Spool Bearing Remover Battle

[DirtyD64]

Simple question, is the Hedgehog Studio Bearing Remover (Type R, new improved one) better for $27 or the Boca Spool Pin Pliers for $38???

It seems to me that pliers risk more damage to the spool, while the small plate with a thread seems weaker by design. Which one is best and if the Boca is better, is it $11 better???

[GOOD YEAR 71]

[ScoobyDoo]

The boca is junk.. I have it and only use it on large reels....well..mainly the tranx 500.
And even still i had to grind the hell out of it for it to fit.

The Hedgehog is precise. Meaning. It lines up easily and accurately. And the finer threads mean it pushes slowly.

The boca if the pin slips off you can damage the shaft of the spool. And it's not that difficult to do...If you are off just a hair which is easy.

The boca is just a 99 cent Chinese manufactured pair of parallel jaw pliers with a pin and 2 slots with some awfully applied heat shrink on the handles.

The hedgehog works great...used mine countless times and only recently broke a wrench. They replaced it with 2 at no charge.

It has been quite some time since i reached for the bocas to do anything. I even needed to swap bearings a few spools for a test i'm doing and I waited for the hedghogs to come. Because they aren't my reels and i wasn't going to risk a slip

[Strewth]

I use the REELSPEED pliers that I got from Smoothdrag. Hard to find these days, but a top product. Much faster than the hedgehog tool and work on all my baitcasters.

[DirtyD64]

The boca is junk.. I have it and only use it on large reels....well..mainly the tranx 500.
And even still i had to grind the hell out of it for it to fit.

The Hedgehog is precise. Meaning. It lines up easily and accurately. And the finer threads mean it pushes slowly.

The boca if the pin slips off you can damage the shaft of the spool. And it's not that difficult to do...If you are off just a hair which is easy.

The boca is just a 99 cent Chinese manufactured pair of parallel jaw pliers with a pin and 2 slots with some awfully applied heat shrink on the handles.

The hedgehog works great...used mine countless times and only recently broke a wrench. They replaced it with 2 at no charge.

It has been quite some time since i reached for the bocas to do anything. I even needed to swap bearings a few spools for a test i'm doing and I waited for the hedghogs to come. Because they aren't my reels and i wasn't going to risk a slip

Hedgehog for the win!!! Gon chunk that scoo-do rig a long ways with some new bearings.

Also, I plan on cleaning the stock bearings really good first. Acetone okay for Daiwa bearings??? SS/SV, Zillion SV, Tatula R/HD, Zillion TWS, SV105, etc. Those all okay? Gonna soak them in acetone, run hair clipper against container to vibrate dirt out, then add tiny amount of some oil. Got Quantum hot sauce right now, do I need something thinner or better???

[cadman]

I have had the Boca spool pin pliers and not a fan of them. Now I have been using the Hedgehog Studio bearing remover and like it much better. Cleaned a lot of reels and removed a lot of pins. So far so good. The Hedgehog don't seem that durable, but if you take your time pay attention to what you are doing they will get the job done.

I use naphtha to clean my bearings, but heard many guys use acetone with good result.

[Cracker]

I have a newest Hedgehog Type-R and already had a problem with a wrench (thread got stripped).
And you have to be really careful when you push a pin out, it might scratch your spool.

What I heard, this is the best option on the market if you can source it, made by SLP Works

[ScoobyDoo]

The boca is junk.. I have it and only use it on large reels....well..mainly the tranx 500.
And even still i had to grind the hell out of it for it to fit.

The Hedgehog is precise. Meaning. It lines up easily and accurately. And the finer threads mean it pushes slowly.

The boca if the pin slips off you can damage the shaft of the spool. And it's not that difficult to do...If you are off just a hair which is easy.

The boca is just a 99 cent Chinese manufactured pair of parallel jaw pliers with a pin and 2 slots with some awfully applied heat shrink on the handles.

The hedgehog works great...used mine countless times and only recently broke a wrench. They replaced it with 2 at no charge.

