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Re: Bantam MGL Who has their hands on one?

Posted: Thu May 17, 2018 8:34 am
by DirtyD64
egore1 wrote:
This worries me. That super short distance from guide to spool does seem to make me worry some. Most don't mention it, but you and a few others have mentioned that it doesn't cast quite as well as the Metanium/Chronarch MGL...[/quote]

I get the impression my Chronarch and Metanium beat the Bantam's casting distance by a small margin. They all bomb lures to a distance that has me question the ability to get a decent hook set :D I wouldn't describe the margin as large.[/quote]

Good point, I would like to see a size comparison for the SV105 versus Bantam. I'm a proponent of ALWAYS larger handles (wish my Chronarch was the 96mm and Zillions came with 100mm), but the 100mm on my SV105 is a bit big. That being said, a smaller reel like the Alphas or Bantam should be perfect with a 90mm and I would be most interested in the XG so that's perfect. It will probably take me forever to see the Bantam in person, probably will have already made an order for something by then. Still cannot help but wonder what else is coming this year though...

Re: Bantam MGL Who has their hands on one?

Posted: Fri May 18, 2018 12:10 pm
by Kingpin
I ordered 1 and received the wrong model. If anyone needs a 6.2 for cheap,let me know. Otherwise what mods are being done to these reels? I have an XG model thats going for its first ride tomorrow. I will be ordering a carbon handle and updating some of the other parts with anodized stuff as I find it. Its early for a frog here but has anyone gotten a fair amount of time with this reel and a frog?

Re: Bantam MGL Who has their hands on one?

Posted: Thu May 24, 2018 12:44 pm
by TommyG
Got some time with the Bantam Mgl Hg, spooled with 18lb sunline structure fc. Reel is bone stock, the first outing was a bit of a break in outing, started with 2 brakes and quickly added 1 more, had a lot of fluff with 2. After about 2 hrs. the line smoothed out a bit and casting was much better. The 2nd outing was very much improved as the line was much more manageable. Distance was much improved, with a 10in. power worm and 3/8 wt was in the 30-35 yd range. As the day went on casting was getting easier and was getting a bit more distance. All in all a very smooth reel out of the box, feels very good in hand, it's about the same size as the Sv103. The handle is a bit short for my liking but not a deal breaker. The knobs are very nice with no play.
Combo'd up with CNQ 904c I'm really happy with it. Being a daiwa guy for the most part, I did miss the clicky CC, but again, not a deal breaker by any means. The fine adjuster knob is very easy to move and very precise. So far so good!!

Re: Bantam MGL Who has their hands on one?

Posted: Thu May 24, 2018 8:07 pm
by johnD
If you take the spool bearings out and flush them on these high end shimanos , it's night and day difference.

Re: Bantam MGL Who has their hands on one?

Posted: Fri May 25, 2018 6:27 am
by lape0019
I'll be honest here.

When I first started seeing pictures of this reel, I thought it was going to be huge and was probably one of the uglier reels I had seen in a while. Then, I got to see one in person. This thing is tiny compared to what I thought it was going to be and is smaller than 90% of my other reels. It's just slightly bigger than a Curado 70 yet not as big as the Chronarch Ci4+.

I managed to get out on the dock and make a few casts with a Vixen and a magnum 110 and I was very impressed. It casts great ( I know these are heavier lures) but the smoothness of those gears is what really impressed me. It feels just as good as my CQ's yet has the compact body everyone desires.

I was honestly hoping I would not like it this much as I can see a few more possibly being obtained in the future.

Re: Bantam MGL Who has their hands on one?

Posted: Fri May 25, 2018 6:30 am
by TommyG
I'm sure a bearing flush would be beneficial, but I wanted to fish it stock for a while to get a baseline.

Re: Bantam MGL Who has their hands on one?

Posted: Fri May 25, 2018 6:52 am
by DirtyD64
TommyG wrote:I'm sure a bearing flush would be beneficial, but I wanted to fish it stock for a while to get a baseline.
Any idea how hard it is to remove Silent Tune bearings on the spool shaft??? I have removed hundreds of Daiwa spool shaft bearings and it's very straight forward (w/ Hedgehog tool). I am just a Shimano noob and my Chronarch MGL has no spool shaft bearing.

Re: Bantam MGL Who has their hands on one?

Posted: Fri May 25, 2018 8:13 am
by johnD
DirtyD64 wrote:
TommyG wrote:I'm sure a bearing flush would be beneficial, but I wanted to fish it stock for a while to get a baseline.
Any idea how hard it is to remove Silent Tune bearings on the spool shaft??? I have removed hundreds of Daiwa spool shaft bearings and it's very straight forward (w/ Hedgehog tool). I am just a Shimano noob and my Chronarch MGL has no spool shaft bearing.
there's nothing to it.

Re: Bantam MGL Who has their hands on one?

Posted: Fri May 25, 2018 8:17 am
by DirtyD64
johnD wrote:
DirtyD64 wrote:
TommyG wrote:I'm sure a bearing flush would be beneficial, but I wanted to fish it stock for a while to get a baseline.
Any idea how hard it is to remove Silent Tune bearings on the spool shaft??? I have removed hundreds of Daiwa spool shaft bearings and it's very straight forward (w/ Hedgehog tool). I am just a Shimano noob and my Chronarch MGL has no spool shaft bearing.
there's nothing to it.
Ok was just checking. I know the Bantam has the O-rings and wanted to make sure there was nothing I would mess up. Probably a good idea to remove those O-rings before soaking in acetone, right?

Re: Bantam MGL Who has their hands on one?

Posted: Fri May 25, 2018 8:31 am
by johnD
DirtyD64 wrote:
johnD wrote:
DirtyD64 wrote:
TommyG wrote:I'm sure a bearing flush would be beneficial, but I wanted to fish it stock for a while to get a baseline.
Any idea how hard it is to remove Silent Tune bearings on the spool shaft??? I have removed hundreds of Daiwa spool shaft bearings and it's very straight forward (w/ Hedgehog tool). I am just a Shimano noob and my Chronarch MGL has no spool shaft bearing.
there's nothing to it.
Ok was just checking. I know the Bantam has the O-rings and wanted to make sure there was nothing I would mess up. Probably a good idea to remove those O-rings before soaking in acetone, right?
most definitely.

Re: Bantam MGL Who has their hands on one?

Posted: Sat May 26, 2018 6:59 pm
by stingray23
Couldnt resist anymore. I have an HG coming. :D

Re: Bantam MGL Who has their hands on one?

Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2018 10:24 am
by 1nutinthewater
Any feedback on the comparison between the chronarch mgl and the new bantam?

Re: Bantam MGL Who has their hands on one?

Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2018 6:35 pm
by DirtyD64
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uJOsLIUgEp0

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn6oBK8oG38

There are some videos. Seems that a few have compared all the MGL (over $200) reels pretty close in casting.

Re: Bantam MGL Who has their hands on one?

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2018 3:24 am
by Slazmo
Just put my order in for a Bantam MGL PG - $320 AUD...

See how this thing stands up...

Have been putting it off for months!

Re: Bantam MGL Who has their hands on one?

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2018 11:48 am
by chreim20
In the last month, I have casted the Metanium MGL, Chronarch MGL, and the Bantam MGL on the same rod using 30 pound braid on each, and I can cast further, with less effort using the Bantam MGL than the other two. It's a little heavier, but palms better and feels like a quality reel. Needless to say, I sold the metanium and chronarch. Their only advantage is they are lighter in weight.