Reel servicing

[mikench]

I have never thought of doing this until I bought off the bay a Shimano Aero GTM 3010. It must be 20 years old and probably never serviced. I used it a few times, respooled a couple of the spools and found it to cast very well but underload it was a little stiff to reel in. I used Felindre Innovations based in Swansea and posted the reel to them last Tuesday. It was completed by them on the day they got it i.e. the following day. I paid on line and it was sent back by courier on Thursday and would have arrived on Friday but for FedEx sending it to the wrong adress. It's just arrived safely now in a protective velour bag and well packaged. It feels like it has been serviced and drag washers have been replaced so I shall test it out tomorrow weather permitting.

The service inclusive of vat , parts and postage back by courier came to just over £30 which is a very fair price for what appears to be a very good service. I know a few members have used them and S63 in particular recommended them. They were very efficient .

 

[barbelboi]

I'll keep my fingers crossed then as I have 2 x 5000 Aero GTEs & 2 x Stradics all over 20 years old, work perfectly, and have never been serviced apart from an external wipe down..................

 

[mikench]

Ah but you treat them like JD- with reverence.?

 

[terry m]

I am a big fan of this company for spares and repairs, but would be very interested to know whether their servicing offerings make a discernible difference. The price seems very reasonable

 

[mikench]

I will report back. I have many reels but none are more than 4 years old and a few have rarely been used. None are defective or feel worn in the slightest. Kev indicated to me how he liked the Shimano Aero GTM reels in 3010 and 4010 sizes and considered them to be better that the vast majority of modern variants. It's fair to say he suggested that I look out for one s/h. Those sold on the bay and described as in excellent condition sold for over £100. I bought one for a lot less than that and it did look and feel in excellent condition. I felt it warranted a service being 20 years old and so I chose Felindre. I thought it appropriate to mention them on here because they were so efficient and the reel feels different. I need to catch a lump though to test it properly. If a service at modest cost gives it another 20 years I will be very happy. Other folk on forums talk of this range of reels being made in Japan using quality components and being a cut above those made elsewhere to a price. Time alone will tell. Felindre returned the old drag washers which to my untrained eye looked very worn.

I would add that having looked at the schematic drawings of many reels, the thought of dismantling one and then successfully reassembling it was daunting and beyond me.

 

[nottskev]

Lovely reels, Mike. I've used nothing else, save for a couple of XTRA 4000's for barbel and pins, since I bought the first one 30 years ago. They've not been serviced, just kept clean and anything you can reach lubricated, but I'll follow your lead and send them off. The older ones are noticeably looser than the less-used. so some wear, as you'd expect, has occurred. What was the cost to post , by the way?

 

[mikench]

I do like mine. I paid about £4.30 to send the reel first class and recorded with an agreed value of £100. I paid Filandre £6 for a courier return. I will send you a copy of the invoice by pm. I may never service another reel but having bought one s/h and with no provable provenance, I felt it deserved a little tlc. It casts beautifully. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[nottskev]

I'm glad you like it. I'd have been a bit embarrassed if you didn't after giving them such a good write up. The line lay and spool design are excellent, and they do indeed cast like a dream. If you get on some running water, you'll appreciate what an easy reach it is to get your finger(s) on the spool when running the float through. I had a couple of the Aero Match reels when I picked up the first GTM 3010 discounted in Wendy Locker's (England International) shop in Chester arouind 1993.. On paper the Match looks better, but the 3010's are lighter and neater, and I really like the Fightin' Drag business, although some don't think it helps.

 

[nottskev]

Cheers Mike - money well spent. I notice the drag washer replacement. I believe they get compressed over time, especially if you leave the reel with the drag set tight or tightish. I found this out quite late in life lol. I often have the drag on my XTRA's screwed down tight for barbel in snaggy swims, and I now slacken the drag right off at the end of a session.

 

[chevin4]

I have never thought of doing this until I bought off the bay a Shimano Aero GTM 3010. It must be 20 years old and probably never serviced. I used it a few times, respooled a couple of the spools and found it to cast very well but underload it was a little stiff to reel in. I used Felindre Innovations based in Swansea and posted the reel to them last Tuesday. It was completed by them on the day they got it i.e. the following day. I paid on line and it was sent back by courier on Thursday and would have arrived on Friday but for FedEx sending it to the wrong adress. It's just arrived safely now in a protective velour bag and well packaged. It feels like it has been serviced and drag washers have been replaced so I shall test it out tomorrow weather permitting.

