Core Info.

[RojoKayako]

Texas wade fisherman influenced no bearing supported handles? How on earth did they do that? I bet if you took a non bearing supported handle and a bearing supported handle put them in any anglers hands and told them the difference theyd pick the bearing supported handle.

Too bad JDM parts for reels werent as readily available, we could just switch the handles. You can find them if you want one bad enough.

Gameover,

You have a good point and, as I am from Texas and wadefish almost exclusively, I'll try to answer.

Specifically, the wadefishing that's being refferd to is saltwater wadefishing and, like many have said, it's tough on a reel. Primarily, it's tough on a reel because of the elements to which it is exposed. For example, I went wadeing in the surf yesterday and, as a reult, the reel got "exposed" so-to-speak. Not only did it get it's does of mosquito repellant and sunscreen from my hands, it also got dunked several times and the brake-side internals got splashed a couple of times while I changed brake settings as I changed lures. Additionally, this caused the same surfaces and internals to be exposed to small, sedimentary sand particals (both widblown and suspended in the water from my wet hands). I opened up the sideplate this morning and, sure enough - found some sand and grit. Also, the quarter-turn lever will need to be cleaned and some silicon grease applied because, for some reason, whatever was in the water yesterday left a "sticky" film on everything - including myself - and it cause the sideplate latch to not rotate as smooth as it should.

As a result, I don't want bearings in the handle: too much opportunity to gunk them up, dirty them up, and see them corrode. Also, I wouldn't want them even if I only fished freshwater, for I figure that mosquito repelland, sunscreen and the brine in my sweat would also take thier toll on these bearings' performance. I agree, fresh bearings in the handle will feel better (smooother), but they are not something I would want to live maintain.

I've also seen reels exposed to similar conditions in other saltwater venues - North Carolina, Florida, Louisianna and Mexico. But Texans, because of the way they fish, seem to expose thier reels to harsher elements more often. Also, they are the most faithful Shimano market I've ever seen - and with good reason: for them, no other reel brand has proved as Reliable as Shimano through the years...Period.

Now...I know Texas is a small - but faithful - market, but why should our needs be so influential? Well...please consider the following argiment. If a reel can be made that can handle the sandy, gritty, salty environment of the Texas Coast, then wouldn't that reel also well serve: one, anglers who occassionally put thier reels through a harsh freshwater (e.g., exposing it to silt and sand from an accidental dunking or drop in the sand) and; two, angler that occassionally may fish salwater...or brackish water? I mean, consider the bassfisherman who visits his family on the coast and does a bit of saltwater fishing while on vacation - just a bit of exposure is all that's required in order to eventually degrade his reel if it's not saltwater tolerant. (Crystallized salt particals works thier bad magic on metal surfaces long they are no longer directly exposed to saltwater).

Likewise...on the flip side - I didn't think I would ever have a use for HEG gearing. I mean, I thought it was developed for bass fishermen and the like who throw big crank baits and and horse large bass out of deep cover - or saltwater/freshwater guys that crank straight off the bottom - I do neither. However, I did find a couple of uses for the HEG gearing it in the salt, and while they only comprise a fraction of what I do, I am now appreciative of HEG gearing.

Or...consider the whiffle spool - something that we need in the texas salt like "....another hole in the reels". However, it does allow you to cast lighter lures easier and...the potential for salwater incursion into the gearbox that it prersents can easily be remedied by placing some tape over the holes (teflon or electrical). I like it.

So...from meeting the seemingly unique concerns of others, some of my needs are also met, and my reels' performance enhanced.

Hope this helps.

Rojo

[GAMEOVER]

make the pm public if you would please, or send a copy of it to me, i have the same questions.
one more, if i use the reel in saltwater and it corrodes, is it covered under warranty? i am a wade fisherman.

I dont share PMs or words exchanged with other members here unless they approve or say its okay right off the bat, sorry. Id do the same for you and im sure you understand.

I have to admit when I heard shimano USA was going to release a domestic version of the Mg7 I was excited. I was planning on purchasing one as soon as they were released until I found out that the reel was only going to have 5 bearings for $350. I was not to impressed. Would I look at buying an Mg7 possibly the only down fall is the lack of warranty. I am not trying to bash on shimano I love their reels. I own 3 of their spinning reels and 5 of their bait casters I have been extremely happy with all of them. This is JMO.

