Met. MGL Micro Module Smoothness?

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

I felt mine was ever so slightly gritty but not geary.
Maybe it's the same thing on different ends of the scale.

That is an accurate description. Beats me why they don't use brass for the gears.

My Chronarch CI4 has a very geary feel to it. I sent it to a "reel tech" and wanted/asked for new gears but he didnt just cleaned lubed it but that didnt help still geary feel and noisy and a bit tight worse shape than when I sent it to him, pretty much dont use it anymore. This was in my mind when I bought the Chronarch MGL so when it started making noise I returned it promtly.

[mark poulson]

I felt mine was ever so slightly gritty but not geary.
Maybe it's the same thing on different ends of the scale.

That is an accurate description. Beats me why they don't use brass for the gears.

Are aluminum gears cheaper to manufacture than brass?

[DirtyD64]

I felt mine was ever so slightly gritty but not geary.
Maybe it's the same thing on different ends of the scale.

That is an accurate description. Beats me why they don't use brass for the gears.

Are aluminum gears cheaper to manufacture than brass?

Not sure, I know the higher end "duralumin" material some companies use for gears is a more expensive material though. I think there are different grades of it too though. I would also assume because aluminum is lighter it should be easier to machine, but might be harder to get perfect tolerances out of (making the reel smooth or rough). As opposed to the harder brass, which might be harder to machine, but better stays set at the desired tolerances once they are achieved.

[mark poulson]

I felt mine was ever so slightly gritty but not geary.
Maybe it's the same thing on different ends of the scale.

That is an accurate description. Beats me why they don't use brass for the gears.

Are aluminum gears cheaper to manufacture than brass?

Not sure, I know the higher end "duralumin" material some companies use for gears is a more expensive material though. I think there are different grades of it too though. I would also assume because aluminum is lighter it should be easier to machine, but might be harder to get perfect tolerances out of (making the reel smooth or rough). As opposed to the harder brass, which might be harder to machine, but better stays set at the desired tolerances once they are achieved.

I wonder if brass is harder than aluminum, or more wear resistant, at least in gears.
Maybe that's why almost all reels use brass pinion gears. They must hold up better than aluminum pinion gears.
I have a couple of older baitcasters which seem to have both main and pinion gears out of a different metal altogether, possibly stainless.

[Markanthony404]

I felt mine was ever so slightly gritty but not geary.
Maybe it's the same thing on different ends of the scale.

That is an accurate description. Beats me why they don't use brass for the gears.

Everyone is obsessed with the weight of the reel, aluminum is lighter and just a few ounces can be a deal breaker for potential buyers.

[Markanthony404]

I wonder if brass is harder than aluminum, or more wear resistant, at least in gears.
Maybe that's why almost all reels use brass pinion gears. They must hold up better than aluminum pinion gears.
I have a couple of older baitcasters which seem to have both main and pinion gears out of a different metal altogether, possibly stainless.

Brass is softer than aluminium but it has more tensile strength. Aluminum is usually more expensive, its also harder and more brittle. Its much easier to chip the teeth of aluminum gears. I have seen this from reels being dropped or from general abuse.

[DirtyD64]

I wonder if brass is harder than aluminum, or more wear resistant, at least in gears.
Maybe that's why almost all reels use brass pinion gears. They must hold up better than aluminum pinion gears.
I have a couple of older baitcasters which seem to have both main and pinion gears out of a different metal altogether, possibly stainless.

Brass is softer than aluminium but it has more tensile strength. Aluminum is usually more expensive, its also harder and more brittle. Its much easier to chip the teeth of aluminum gears. I have seen this from reels being dropped or from general abuse.

I wish they had like a skeletal style stainless gear, like an old train wheel. I would gladly take a few more ounces to have a nearly indestructible gear. I am sadly experiencing aluminum gear issues now... 2 Revo spinning reels, and my SS/SV.

[Markanthony404]

I wish they had like a skeletal style stainless gear, like an old train wheel. I would gladly take a few more ounces to have a nearly indestructible gear. I am sadly experiencing aluminum gear issues now... 2 Revo spinning reels, and my SS/SV.

Stainless steel lasts too long, company's want us to buy new reels every few years.

[Jeffbro999]

My gears felt rough in a '13 Met, swapped them out still rough. Did another full cleaning(no parts swapped out) and something worked with that one and it's been super smooth ever since. I don't know what the cause was, but it is possible to smooth them out. I really don't think it has anything to do with the gears, since my friends Met MGL main gear was corroded pretty badly, yet the reel was still smooth.

