The balls are fixed in the stainless steel ring of the bearing, which is called the seat ring.

"Ceramic hybrid bearings have some obvious advantages," said Corio Liver, South Florida's marketing director, who said the company was the first company to sell ceramic hybrid bearings to the fishing reel community. "First, the ceramic ball does not corrode. Second, the ceramic blend does not require lubrication. Oil or grease is designed to extend the life of the bearing, prevent corrosion and prevent particles from entering, but it will increase friction. When the ball is in oil or grease, They require more effort to move. Third, ceramic hybrid materials can achieve higher speeds than stainless steel."

Tests on bait-throwing reels and new bait-throwers that have been used for nearly 12 years found that after replacing the original bearings with orange ceramic ceramic bearings, the bait-throwing distance increased by 21.4% and 15.3% respectively.

In addition, the ceramic ball does not conduct heat, so it can better handle big fish and will not be welded to the game during battle. "In addition to corrosion, the most common failure of a bearing is micro-welding between the ball and the race," Oliver said. "They were welded together and snapped, the reel jammed or exploded."

Bearing maintenance Extending the service life of the reel bearing is only a maintenance issue. Tony DuBeck, Penn Reel Service Director, said corrosion caused by salt water is a major problem.

"This may be the primary reason for the reel to enter the repair: salt water enters the reel," DuBeck said, noting that the repair technicians at the company’s Philadelphia headquarters serve approximately 8,000 Penn reels each year and have seen the bearing corrosion so severe. "You can’t even Remove them from the pinion or main gear.

Read the next article: How to choose the right reel

"There are grease and oil in it to prevent corrosion, but over time, the grease will wear out and the oil will wear out, and this is when the salt corrodes the ball bearings. Grease the gears and the ball bearings, and then apply the grease on them. Apply a thin layer of grease, which helps to give it an extra protection.

"Grease resists salt water better and lasts longer. Oil will get better. Many people don’t like very heavy reels. If you put grease on International, most people won’t notice it. But the 4000-size scroll can feel very sluggish."

It is important to rinse the reel with fresh water after going out, but it is also important to rinse it in the right way. Use the shower or spray device on the dock or garden hose nozzle to gently dissolve the salt on the outside of the reel, and then wipe the reel with a rag or towel.

"Don't blow up the reel with a hose," DuBeck explained. "Imagine all the salt and sand on the outside of the scroll. When you explode it, it will enter. Then the only way to repair the scroll is to peel it off completely.

"Another common way to clean a reel is to immerse it in a bucket of water. You actually cause more damage because the clean water becomes salty and sandy water."

One more tip: Don’t spray WD-40 inside the reel. Dubeck says this is the worst thing you can do because it’s a solvent, not a lubricant. "It actually erodes the grease remaining in the reel. Everyone should have marine-grade grease and oil. When the handle becomes sticky or the ball bearing becomes sticky, a little bit goes a long way."

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