I hear ya about the five bearing deal but dont sell them out just yet. Id rather have five abec 7 rated bearings in a reel then 10 less then abec 5 rated ones. Not saying the core/mg7 has or doesnt have this but im almost sure they wont be abec 7s and im hopeing their atleast abec 5s for that price.

Rojo Nice post, I see what your saying, I get what your saying, I just love the added smoothness bearing supported handles offer so when I see reels without these bearing supported handles expecially at that price I tend to scratch my head.

I wont make any solid opinions on a reel I havent fished and at the price they are running, im thinking about trying one before I just buy it like I have other reels to decide if its for me or not. I probably will have to buy it and when I do I will most likely go with the MG7 if it comes lefty and its only differences between the Core/MG7 are the colors and bearing supported knobs. I havent done enough research into the reel yet. I just love the weight (been waiting for a solid magnesium reel since the chron) and possabilitys it offers. I dont like the US price of it though. I wouldnt mind the price if it had what I prefered which I posted (bearing handle/real high quality 5 bearings like abec 5 atleast) .

[JBA]

GO, bearings really are not that expensive even if they are ABEC 5 or 7 they are not enough for a 5 bearing reel to cost that much.

[Bantam1]

make the pm public if you would please, or send a copy of it to me, i have the same questions.
one more, if i use the reel in saltwater and it corrodes, is it covered under warranty? i am a wade fisherman.

Yes we will cover the reel against corrosion. Now if the finish is scratched causing corrosion, or there is a complete lack of maintenance then we might charge for the repairs.

[Zest]

there is ppl here which want a big company to make product follow their specific demand....comment such as i prefer this,i wan the reel looks like that yada yada...c'mon there is choices out there,from JDM,from different brands,don't just moan and whine(it's irritating,not just to me i strongly believe),if you don't prefer it,there is other takes.

[GAMEOVER]

GO, bearings really are not that expensive even if they are ABEC 5 or 7 they are not enough for a 5 bearing reel to cost that much.

I completely disagree, bearings are very expensive. a small utility tacklebox full of them would run the avg consumer 5 grand or more for abec 5 or 7s. Even though Shimano has an obvious advantage in buying them bulk in super large quantitys from whoever makes their bearings for them (hell id love to know) id bet that its one of the most expensive parts in the reels they assemble.

there is ppl here which want a big company to make product follow their specific demand....comment such as i prefer this,i wan the reel looks like that yada yada...c'mon there is choices out there,from JDM,from different brands,don't just moan and whine(it's irritating,not just to me i strongly believe),if you don't prefer it,there is other takes.

Some expect more from some companys. Companys like Shimano for example who are known to make quality reels have set the bar very high for themselves so its deffinatly harder for them to not only keep raising the bar but staying at the high level they reached with a similar offering. When they dont meet or exceed that bar they set or something is off about a product its up to you as a consumer to tell them hey this isnt acceptable and you do that by either buying or turning down their product. I know the Core is expensive but if you look at the Steez from Daiwa its even more expensive. So the Core and Steez seem to have a lot of common in the marketing place. Both are some of the highest priced reels for what they are to come out but look at the Steezs already proven performance. Can Shimano make a less bearing, cheaper priced, yet still expensive reel that will make you still buy them like people do the Steez because it performs that well? This remains to be seen but with a track record like Shimanos I think chances are very high itll be a winner. Then again they like every other company had made a few errors in somes eyes like the newer Chron B compared to its legendary MG. This Core is basically to me an updated version of the Chronarch MG to me, thats a good thing. Im not pro any company even though some use to/still think im pro Daiwa/Megabass but like I said, this is a reel I been waiting for a long time for from Shimano. I just hope so bad it meets my expectations I acquired from their products in the past.

[OhioChamp183]

Core: $350

Metanium MG, now can had for $285'ish.

NO BRAINER TO ME!

[GamblerHydra]

I have always felt the Shimano ARB bearings were good bearings , and never really saw any performance difference in going to a abec 5 stainless. So I always assumed they were at least a 5. However, Bantam hinted they were less than a 5.

You need to also keep in mind all bearings are not created equal. Company X ABEC 3 might be a better bearing than Company Y abec 5. However, like people are saying buying/manufacturing bearings in bulk your not going to see a huge difference in price if you added a few bearings. I believe that they did this for corrosion prevention.

You need to also keep in mind there are quite of few fisherman fishing brackish water. It is just not texas, you got the whole gulf area, and then other areas around the country. Though the gulf inshore fishing is just hard on reels.

