Magnetic V/S Centrifical drags

[skunked again]

Does anyone have suggestions/opinions of centrifical or magnetic drags. I am deciding between a Revo Toro 60hs(centrifical) or Luna 253(magnetic). I will be using mono 14-20 lb test for swim baits.

I have always used centrifical drag reels. Any drawbacks to magnetic?

[Bassnman Mike]

Does anyone have suggestions/opinions of centrifical or magnetic drags. I am deciding between a Revo Toro 60hs(centrifical) or Luna 253(magnetic). I will be using mono 14-20 lb test for swim baits.

I have always used centrifical drag reels. Any drawbacks to magnetic?

In my opinion if your used to the Centrifical reel there is really no need for a magnetic one because you wont be casting as far, again, just my opinion.

Also, have you physically seen the 60 series Toro in person? The reason I ask is because they are huge in comparrison to the 50 series, you might want to check them out.

[skunked again]

Are you saying the magnetic slows down the drag more?

Yes I have held and compared. I mainly want to run 17-20 lb test for striper -medium plugs and large spoons. I am not sure the 50 series will cast that far.

[calico killer kevin]

The terms Magnetic and Centrifugal refer to BRAKING.
The terms Dartanium, Carbontex, and Wet Drag refers to DRAG.

Anyway, both are better in certain situations. Only way to really know what you like is to
try them both out. Looks like you're gonna have to purchase both reels...bummer...

[tacklejunkie]

Drag is a drag. Any way you see it it's some soft-ish disks sandwhiched in some washers. A high quality slipper clutch, if you will.
Brakes are the centrifugal or magnetic part. They can be different mechanically, as obvious by the magnetic or centrifugal characteristics.
More magnetism, more brake.
More spool pawls out, more centrifugal force, more brake.

Brake refers to a certain amount of tension applied to the spool during free-wheel (casting) that prevent overrun at a particular part of the cast. The spool control knob prevents/controls overrun from the middle to end of the cast and the magnetic or centrifugal brake controls overrun near the beginning to middle of the cast.

Centrifugal tends to cast farther but backlash easier.
Magnetic tends to backlash less but doesn't cast as far.

Just my personal experience. I tend to go for magnetic (Daiwa)
With a swimbait, it won't matter.. They're so heavy they just goooooooooooooooooooooooo

Some people will tell you to use no brakes or spool control at all until you get used to it to get the best of both worlds.

[skunked again]

Yes I should have said brake instead of drag and thanks for the clarification.
Revo Toro 60HS it is then. Thanks for the inputs guys.

[tacklejunkie]

In comparing an Abu to a Daiwa that is machined from a solid block of metal, I can't help there. I've never used that abu.
BUT.. I can make a recommendation.
I did break an older Abu C3 from a swimbait backlash.
I can't break my luna 253 for any reason using it realistically for swimbaits. Bombproof.

Also you may want to think about using the least amount of line you need for your application. this can also help you cast farther among other things like saving line. What kind of swimbaits are we talking here?

If anyone is going to throw full size swimbaits I'm going to recommend the luna 300.
Unless you dare go short handle and shallow spool like me and use the 253 because you don't need all that line on your spool.
I didn't have a problem shoring a giant on 20lb test with that reel.. he made a short run and the Luna drag made quick work of him. I had over half a spool of line left he could have taken. Didn't need it.

I went up to 30lb now. I have 80 yards of line (one cast) on there (253) and can horse a huge fish right in using the rod. Swimbait is reaction. Unless you're throwing a hudd, throw 30lb. They won't care. You're supposed to horse them in as quick as you can anyways so they don't throw your bait and you lose them.

[BassFreak]

Here's a little link that will help you understand how the brakes on reels work.

http://www.japantackle.com/Topics/brake_system.htm

My experience is opposite of Tj's as I almost never backlash on centrifugal but also do not get the distance i do on Magnetic. The biggest factor you should consider is your casting motion. Magnetic brakes are not very forgiving on hard whip-like casts, so if you're used to doing that with your old reels, I advise to stick with the centrifugal.

[tacklejunkie]

Nice article. Great explanations.
I also found that I was able to cast lighter baits on centrifugal reels.
I do make some hard whip-casts. Maybe that's why I cast farther on Shimano.
Still prefer Daiwa!