The service inclusive of vat , parts and postage back by courier came to just over £30 which is a very fair price for what appears to be a very good service. I know a few members have used them and S63 in particular recommended them. They were very efficient .

I have recently had a Shimano Super Gt Aero serviced by Felindre Innovations. The reel is over twenty years old it ceased to run smoothly probably as a result of abusing the reel. I sent the reel off on a Tuesday it was returned on a Friday by FedEx. The drag washers were replaced along with a bearing. The reel now runs smoothly and has once again been used successfully against some hard fighting berties. The total cost Inc carriage was £36 great service.?

 

[hague01]

I have been using felindre for around 7-8 years now. One or two reels a year, just when I feel I have perhaps a problem. I can't fault them. Paul there seems to give his personal attention all round. First class people imho.

 

[mikench]

Would that be Paul Griffith Alec ?

 

[hague01]

yes that's the guy. Seems first class to me.

 

[mikench]

I would agree. He is a director( maybe the sole director) but takes an interest. In an age where the market value of companies who deliver pizzas and other foods exceeds the value of all the takeaways which make them, it's a refreshing change to find a small company which cares and does a good job requiring skill and attention to detail.

 

[nottskev]

I gave Felindre a good review on here just lately. I didn't think I'd be using their services again so soon. Yesterday, while tackling down in a gale, I undid the screw cap to fold down a reel handle to go in a sleeve. I'd forgotten the Stradic Ci4 reel handles are a direct screw in, and the cap opposite is a dummy on just a couple of turns. Naturally, it fell off and, as dropped things do, disappeared never to be seen again. I called Felindre, and the bloke identified the part, gave me the part no. and put it on their ebay page. I bought it via ebay 10 mins later. Excellent. On top of that, at £6.99 it was cheaper than I feared. Great service.

 

[hague01]

I would agree. He is a director( maybe the sole director) but takes an interest. In an age where the market value of companies who deliver pizzas and other foods exceeds the value of all the takeaways which make them, it's a refreshing change to find a small company which cares and does a good job requiring skill and attention to detail.

Totally agree Mike. When I first used them they were official Shimano service agents. That changed a few years ago when I heard Shimano took servicing back in-house. Service didn't change though, always first class.

 

[sam vimes]

Has anyone actually used, or heard of anyone using, the official Shimano UK servicing centre? I understand they've relocated again from Nottingham to Coventry and that repairs and servicing have to go via tackle dealers. Perhaps they only want (have) to do warranty work.

 

[nottskev]

I had a GTM 4010 serviced a few years ago. I had to post it to them, even though it would have been easier and cheaper to drop it in to them at Cotgrave. The reel had a faulty anti-reverse with, they told me a spring missing, maybe from - it was bought second-hand - an attempt at home repair. They got the anti-reverse working, but didn't have the proper spring and adapted another. The reel now makes a weird buzzing sound for a turn when you start to wind, which doesn't inspire confidence but continues to work. They did call me to explain what they were proposing to do and why, and went to a bit of trouble to make an unorthodox repair.

That aside, I benefitted indirectly through them being local for a time. A bloke in a local tackle shop had worked for them and knew his way around their reels. He'd service my reels for a nominal fee. He was also a dab hand at rod repairs, replacing rings and handles and so on. It's against this type of background that I judge the Angling Direct supermarket model.

 

[hague01]

I often question visiting my local A/D. It's a shed, in that it is housed in a pre war single story factory with mezzanine floor. Staff always busy, invariably polite, keener rather than knowledgeable sometimes, but normally few customers. Put that against visiting Johnson Ross last week. One tenth the size, probably with more stock, manic with customers falling over each other spending vast sums of money. Never recall see anyone walk out of a/d with a rod. Virtually the opposite at j/r.

 

[sam vimes]

I've never even been in an Angling Direct branch. I have been into three or four shops that were subsequently taken over by AD, I've never returned to them. As yet, AD has shown little inclination to venture much further north than the M62 corridor.