[DirtyD64]

My gears felt rough in a '13 Met, swapped them out still rough. Did another full cleaning(no parts swapped out) and something worked with that one and it's been super smooth ever since. I don't know what the cause was, but it is possible to smooth them out. I really don't think it has anything to do with the gears, since my friends Met MGL main gear was corroded pretty badly, yet the reel was still smooth.

Bearings are the only other suspect I could accuse... Maybe a batch of side plates had a tolerance fail? Just happens sometimes. I know most of my new Daiwa's have a slightly loose thumb bar, newest one is solid as can be, strange. I have been recently bragging on a Chronarch MGL I felt at Academy, not a single lever, button, or knob was even microscopically loose. Very tight sleek feeling reel, and I figure the Metanium shares these traits...

[Rodster14]

So to those of you like me who were unhappy, did you sell it and go to something else? If so, what?

[illini]

One thing to take into account is these reels will make noise they all do Shimano Daiwa all of them. Its a mechanical device with gears and moving parts its never going to be silent and buttery smooth for ever. Iv been buying highend reels for a loong time and they are great out of the box but once broke in you start hear and feel things about the reel that can be bothersome cause out of the box it was smooth as butter. The micro module gearing is a different feel for sure.

[Strewth]

One thing to take into account is these reels will make noise they all do Shimano Daiwa all of them. Its a mechanical device with gears and moving parts its never going to be silent and buttery smooth for ever. Iv been buying highend reels for a loong time and they are great out of the box but once broke in you start hear and feel things about the reel that can be bothersome cause out of the box it was smooth as butter. The micro module gearing is a different feel for sure.

But the point in question here is that the MM gears are super smooth in the Conquest (even after extended use), but not so smooth in the 13 Met. The major difference seems to be that the Met has an aluminium drive gear while the Conquest has a brass drive gear. Other factors come into play, of course, such as construction tolerances and frame rigidity, but my Met gears were initially very smooth and then went rough fairly quickly. Not so the Conquest, which has landed 100s of large tropical fish. I would buy a brass gear set tomorrow for the 13 met if I could find one to fit. Don't know about the Met MGL because I don't have one.

[illini]

One thing to take into account is these reels will make noise they all do Shimano Daiwa all of them. Its a mechanical device with gears and moving parts its never going to be silent and buttery smooth for ever. Iv been buying highend reels for a loong time and they are great out of the box but once broke in you start hear and feel things about the reel that can be bothersome cause out of the box it was smooth as butter. The micro module gearing is a different feel for sure.

But the point in question here is that the MM gears are super smooth in the Conquest (even after extended use), but not so smooth in the 13 Met. The major difference seems to be that the Met has an aluminium drive gear while the Conquest has a brass drive gear. Other factors come into play, of course, such as construction tolerances and frame rigidity, but my Met gears were initially very smooth and then went rough fairly quickly. Not so the Conquest, which has landed 100s of large tropical fish. I would buy a brass gear set tomorrow for the 13 met if I could find one to fit. Don't know about the Met MGL because I don't have one.

Interesting! My best guess would be the brass mesh better because its brass on brass. The Met's alloy main gear and brass pinion being different metals are not meshing well and wearing differently. My Metmgl is still pretty new i just put a bearing the levelwind and that made a noticeable difference in the rotation of the reel. One thing i did notice was the gears were dry i dont think the grease sticks to the alloy like it does the brass. Same thing with the Aldebaran bone dry!

[mark poulson]

One thing to take into account is these reels will make noise they all do Shimano Daiwa all of them. Its a mechanical device with gears and moving parts its never going to be silent and buttery smooth for ever. Iv been buying highend reels for a loong time and they are great out of the box but once broke in you start hear and feel things about the reel that can be bothersome cause out of the box it was smooth as butter. The micro module gearing is a different feel for sure.

But the point in question here is that the MM gears are super smooth in the Conquest (even after extended use), but not so smooth in the 13 Met. The major difference seems to be that the Met has an aluminium drive gear while the Conquest has a brass drive gear. Other factors come into play, of course, such as construction tolerances and frame rigidity, but my Met gears were initially very smooth and then went rough fairly quickly. Not so the Conquest, which has landed 100s of large tropical fish. I would buy a brass gear set tomorrow for the 13 met if I could find one to fit. Don't know about the Met MGL because I don't have one.

Interesting! My best guess would be the brass mesh better because its brass on brass. The Met's alloy main gear and brass pinion being different metals are not meshing well and wearing differently. My Metmgl is still pretty new i just put a bearing the levelwind and that made a noticeable difference in the rotation of the reel. One thing i did notice was the gears were dry i dont think the grease sticks to the alloy like it does the brass. Same thing with the Aldebaran bone dry!

Does that make the argument for using some kind of a gear grease that bonds with the metal, like Hot Sauce, on aluminum gears?