Life of brass gears in casting reels

[lifeofRiley]

In a reel that is maintained, what have you found to be the average life of brass gears? I know I read in the past someone posted they last forever. As most of my reels were bought and used heavily years ago before I got into home maintenance, I've replaced a goodly number of gear sets but many were seriously neglected and run dry or almost dry. Nowadays I don't fish quite as much and I take care of my reels. I've got a large fleet of CU/CH E7's and just ordered 3 gear sets. I'm just trying to plan for the future since one day the parts will no longer be available.

[LowRange]

Depends on the individual. All my gears on every reel I have ever owned worked fine but I have replaced some on my higher end reels because I payed a premium for butter smooth and I expect that out of those reel for as long as I own them.

[BRONZEBACK32]

I'm still using a Calcutta Conquest 14 for crankbaits and its still smooth.
If I remember correctly I purchased it brand new in 2016, each season I open it up and add new grease and oil..

Love it.

[Dalleinf]

I'm still using a Calcutta Conquest 14 for crankbaits and its still smooth.
If I remember correctly I purchased it brand new in 2016, each season I open it up and add new gear and oil..

Love it.

Add new gear every season
Guess you meant grease?
I have only replaced 1 gear set in a PX68 and an old Amb EON. Maybe I do not get into issues with gears as I buy too many reels

[BRONZEBACK32]

I'm still using a Calcutta Conquest 14 for crankbaits and its still smooth.
If I remember correctly I purchased it brand new in 2016, each season I open it up and add new gear and oil..

Love it.

Add new gear every season
Guess you meant grease?
I have only replaced 1 gear set in a PX68 and an old Amb EON. Maybe I do not get into issues with gears as I buy too many reels

Oops, my bad haha, I fixed it.
Yes, I add new grease and oil to the gears...

[Jeffbro999]

3 sets for backup per reel should last a looong time. Never had issues with brass gears wearing out or getting rough at all. Like said in that other thread, it’s usually a bearing or something else causing it to not feel smooth. If you treat a reel like a winch and rip fish into the boat, instead of fighting fish with the rod, you will be replacing gears more often as this is not what they are made for. Sounds like you treat your stuff well, but it needs to be said. Everyone tries to act like the pros, but it’s really not a good example. Sells more reels when they get rough though

[Dalleinf]

^ Maybe you uncover another reason I rarely have had gear issues - I fight fish with the rod and not the reel (unless very small fish) in salt and freshwater. Pure habit possibly due to time spent fishing deep sea.

[lifeofRiley]

I mainly bass fish and certain rods take a beating, namely my frog setup. Braided line and winching fish from cover. I mainly use the rod to fight fish, but there are times it's neccessary to lean back with the rod and crank hard on the handle at the same time, namely when in risk of the fish putting slack in the line.

[Jeffbro999]

I mainly bass fish and certain rods take a beating, namely my frog setup. Braided line and winching fish from cover. I mainly use the rod to fight fish, but there are times it's neccessary to lean back with the rod and crank hard on the handle at the same time, namely when in risk of the fish putting slack in the line.

You answered your own question then. Definitely stock up for the reels that are generally taking a beating, not so much on the others. I bass fish on Seminole a lot and still never have these problems, but others do which is why I bring it up. See so many videos where the rod never moves while a fish is on, tip down and they just keep cranking even when the fish is trying to run. Not singling you out at all, just something people need to keep in mind. Look at all the threads on here about ticking/buzzing/grinding gears

[Jeffbro999]

^ Maybe you uncover another reason I rarely have had gear issues - I fight fish with the rod and not the reel (unless very small fish) in salt and freshwater. Pure habit possibly due to time spent fishing deep sea.

Yes sir, makes a difference when you are used to fighting something that pulls back. Won’t be cranking in any of your seatrout, or the redfish we have here. Teaches the right way since there isn’t another choice.

[lifeofRiley]

I mainly bass fish and certain rods take a beating, namely my frog setup. Braided line and winching fish from cover. I mainly use the rod to fight fish, but there are times it's neccessary to lean back with the rod and crank hard on the handle at the same time, namely when in risk of the fish putting slack in the line.

You answered your own question then. Definitely stock up for the reels that are generally taking a beating, not so much on the others. I bass fish on Seminole a lot and still never have these problems, but others do which is why I bring it up. See so many videos where the rod never moves while a fish is on, tip down and they just keep cranking even when the fish is trying to run. Not singling you out at all, just something people need to keep in mind. Look at all the threads on here about ticking/buzzing/grinding gears

haha, I definitely don't point the rod tip at the fish and crank the fish in. I was simply making the point that there are times when you need to crank on a reel to land a fish, and that is its purpose. When I first got into maintaining my own reels, it was because I had a pile of reels that either didn't function or were extremely rough due to being used hard and never opened/cleaned/lubed. Needless to say I replaced a lot of gear sets that were trashed! It was fun and I learned a ton so now I clean/repair all my reels and a lot for fishing buddies too. I keep a log book and note when parts were replaced, etc. If I'm still around hopefully many years from now, I'll report back on how long gear sets lasted. I plan on keeping my CU200E7s for the long haul.

[mark poulson]

I mainly bass fish and certain rods take a beating, namely my frog setup. Braided line and winching fish from cover. I mainly use the rod to fight fish, but there are times it's neccessary to lean back with the rod and crank hard on the handle at the same time, namely when in risk of the fish putting slack in the line.

Exactly!