Is there difference between stock bearings and ABEC???

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crazychuy
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Is there difference between stock bearings and ABEC???

Post by crazychuy »

To All,

What are the differences and benefits between stock and ABEC bearings in a Curado 200e and Curado 300D?

What are the beneficial factors of the bearings?


I'm new to Shimano reels. I'm coming over from Daiwa reels.

Thanks,
Tony
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DanIsaac
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Re: Is there difference between stock bearings and ABEC???

Post by DanIsaac »

Bantam1 is gone doing field testing this week, but let me try and explain
ABEC:

ABEC stands for Annular Bearing Engineers' Committee. This committee works to determine the standards for bearings for the Anti-Friction Bearing Manufacturers Association (AFBMA).

The ABEC scale classifies different accuracy and tolerance ranges for bearings.
The higher the ABEC rating the higher the quality grade bearing, or as some equate, the faster the bearing.

ABEC1
ABEC3
ABEC5
ABEC7
ABEC9
Shimano and most other reels come with ABEC3 bearings as stock. There are a few exceptions, but not too many. Both the E7 and 300's come with ABEC3's.

Hope this helps,

Dan
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mark poulson
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Re: Is there difference between stock bearings and ABEC???

Post by mark poulson »

Dan,
Are there any maintenance-free bearings?
Attitude plus effort equal success
CLEAN AND DRY
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DanIsaac
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Re: Is there difference between stock bearings and ABEC???

Post by DanIsaac »

FULL CERAMIC or CERAMIC HYBRIDS are about as close as one can get to maintenance free. Like anything else though, even they will need to be cleaned every year or so.

Dan
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drew
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Re: Is there difference between stock bearings and ABEC???

Post by drew »

The ABEC rating is a tolerance not a quality rating.
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DanIsaac
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Re: Is there difference between stock bearings and ABEC???

Post by DanIsaac »

I was speaking in general terms. Generally the higher than ABEC rating, the tighter the tolerances, thus, the smoother, faster the bearing.

Dan
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drew
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Re: Is there difference between stock bearings and ABEC???

Post by drew »

Not really. The ABEC rating has been miss used in the fishing world. The difference between an ABEC 3 and a ABEC 5 bearing made in China is just sorting. The balls and races that measure in a specific size range get classified as such. Less clearance in the assemble will do nothing for a fishing reel. Better materials, surface finishes, lubrication and overall assembly quality is paramount.
DanIsaac wrote:I was speaking in general terms. Generally the higher than ABEC rating, the tighter the tolerances, thus, the smoother, faster the bearing.

Dan
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DanIsaac
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Re: Is there difference between stock bearings and ABEC???

Post by DanIsaac »

Couldn't agree more. ABEC ratings are indeed relative to where they are mfg. that's why I avoid Chinese bearings whenever possible, and yes, ABEC ratings have been overated in the fishing reel industry forever it seems, and I'm not sure where that started. I suspect it allowed someone to cut corners in tuning, thus became the "kind", and talk of the town? Still, they will not take the place of a well "tuned" reel. However, put together the complete package, tuning with bearing upgrade, and the results can be amazing, especially when it comes to light bait applications.

Personally, I use ABEC5 Ceramic Hybrids in my reels, and they will do everything I need them to do. Then on the otherhand, others prefer 7's and 9's even though we do everthing we can to direct them towards the 5's. Who's right, who's wrong? It's their reels, and the customer is always right, even if you or I might disagree.

It's simply personal preference and whether the investment is worth it to the individual or not. I quess it's kind of like a bassboat that will go 70mph. Is the one that will go 80mph that much better? Some would say YES, others would say NO WAY!

Dan
ReelEx, your source for quality, professional service on your Shimano, Lews, or Revo reels.

Guaranteed 96 hr turnaround on service.
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drew
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Re: Is there difference between stock bearings and ABEC???

Post by drew »

Most of the benefits that you see are probably from the thorough cleaning and higher quality lubricants. The bearings come with a light grease from the factory because of its low creep characteristics. Cleaning the grease out and lubing them with hi performance bearing oil will improve the casting substantially. But I agree, "the customer is always right", so give them what they want. Me personally I would rather save my money and have my reels cleaned more often. Maybe three times per season instead of once, especially the hard working units like my cranking reels.
bantam1
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Re: Is there difference between stock bearings and ABEC???

Post by bantam1 »

the higher rated ABEC 7+ bearings are designedfor machinery that runs at speeds around 30,000 RPM + that require zero vibration. Since none of the spools will ever see those speeds (excluding our DC reels) there is no needto use anything higher than an ABEC 5 bearing. Most people can't cast well enough to even require them. The stock bearings are more than sufficient to do most of what we do.
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