[skunked again]

Here's a little link that will help you understand how the brakes on reels work.

http://www.japantackle.com/Topics/brake_system.htm

My experience is opposite of Tj's as I almost never backlash on centrifugal but also do not get the distance i do on Magnetic. The biggest factor you should consider is your casting motion. Magnetic brakes are not very forgiving on hard whip-like casts, so if you're used to doing that with your old reels, I advise to stick with the centrifugal.

Bass-Frk,
Thanks for the link. I have 2 centrificals and also have very little to no backlash problems when throwing bigger lures. Not owning a Magnetic spool reel, I have always suspected that Magnetics were more free flowing at higher spool speed, hence, "whip-like" casts, leading to overspooling (possibly with heavy lures). I can also see the Magnetic braking having little effect on high end speed and allowing further casts. I think this is why Luna makes a centrifical 300 to prevent overspooling with large lures. They use a magnetic in their 253 maybe for less heavy swimbaits that dont over spool as much....just opinion.

[tacklejunkie]

It would be incorrect to assume I backlash a lot with the 253. Less than once a trip.
I'm just saying... when it does happen, it won't break.
A swimbait is so heavy, if you are backlashing a lot, you are doing something wrong.

I backlashed and broke plenty of reels. I like reels that don't break when they backlash just in case it happens, because it does and will on every casting reel with a bait any weight. I've backlashed every reel I own. For the Cardiff, once was all it took. Two or three times for the Abu old style round reel c4 I forget what it was. I love when people write a review about a reel and say they have never backlashed it once. I'd like to meet these guys.. perfection is pretty hard to achieve and I could use some pointers!

I backlashed more on reels with centrifugal, in my experience. I also casted farther. Perhaps this is because they have little to no control mid cast.

I broke a cardiff with a 5/8oz lure backlashing it in the surf. Casted farther than anything I ever seen though.
To say the Luna 253 can backlash a four ounce bait over and over again, is saying a ton!

I believe the Luna 300 is built around larger spool bearings, for one. Hence causing a need for a completely different or redesigned brake feature.
The bearings in the 253 are not meant to handle what I put them through but I do anyways because I like the magnetic side adjust feature of the 253. The shallow spool goes lightening fast with this huge bait. The bearings start changing colors. lol. Havn't had to replace them and the reel is solid smooth. I could upgrade the bearings if I wanted but I plan to run my 253 into the ground to prove a point. Bombproof.

At any rate, that's why I stated it would be most proper to recommend the 300 over the 253 unless you are on to something like I have cooking. I bought the 253 as a swimbait reel from square one, 3 years ago. Don't like power handles and don't need extra line. Also prefer magnetic!

[skunked again]

It would be incorrect to assume I backlash a lot with the 253. Less than once a trip.
I'm just saying... when it does happen, it won't break.
A swimbait is so heavy, if you are backlashing a lot, you are doing something wrong.

I backlashed and broke plenty of reels. I like reels that don't break when they backlash just in case it happens, because it does and will on every casting reel with a bait any weight. I've backlashed every reel I own. For the Cardiff, once was all it took. Two or three times for the Abu old style round reel c4 I forget what it was. I love when people write a review about a reel and say they have never backlashed it once. I'd like to meet these guys.. perfection is pretty hard to achieve and I could use some pointers!

I backlashed more on reels with centrifugal, in my experience. I also casted farther. Perhaps this is because they have little to no control mid cast.

I broke a cardiff with a 5/8oz lure backlashing it in the surf. Casted farther than anything I ever seen though.
To say the Luna 253 can backlash a four ounce bait over and over again, is saying a ton!

I believe the Luna 300 is built around larger spool bearings, for one. Hence causing a need for a completely different or redesigned brake feature.
The bearings in the 253 are not meant to handle what I put them through but I do anyways because I like the magnetic side adjust feature of the 253. The shallow spool goes lightening fast with this huge bait. The bearings start changing colors. lol. Havn't had to replace them and the reel is solid smooth. I could upgrade the bearings if I wanted but I plan to run my 253 into the ground to prove a point. Bombproof.

At any rate, that's why I stated it would be most proper to recommend the 300 over the 253 unless you are on to something like I have cooking. I bought the 253 as a swimbait reel from square one, 3 years ago. Don't like power handles and don't need extra line. Also prefer magnetic!

Bass F's article mentions in conclusion: "From this study, I conclude Mag Force V and Z system of Daiwa is the most advanced brake system currently available." Diawa's 253 has the Mag Force Z in it. It's not your average magnetic brake. That's probably why you cast so well with it.

