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Yes.... The Islander... another well known cork drag.... as in all things too many movable part cause problems sometimes and repairs can be difficult.... if you have a problem with the cork, and if you did not use the "minimal" maintanance... Abel and the other companies can "simply" send you another cork drag...or you send it in and they replace the cork.... I agree and most will as well that the cork is always been the smoothest and least maitanance and historically the best... if the sealed drag locks... and they do.... well... and... I do know what I am talking about. PS.. What did Fulflex mean...I would like to know!!!!!! just curious....like "where did that come from"
 
have a corroded old CFO V that sees light salt duty 6-7-8. It hasn't let me down yet. It's a timeless design, rendered ugly by corrosion, yet it still sings. I like that. I also use a Loop/Daniellsson when I'm feeling more space age.

The CFO V can be had used, cheap, because most everyone these days seems convinced that you need a strong drag on a 7 wt
 
I have the old CFO 1, 2 and 5...Clic and paul... a great reel... actually made by hardy.... a CLASSIC... one that will out lve many reels today... but can't use in it salt ... ask one of the posters if it can? after all I don't fish in salt....!!! Adrian.. I have known you for years and You do know what you are talking about.
 
i guess the point is that there are tons of great reels out there and there is probably one that you like the best. danielson doesn't have the market cornered on sealed drags. don't get me wrong, they are great reels. from a fly shop perspective especialy in the USA they are a real pain in the ass. going direct to the consumer is great for them but bad for shops. you won't find many shop folks that will talk well of them because of this. i also like to support american companies, since there are so many good ones around. one more nail in the coffin of fly shops that we all claim to love so much, but support so little.
 
This one seems to bring out some real emotional responses :)

John - As a regular fishing partner I know you've played the field as broadly as anyone but you've never tried one of these reels so you really don't have the whole picture with reliable sealed drags worthy of SW. I've played the field pretty broadly myself (albeit not as many designs you have) but I have tested this drag design extensively and can honestly say this is the only sealed drag I can stand by for SW wading and beach use based on ownership of several other designs I will not badmouth here. I do not own a Charlton.

Nick - I buy everything from flyshops, even when it costs a bit more because the wisdom is priceless. I make a concerted effort to educate people who have gear and no clue why they don't - because they bought from warehouse catalog stores instead of shops.

In fact other than a few things at craft stores like knotting needles this is the ONLY thing I do not buy from fly shops because I can't. I can't feel like I am 'nailing any coffins' here.

Also, if there is another sealed drag of this level of saltwater reliability please let me know which one and I will gladly evaluate it in the field this season and provide a truthful report.
 
Juro, reels are always in the top 5 in terms of fly shop profit. they account for a large part of the picture. have you used a nautilus ccf? have you used a bauer mz? believe me i understand that danielson is a sponsor but saying their sealed drag is the shiznit while not having used the others is a tad one sided. i will gladly provide you with a demo to put to the test. i don't fish salt water, so i would really apreciate a side by side comparison. the price thing has danielson ahead by a long nose but i don't believe their reels are any better than nautilus ccf or bauer in the sealed drag market. i have a bauer mz 7 ready to take the test anytime.
 
My go to reel is my 16 year old Tibor Everglades. With maintainence it has been superb.
Last Spring I picked up a Orvis Mach III at our local Orvis Outlet store for $130. So far I have caught Bonito, Bluefish, Stripers, Albies, king salmon & steelies on it. I like the light weight and simple design. It has been up to the task w/ good stopping power and smooth drag..... I have been very pleased.

Next I hope to use it with my 7 wt. for Eleuthera bonefish in late June. I'll have the Tibor on the 8 wt. ;)

BTW: my first reel was a Lamson .... it's 18 years old and still works fine! I've landed some pretty nice Lake Ontario salmon & steelies on it.
FWIW: Unlike my buddies Ross reels..... the Lamson has never froze up on me during winter fishing.

Hope this helps!
 
Juro... I can not disagree...you are right... I don't own a non cork reel... so I only speak from my personal likes.... I just know that the maintenance is easy and they are reliable... this is not to say that sealed drags are not.

Jim, my first reel for salt was a lamson as well.... but after a couple beers, maybe 5 years ago, I traded it to Hawkeye for his reel.... It is one of those reels that is on my mantel at CAC.... he knows why... but it was and is still a great reel.
 
Nick - I hear you brother on the uphill battle, in fact having visited your shop last fall I have to say we need to keep you open, that is one of the most fully outfitted and well stocked shops I've seen.

Here's my tale...

When another company came out with an affordable sealed drag years back I got very excited about it as did many others on this site. I bought into the dream. A season or two later we all found out the gory truth - the reel could not take saltwater use.

Another reel came out with the same promise, and I got excited about it here as did many others. We all bought into it. A season or two later, we had more expensive and reels with corrosion and functional issues in the so-called sealed drag system.