[mhood]

When they dont meet or exceed that bar they set or something is off about a product its up to you as a consumer to tell them hey this isnt acceptable and you do that by either buying or turning down their product.

I sure agree with what Zest was trying to get you to hear. I wish you would practise what you are preaching instead of badgering the hell out of their representative who is kind enough to maintain a presence here on TTF. It got real old to me a good while back....

[ShoreBound]

I am also someone who would like bearings in the handle knobs but it's not a requirement when I'm buying a reel. This is just bugging me though; If you're going to fish a magnesium reel in saltwater then I'm guessing that you have to be able to clean it religiously or at least have someone who can do it for you. Now, if you can get to the inside of the reel to clean it, I'm thinking it shouldn't be so hard to also do the bearings in the handle knobs, if there are. (Assuming the knobs are the removable type, of course)

[Bantam1]

I can take the good with the bad. I think GO is on the right page now and he can redeem himself in my eyes.

Yes the MG can be had for less than we sell the Core for. The current exchange rate and dealers selling the reel for under SIC's suggested pricing allows you to purchase at a "discounted" rate. I can only say that is the $75 you save worth giving up a warranty and future product support? If so then cool enjoy the reel!

The ABEC 5 bearings are great for freshwater only situations. They require more frequent maintenance in brackish and saltwater conditions. The CA Delta for example is somewhat brackish water depending on where you are fishing.

We take the whole country into mind when designing and releasing a reel for our market. The Ste**e is not approved for use in saltwater. They designed this reel to be a high end bass fishing reel. We designed our Core to be used in every market, inshore, brackish and freshwater.

In Japan they primarily use spinning tackle in saltwater. They do not have the sport boat fleet that we have, boats are expensive to own and let alone towing one! They fish from shore quite more than we do, so you see the specialized model spinning reels there for surf casting. They are starting to use the low profile reels more for species such as Snapper. They target these fish in pretty shallow water. They actually offer models for fishing like this. You will see their Curado with a power handle (One knob) and other items like this. I am no expert on fishing in Japan. I do work with several people from Shimano Japan and they teach me about fishing in Japan.

So now you have a little insight as to why certain reels are the way they are and why they have certain features that we do not. If there is something you want to know that I didn't cover then just ask

[Gideon]

I have both the JDM Met and the Core, and I'd buy the Core again over the Met. Not only does it look cooler but I fish it harder knowing that I can get the reel serviced in the span of a few days.

[LOBINAKING]

Hi Guys;

I'll throw in my .02 cents.

Warranty on a freshwater reel is not a big deal to me, maybe it's because in the 30 plus years of fishing i have never had a reel break, malfunction or whatever.

Servicing a reel is so easy that i don't even send them to either Daiwa or Shimano. If a part needs replacing i just order the part and install it. Lube, oil, bearings, etc. all get serviced by me and in my case i enjoy it. There are several threads on TT and other sites that step you through the process.
And also never forget our best friend D.R., which to be honest i rather send the reel to him that to Shimano or Daiwa as he will not only fix the initial problem but also identify any other possible issues or recommend other enhancements.

The only reels i send out for "service" are my saltwater reels, those i do send out to either Avet, Penn, Daiwa or Shimano each year.

I guess i prefer the smoother, less expensive but not as good looking Metanium MG over the Core even if it doesn't have a U.S. warranty. Now if they start appearing on Ebay for a good price then maybe i'll pick one up.

[Bass Pro]

Core: $350

Metanium MG, now can had for $285'ish.

NO BRAINER TO ME!

Yep. I've got the Mg7 and for $275-285 it's a no brainer considering you get bearing supported knobs. Just one less thing to upgrade!

I don't get why you would use the anglers in TX as a base for the ENTIRE U.S. domestic market. If that scenario works, then you could make the same argument from the "enthusiast" market. The enthusiast could say why are there no bearing supported handles in a $350 reel??

It's the same old song- JDM reels continue to be supreme in 99.9% of the Shimano product line.

[iangler]

Don't mean to bash Bantam1 or Shimano, but no bearings in the handle for wadefishing sounds like an excuse to me. If you're wadefishing, you know you need to clean the reel well after use, period. If you're lazy, it's your problem and ANY reel will not last. If this is the reason, Shimano should've put 5 teflon bushing instead of the 5 bearings.

And the thing about Mg7s knobs not spinning freely, does it matter? As long as it's smooth it's all good. The only part of the reel I'm concerned about spinning freely is the spool.