[vanillagurilla]

i like centrifical brakes myself, my corvalus 200 casts farther then my mag brake low profile quantum by far. Mag brakes are quite touchy to get set properly and need to be adjusted for each different weight. Centrifical brakes brake of spool speed, the faster it spins the more it brakes (what you want) vs mag brakes that brake all the time no mater the spool speed. When spool speeds are low on a centrifical reel the brakes dont do much, on a mag its still braking. I also wondered how a mag brake works on an aluminum spool lol.

[tacklejunkie]

The aluminum spools have a little ring inside attached that is ferrous or magnetic material.
It's held in place by a C-clip and a spring.

When the spool spins it is centrifugally pushed out by two shoes in the spool into the magnet rings of the mag force.
The harder is spins the more it is pushed out into the magnets, which are set at a certain magnetism according to your setting.

I can cast pretty good on just about any reel. I don't think it really matters what reel you use for swimbaits, they go very very far when you throw them on any reel. You should be worried about purchasing a reel that will hold up to their abuse. Magnetic and Centrifugal should not be your ultimate decision maker.

[BassFreak]

i like centrifical brakes myself, my corvalus 200 casts farther then my mag brake low profile quantum by far. Mag brakes are quite touchy to get set properly and need to be adjusted for each different weight. Centrifical brakes brake of spool speed, the faster it spins the more it brakes (what you want) vs mag brakes that brake all the time no mater the spool speed. When spool speeds are low on a centrifical reel the brakes dont do much, on a mag its still braking. I also wondered how a mag brake works on an aluminum spool lol.

I think you got it wrong way around VG, centrifugal brakes are "always on" versus magnetic which can be off in the case of Daiwa's MAg V and Z. of course there are a variety of designs of both so we'll stick to the reeels mentioned above.

Casting distance is really more a result of other factors rather than the brake system, but then again you can clamp down on the brakes on both systems and never backlash but of course dont achieve much distance either. like i said earlier, set your brakes (spool tension and external braking) depending on how you cast. there is no 1 way of setting the brakes that will work for everybody. dont believe everything you read ont he interwebz on how to set the brakes. make a few casts with a particular reel with the brakes off or at a very low setting, watch which part of the cast you start backlashing and adjust accordingly. a good guide (but definitely NOT set in stone is)
if you start backlashing at the beginning of a cast - adjust spool tension
middle or peak of the cast - adjust external braking
end of the cast - better thumb control.
whether mag or centrigal, both brakes are designed to do the same thing, albeit diff methods. so get what is more in tune with your casting style and set them to suit your needs. master the technique and soon enough you wont even need any sort of brakes..

also, that article is pretty old so it doesnt include the new computer aided braking systems Daiwa and Shimano has come out with.

[tacklejunkie]

I think you can turn the centrifugal brakes all the way off by setting all the pawls in?


To do it with your thumb you just need a hair of touch at the beginning and end of cast.
It's tricky but I learned to do it with my first baitcaster because I couldn't figure out how to enable the centrifugal brakes that I didn't know existed inside the reel! Doing it one handed is even trickier.

To make matters worse, I was throwing Fluoro 12lb at Windy Silverwood and it was killing me! Bad way to learn! lol
R.I.Perris Okuma Alumina AL-10. LOL. She drowned to the bottom off the lake whilst Skyler and I tubed it.

[vanillagurilla]

technicaly centrifical brakes are always "on" but there not doing anything unless the spool is spinning fast. I only have 2 brakes "on" on my corsair 400 with no problems. Either way you go, get used to adjusting the spool tension knob, in free spool the bait should fall very slow or not at all to start with. Then you can start adjusting it as you get more comfortable and used to how your new reel casts. For me, idk why, but with shimanos i need less braking help, my quantum, mag brakes are on full and still have troubles sometimes. In fact i dont even think there working, first quantum, last quantum.

[tacklejunkie]

For me, idk why, but with shimanos i need less braking help,
That's something I can agree on.
Not sure why either but I notice I hardly need any brake and hardly need to change it when I had the magnesium shimano caster a while back. That's the one I could throw a hook with 30 feet.
shouldn't have sold that thing but there was backplay in the antireverse for some reason?!
I felt like I was gonna bust the anti-reverse on a hookset one day. Weirdest thing ever. The handle would backplay while jerking too. I think Daiwa might have a slightly higher machining tolerance than Shimano or something. I could be totally wrong too!