This was the experience for thousands of saltwater hardcore anglers. I understand your perspective and respect it but you got to respect this too, we already paid the price. I am a consumer who has voted into these other companies with hundreds of dollars. As much as I might care about the shop owner, and I do, I have paid and paid already.

As far as the two you named, I've owned two Bauers and a Nautilus CCF although the Bauers are not the sealed Z's. I love them.

I hope to try the Bauer MZ out this season. By the way the cork / synthetic drags on even the older Bauers is pretty sweet.

Way off topic... what was the original question on this thread? :D
 
striblue said:
Jim, my first reel for salt was a lamson as well.... but after a couple beers, maybe 5 years ago, I traded it to Hawkeye for his reel.... It is one of those reels that is on my mantel at CAC.... he knows why... but it was and is still a great reel.
John,

That reel, that trade and those good old days will always be remembered. Next time I am at the CAC I am going to take some macro shots of that reel, I'd bet in Hawkeye's hands it landed some BRUTES too. :)
 
My earlier point was a simple question actually.

I'll try to re-phrase it because I know my English can be difficult for folks to understand at times :lildevl:

When I take apart a top end cork drag reel and look inside I see something of great simplicity and elegance. I own Pate, Abel, Islander and Fin Nor. I also have a Loomis synchrotech that is almost as good. Very few moving parts and hence, not much that can go wrong. Maintenance is a breeze. Ask Lefty and he'll tell you to do nothing more than rinse them down after a hard days fishing.

I own and have taken apart a number of low-budget reels with so-called sealed drags. By the way, I don't consider Danielson a low-budget reel. It looks like a great product and I'll probably own one one day. When I take apart a budget priced reel I see so many bit and pieces it's hard to remember how to put the thing back together.

So here is my question:

How can it be cheaper to assemble a cheap 'sealed' drag than to stick a piece of cork or synthetic substitute on the frame of the reel? And, why seal up the one part of the reel that is going to need some TLC? Unless of course its such a complicated assembly that once taken apart the reel is toast. :confused:
 
Simple elegance... like music. No wonder you play the guitar so well Adrian!

One point - the reason I have been seeking the holy grail of sealed drag - one should NEVER have to open it, that's the idea behind it. Many have tried...
 
That is the thing about the loop/danielsson reels. The drag system does not have a lot of moving parts. The drag is actually pretty simple and a doof can take it apart and put it back together again. They key point being you do not ever need to take them apart.

I have been using my loops for 3 years now (I bought all mine before the split from a fly shop) and have never once cleaned them. Drag is as good as new and the reels look new as well. I have full confidence they will stop any fish I go after. These are the HD models which have a way beefier drag than the LWs.

I also own 4 nautilus reels and they have held up so far. I need to send them in to get the updated drag system but I feel they are another great reel in the sealed drag arena.

I also love classic simple elegance. For me though that is the old hardy perfects.

It all comes down to I am a lazy mutha and do not want to do any maintenance on my reel. No question that abels and tibors are obivously kick ass reels but are not maintenance free so not for me.

And the loop/danielsson reels just look cooler :lildevl:

-sean
 
Sean... no disagreement...but does this look cool?:... Caribean Camo... slip it under running water and good for the next outing. :wink: "Ps. Just kidding around pal".... (and... paid $400 on e-bay... from a $850 retail price...so...I paid $100 more than the other reels in the $300 range... and NO sales tax)... my only point on my earlier post was...be sure to check e-bay for good deals... this is not to say that I do not support our fly shops... but many fly shops are trying to unload these way over priced reels on e-bay... plug in the words on e-bay and see for yourselves. Just consider it... that's all...
 

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Salmo.... This is always an issue... but you still have to rerig your rod.... Personanlly, I think this "high speed" change is meaningless.... It's a marketing thing... what you want is the best drag on the market........So.... turning off a little screw.... and hoping not to drop in the water... you adjust......
 
what you want is the best drag on the market

And that is the reason I use only Danielsson reels.
Never have to worry about dirt on the cork. The drag is super smooth and essentially indestructible. The reel construction is simple and is build with typical Swedish precision.
You have to see a drag on HD reel which landed many hundreds of tarpons, atlantics or Kings.
Looks like a new!!!
As far as changing the spool.

“So.... turning off a little screw.... and hoping not to drop in the water... you adjust......”

That’s what we call marketing!!!.

Have you ever been in total wilderness for many weeks….?
Try to loose the screw…..

When fishing non stops for long time, it is so easy to get excited and no been careful when changing the spool (screw).

I think if I can get outstanding reels which use to cost $ 550-750 for now $ 295-425 why buy more expensive ( still very good, ) which requires more maintenance?

Salmo
 
changing a spool is easy just remove one screw and take it apart. now ask yourself how many times you need to change your spool while fishing? i bet its little or none. BTW when i go on a trip i bring extra reels not spools
 
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