It has been quite some time since i reached for the bocas to do anything. I even needed to swap bearings a few spools for a test i'm doing and I waited for the hedghogs to come. Because they aren't my reels and i wasn't going to risk a slip

Hedgehog for the win!!! Gon chunk that scoo-do rig a long ways with some new bearings.

Also, I plan on cleaning the stock bearings really good first. Acetone okay for Daiwa bearings??? SS/SV, Zillion SV, Tatula R/HD, Zillion TWS, SV105, etc. Those all okay? Gonna soak them in acetone, run hair clipper against container to vibrate dirt out, then add tiny amount of some oil. Got Quantum hot sauce right now, do I need something thinner or better???

awesome...Let'er rip!!

[ScoobyDoo]

I have a newest Hedgehog Type-R and already had a problem with a wrench (thread got stripped).
And you have to be really careful when you push a pin out, it might scratch your spool.

What I heard, this is the best option on the market if you can source it, made by SLP Works

Mine bound up mid push out. Had it on video it was pretty funny.

But how do you scratch the spool? with the blue part hitting it? I've used it tons of tons of times. Never really paid attention to being careful. And never scratched anything

That slp works one looks pretty snazzy

[mark poulson]

Any of those pin remover screws should be oiled, and run in and out one time, before using them on a reel.

[DirtyD64]

Any of those pin remover screws should be oiled, and run in and out one time, before using them on a reel.

Good call, for Scooby and anyone else though, did the newer type R fail or the old one??? For Scooby, I watched your video with the Hedgehog fail, I thought it was the older version. Either way, I just want to clean my free floating spool bearings, is there a way to do it without removing the spool pin?

[PaBass75]

The hedgehog tools strip too easily.. Went thru three in one year
Boca pliers are sloppily made and difficult to line up properly. I keep going back to the reelspeed pliers I bought years ago. The slp tool looks good but will prolly strip the threads on a tough pin like the hedgehogs have done.

[Cracker]

I have a newest Hedgehog Type-R and already had a problem with a wrench (thread got stripped).
And you have to be really careful when you push a pin out, it might scratch your spool.

What I heard, this is the best option on the market if you can source it, made by SLP Works

Mine bound up mid push out. Had it on video it was pretty funny.

But how do you scratch the spool? with the blue part hitting it? I've used it tons of tons of times. Never really paid attention to being careful. And never scratched anything

That slp works one looks pretty snazzy

On some spools the pin is so tight and it takes a lot of pressure to take it out, since the Cross Wrench practically touches the edge of a spool it leaves a mark on it. I always put couple layers of tape, but it still happens. New Daiwa G1 spools don't have that problem.

[ScoobyDoo]

Any of those pin remover screws should be oiled, and run in and out one time, before using them on a reel.

Good call, for Scooby and anyone else though, did the newer type R fail or the old one??? For Scooby, I watched your video with the Hedgehog fail, I thought it was the older version. Either way, I just want to clean my free floating spool bearings, is there a way to do it without removing the spool pin?

Mine was the current type R model.

It didn't strip. It just locked up. The new wrenches they supplied work fine.

You can pop the one shield and use compressed butane to blow em out. Or what i do is use a waterpik or any dental irrigator as a miniature power washer. Gets it done really quick

[DirtyD64]

Any of those pin remover screws should be oiled, and run in and out one time, before using them on a reel.

Good call, for Scooby and anyone else though, did the newer type R fail or the old one??? For Scooby, I watched your video with the Hedgehog fail, I thought it was the older version. Either way, I just want to clean my free floating spool bearings, is there a way to do it without removing the spool pin?

Mine was the current type R model.

It didn't strip. It just locked up. The new wrenches they supplied work fine.

You can pop the one shield and use compressed butane to blow em out. Or what i do is use a waterpik or any dental irrigator as a miniature power washer. Gets it done really quick

I'm just going with the Hedgehog Type R for now. Called Tackle Trap and they even said it's the better spool pin remover.