[tacklejunkie]

ah yes,
4-15-2008. Angler's Little Lake.
The first day I nailed 20 bass in a row to 8lbs on a custom modified crankbait.
They were taking them so hard they almost swallowed them. lol. Went through every lure in my box back then, even topwater.
Reel in question of last post shown.
http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff280/tacklejunkie/Angler%204-15-08/DSCN0032.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff280/tacklejunkie/Angler%204-15-08/DSCN0014.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff280/tacklejunkie/Angler%204-15-08/DSCN0012.jpg

[BassFreak]

Yes, technically they are always on, and yes you can turn the brakes "off" but then it would be moot to discuss braking if we turn them off no? What i meant by "always on" was that during the process of a cast, centrifugal systems are always applying some braking force to the spool while some magnetic systems only apply braking at specific points on the cast.

Just play with your settings and you'll find what works for you the best. with either brake systems.

[BassFreak]

there was backplay in the antireverse for some reason?!
I felt like I was gonna bust the anti-reverse on a hookset one day. Weirdest thing ever. The handle would backplay while jerking too. I think Daiwa might have a slightly higher machining tolerance than Shimano or something. I could be totally wrong too!

TJ, if you open up the AR bearing from the 2 companies, its more of a design difference than higher tolerances. Shimano's design just takes a little longer to engage versus daiwa's which is pretty much always engaged. Shimano's official stance on the backplay is that it actually protects the reel from damage. ;)

[tacklejunkie]

Say what!
What is their stance on the hookset?
I sent them an email on this issue and got no reply lol
I then returned the reel (not sold it, I remember now)
If they'd work out that backplay they'd have had a perfect product IMO.

[DarkShadow]

Shimano's official stance on the backplay is that it actually protects the reel from damage. ;)

You got any Conquest 50s or Core50s you're willing to part with due to this dang backplay issue? :-D

[BassFreak]

You got any Conquest 50s or Core50s you're willing to part with due to this dang backplay issue? :-D

Lol, sorry DS, I like my "crappy" drags Daiwas..

[vanillagurilla]

That's something I can agree on.
Not sure why either but I notice I hardly need any brake and hardly need to change it when I had the magnesium shimano caster a while back. That's the one I could throw a hook with 30 feet.
shouldn't have sold that thing but there was backplay in the antireverse for some reason?!
I felt like I was gonna bust the anti-reverse on a hookset one day. Weirdest thing ever. The handle would backplay while jerking too. I think Daiwa might have a slightly higher machining tolerance than Shimano or something. I could be totally wrong too!

hmm, i never had back play issues with a shimano, maybe its the anti reverse bearing has a little more play before the inner bearings lock into the retainer idk, my reels are always apart and being cleaned after almoast everytime out now. I miss my supertuned curado 100b, on the 8'6" clarus ML it would cast an lc across the bolsa inlet channel haha. my quantum only goes about 40 yds now :(. Next investment is a curado 200e7, a crucial x2, and possibly a ci4, or a stradic.

[tacklejunkie]

Pulled the trig on a Curado 50 today.
Has the same spool and handle play the 50MG did but I'm gonna roll with it this time.
Always wanted a Curado and been begging for a more finesse caster for a while.
I'll see how she do. :Razz:

[vanillagurilla]

i miss my curado 100 so much bro, it was like butter but strong. how does the 50 feel? i think its around the same size as the older 100 but the 100 didnt have the stepdown handle setup.

[tacklejunkie]

It's leeetle.
The thumb slot is super narrow and the spool is medium-shallow.
One thing about Shimano LP casters is they always feel neatly rounded out. Like a small aerodynamic knuckleball or something? They sure know how to make an attractive and light weight little piece.

I know the Curado is a solid lineup as I have never heard one have a problem.
I'll put it through a season or ten as long as I can't break it.
I try hard not to gouge my crap too I don't know how it happens.

That Canean real is a steal at $80 or whatever. Felt great.
That lil youngster soon to be pro at DVL fishes his no brakes or centrifuge. I tried it but it's a lefty and I birdsnest three times in a row. Not that his reel being lefty had anything to do with it!

I think I have baitcasters for everything but heavy ocean fishing now.
Unless I go one smaller with a Pixy or something one day.