[PBC]

I went through all my Shimano schematics and wrote down all the bearing numbers. Crossed all the numbers into sizes and came up with a total of 3 sizes used between all the reels.

That said....where are y'all getting bearings from. Bocas are expensive and Boca doesn't make them anyway they just resell. I found some threads from 3 years ago but want to get some current info.

Thanks

 

[habanerojooz]

Smoothdrag.com may have what you need.

 

[PBC]

Smoothdrag.com may have what you need.

Thanks. Looked them up and their prices for regular ABEC5 stainless are the same price if not higher for 5 bearings than a Boca complete kit with 5 bearings.

I'm looking for way cheaper that people have used with good results. But I appreciate the suggestion

 

[Starplex007]

I changed my Bocas out for speed spool. These are great. Ceramic and SS.

Spool Speed Bearings: The planets fastest fishing reel bearings

Spoolspeed.com | Bases in the USA | The planets first chemically polished, Hi-performance ceramic fishing reel specific bearings! Our bearings are 57% lighter than traditional steel bearings which allows you to cast lighter lures even farther! Shop our products today

www.spoolspeed.com

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[habanerojooz]

Thanks. Looked them up and their prices for regular ABEC5 stainless are the same price if not higher for 5 bearings than a Boca complete kit with 5 bearings.

I'm looking for way cheaper that people have used with good results. But I appreciate the suggestion

Cool. They have a good reputation so I offered them up. I normally just walk into FTU and buy the few that I need. ABEC5 stainless are my preference. I hate the sound of ceramic bearings.

 

[PBC]

Cool. They have a good reputation so I offered them up. I normally just walk into FTU and buy the few that I need. ABEC5 stainless are my preference. I hate the sound of ceramic bearings.

Yes ceramics are loud dry...not terrible with a drop of oil. I put them in my bass fishing reels years ago. Way loud on quiet lakes lol. 5's are good for me too, but I want to get like 20 or 30 total and that's a lot of money at $7 to $15 each.

Found old threads recommending sellers on ebay and I might go that route. Way cheaper and salt water is gonna eat them up anyway.

 

[Gilbert]

Acer racing abec 5 bearings on eBay. 15.99 w/ free shipping for 10. When they go bad, toss and put a new one in.

 

[ivomec]

These guys have some great bearings. I have used them to replace my reel bearings on my Curados, SF Curados and Chronarchs. Stainless steel bearings. ZR bearing. Smooth and will cast a mile!

Baitcasting Reel Spool Bearing Size Group

Spool bearing kits for SHIMANO, DAIWA, ABU baitcasting reels

www.hedgehog-studio.co.jp

 

[Jake_12]

I put the orange boca bearings in my old shimanos and it really woke them up. The cast better they when they were new and they are 15 yrs old


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[Mike in Friendswood]

Good ceramic bearings are not noisy. Cheap ceramic bearings can make noise. You get what you pay for. A random seller on Ebay is not the best answer. Boca Bearings has been around and they stand behind what they sell. If you are worried about price but want to try them, use this code at check out for 20% off your order.

BUDDY432

 

[PBC]

Well I ordered from a place that sells on ebay. They also supply bearings for RC cars and nitro engines. Since I used to race those for about 10 years, I know the stress on bearings in those applications. They also sell stainless steel bearings for fishing reels so I figured I'd give them a whirl. Ordered a total of 40 bearings ABEC 5 in the 3 sizes I needed and spent just under $70 to my door.

So at $1.75 per bearing if I replace them 3 times for 1 of a "quality" bearing I still come out ahead. Pretty sure their specs showed the same lubricant as Boca advertised with theirs. And the same stainless numbers as as other fishing parts places advertise. So time will tell...

 

[habanerojooz]

Good stuff.

If you have time, it would interesting to see you test those new bearings against a set of stock bearings that you have flushed clean and applied fresh oil.

 

[PBC]

Good stuff.

If you have time, it would interesting to see you test those new bearings against a set of stock bearings that you have flushed clean and applied fresh oil.

I don't personally like oiled bearings. They do spin way faster than greased bearings, but my experience over time is the grease does a better job of keeping moisture out. I've done the super tuning on my reels before. Polishing surfaces, no extra oil/grease than minimally needed, and degreased bearings with 1 drop of oil. It spins way to easy for my thumb control so I just end up tightening things down to make it controllable for me. That just defeats the purpose of everything I did lol.

I even put a set of Boca ceramics in one reel I did and ran them dry....my god they were noisy on a quiet lake. Drop of oil quieted them done some, but when you're on a lake and there is no other noise but your bearings, it's freaking annoying to my ears. Others it doesn't bother, but high pitch sounds I pick up good on. One reason I haven't bought a DC reel....that sound drives me nuts on a windy bay when someone is using it in the back of the boat 😂😂😂