Hey Eric,
I'd like to know the real differences between bushing and bearing models...what differences the german apec bearings play over standard bearings and if the 5 or 7 is a better bearing? How you came about with the 5" version and do you think that will be the future of pins...Are you looking at any other models, i.e. A.R. Drag versions???
What do you see as the future of pin fishing on the west coast and mid west? and differences you see in producing pins for each..
Xgolfman, excellent questions! Sorry it took a few days to get back to you. we're so busy in the shop and about to get 85 reels out over the next couple weeks.
"I'd like to know the real differences between bushing and bearing models..."
Simply different horses for different courses, imo. Ball bearing reels have quicker start up, but less inertia. They require more maintenance as a well looked after bushing reel should last forever if oiled properly. I'm a bushing man myself, they're simple and quiet. But I am impressed how easily a ball bearing reel, with good bearings, turns. But there's something marvelous about a bushing reel that spins so easily without bearings and one wonders why anyone would want bearings. My dad puts alot of time into his bushing reels. Every pin is matched for size to every bushing, like down to the 0.0005, and then lapped with polishing compound.
"what differences the german apec bearings play over standard bearings"
We're learning too eh as we go along, I'm not an expert. Abec is a rating applied the tolerance, or how much gap/play there is between the balls and the bearing races. The higher the abec number, the less the gap. However, this standard does not apply to materials used or quality of bearing race, the surface the balls track in. American and Chinese made bearings, imo, have the worst bearing races and the German and Japanese have the best. This is not easy to answer carte blanche. I can take an abec-3 made in Japan and it will be better than an abe-7 made in America. The smoother the race, the better the bearing. Also lube is another factor, some bearings come with grease, some with oil, and others with light oil.
"and if the 5 or 7 is a better bearing?"
this depends on manufacture. if you were to take an abec rated bearing from one manufacture, and take their abec-3, abec-5, and abec-7, then yes, the abec-7 would certainly be better. But you can not take an abec-7 from America or China and expect it to be better than an abec-7 from Japan or Germany. The abec rating is almost useless to us for fishing reels. Country of origin and brand of manufacture is more important. I'd only look at abec ratings if I was making pneumatic dental equipment that needs 40,000 rpm. Abec rating however is important to my dad for noise levels. He hates noisy reels and the only reason he hasn't made a bearing reel until date is because of the noise. And that they don't last forever and need maintenance. But we look at higher abec ratings to simply keep the noise down. Pre-loading the bearing is very important too for noise.
"How you came about with the 5" version"
More or less, I twisted my dads arm until he got fed up with me pestering him. First, I posted a picture of his bushing 5" he made years ago on the quest forum last fall (summer?) and requests started coming in for a bearing type. To nail the coffin, I took it along to his dealers this past December. I also mentioned it to a dealer of his in Ohio and he started working my Dad too. A couple months later, just from internet chat, we had 40 private requests on the waiting list. We started out with 36, I wrecked a couple on the milling machine, a couple went down due to anodizing issues but hopefully this week we can ship 30 of them or so.
"and do you think that will be the future of pins..."
I think it will grow rapidly elsewhere in the US, especially in newer areas like on the west coast ie. North California to Washington.
"Are you looking at any other models, i.e. A.R. Drag versions???"
No way man...We're swamped as it is just trying to get the current models out. And the clicker currently being used is well liked. I'd like to make a spey reel though, with one.
"What do you see as the future of pin fishing on the west coast and mid west?"
i think the west coast of the states is going to grow. i think locally here it will grow a bit more, but i'm so terrified at the moment of what the pine beetle is doing to the trees and what will happen with shade on the streams. I dunno...hang on and see and hope for the best. And should mention, we're not too sure what or who will govern the land in 5/10/20 years from now. It might be all corporate or native owned and controlled. Might become expensive to angle...hard to predict. Enjoy it while you can, that's for sure.
"and differences you see in producing pins for each."
I'm not sure what you mean? As you know they're totally different water types between east and west and casting styles. Fortunately for my dad, the kingfisher is versatile and fairly easy for him to make into a bearing or a bushing reel. I think the Kingfisher drum is excellent for the west coast, but if I was to start from scratch and make it for the east, I'd make a shallower drum so it didn't hold the line that it currently does. And I'd put the handles a little further out from centre and put large finger holes in the drum too, ie stanton and MyKiss.
Great questions, great to take a break and hopefully have answered some of your questions.
Cheers,
Eric
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