Whys everyone always bashing quantum???

[Sparky84]

So I'm wondering why everyone is always bashing quantum gear? I still have my first bait caster I'll admit it's not awesome it is just a kvd special but man I've had that thing for like 8 years. Never greased oiled or tunned it up...i know...butthat thing is still puttin them on deck without a single issue. Last year my biggest one was a15lb striper at the river and hauled that bad boy in with no problems what so ever if that doesn't speak to durability i don't know what does. Now i just bought a smoke hd which is light years away from what i was using and it's awesome...so honestly why is everyone talking like quantum sux doesn't make sense???

[LgMouthGambler]

Its not that they suck, but they have a bad track record. More problems with that brand compared to others. The older Smokes were a killer reel, but they changed for the worse. Just your basic cookie cutters. They can get the job done.

<")))<{

[zippyduck]

I would never bash any reel unless it just fell apart in a short time. but there are a lot of better reels.
I love my Daiwa's but also have some Abu's that keep going and going but if I had a choice Daiwa is what I am buying.
In my opinion there are the big two, Daiwa and Shimano, then Lews after that they all seem to be the same as long as they are in the same price range.
Occasionally someone puts out a very good reel for the price range. But why buy something that is  not the best you can afford.
That being said I am happy to have the competition so the big two don't get too pricey.

[Sparky84]

So what exactly changed for the worse with the smokes

[Sparky84]

also couple things isn't anything in the $200 range basically cookie cutter...seems that you're getting a decent real for a higher price than it really should be. And what I've been reading the daiwas seem to our class the shimanos...but still hard to see any $200 reel as junk right

[Kris]

In the years that I have been fishing I have used several Quantum rods and reels.  Never had a problem with the rods and really no major problems with the reels.  In my opinion their reels don't work as well as some other makers and their useful lifetime seems shorter to me.  I have owned five different models over the years that I can think of and never been happy with them for long. 
Up until a couple of years ago I agreed that servicing a reel was an unnecessary thing.  I bought a couple of used Shimano Curados at a local fisherman's flea market.  I used them and was very happy with my purchase.  I had them serviced by a local tackle store and was completely blown away at the performance increase.  There were no performance increasing bearings added, just a good cleaning and Hot Sauce.  I know he uses another lubricant but not sure what that is.
Case in point: I am not sure if a good, quality, professional servicing of the Quantums may have changed my mind.  I have owned lots of Abu Garcia that have never been serviced or tuned up during my ownership.  Given away or sold to new owners, some still in use.  Just recently I have started replacing a portion of my reels and so far Daiwa has been my recent choice.   

[zippyduck]

My $200 abus are not junk but my $120 daiwa blows them away in control and distance. And don't get me started in high end reels the 2 I own are bullet proof in my old slow hands.

[SFL BassHunter]

They do make some pretty reels. I have never used a quantum baitcaster. I have had several spinning reels and my parents have as well. Generally the cheaper spinning outfits and being used in saltwater. They lasted about a year or two. But saltwater corrodes and if the reels aren't cleaned they eventually start grinding and break down.
They were used almost every weekend.

I am sure if we had kept them clean and washed them down after using them, and lubed them up they would have lasted much longer.

There is some animosity towards Quantum baitcasters for sure. When I was looking at baitcasters about a year ago I decided to mess with a couple of friends on here and told em I had ordered a Quantum KVD reel after getting a ton of advice from them to go with something else.
Their heads damn near exploded! It was fun!     

[Princeton_Man]

I fished a lot of Quantum reels years ago.

I still have two or three Accurist AC500 gold baitcasters from back around 2004. They served me well and have seen a lot of use. Now they are guest reels and backups. I just sold a Quantum Tour PT for $5 that I've owned almost as long. That real was a bit of a disappointment considering I paid considerably more for it than the AC500s. The gears got noisy very early and replacement parts weren't available.

[Bud Kennedy]

Sparky, I think bashing might be a bit of a strong word to use.  Most likely most have owned Quantum reels because their price point was attractive for a new angler or for someone who really does not fish all that much and does not want to spend a ton of money only to be used once or twice a season.  For the most part Quantum has decided to be in a market place that is attractive to the lower end angler much like Zebco was years and years ago.  I suppose you could also put shakespere in the same category. 

Many have realized that there are just many more and better reels for the most part so they made a choice to move up a bit  I also own a bunch of Quantum spinning reels many years ago and although I still have them they haven't been used in over 20 years  If their reels fit your needs then it is your choice but it just isn't for everyone. Their upper end reels may be good but their reputation does not evoke a lot of confidence that they will be a quality product (which they aren't).

Bottom line is if they work for you then it does not matter what anyone else thinks but if you ask what other anglers think you can be sure they are gonna tell you what they think.

[analfisherman]

I own many Quantums, even an EXO.
My reels all get cleaned basically yearly or by-yearly for those that don't see a lot of use.
Oh I also own a high end Lews (love it, Mike Bush tuned and cleaned it for me, Thanks Mike), I got Abu, Shimano Caustic (which I love for pitching), Pfluegers....both in Baitcasting and Spinning with most brands
AND my equiment goes through the ringer......I fish often and Hard....and always 'carry' equipment.
Some Quantums (and others I've had for 10 years or more....with yearly hard use.

Happy with them all but my high ends I've always get/find at some point SOMEONE has too many and and sell them at a real great price, I NEVER paid retail for ANY real.

With that said, the real CHALLENGE with Quantum is (I've found).......they carry parts for a real short period of time AND they like to tweak a good performing model with 'minor' tweaks BUT that tweak usually comes with some obscure bolt change that you can only get through Quantum (got a Bail Arm bolt screw on a PTI Tour Edition and NONE OF THE OTHER TOURS HAVE THE SAME SCREW.....and you can only use that bolt screw to attach the arm.....talking simple fluking bail arm screw?)
Quantum doesn't keep parts in their Warehouse Inventory long AND SO I HAVE TOO GO SEARCHING THE WEB to find it......and no one can get it or wants a FORTUNE for a stupid screw  $.75 screw and one guy wanted $8 for shipping it out. (PAID UP FRONT) .

Many reel repair guys in WI. will repair ANYTHING BUT Quantum.......because they say they struggle to get/find parts.

The things are hard working long lasting reels in my OPINION..........but heck... I hate to shelve a reel because I can't get a $.75 screw bolt for it. 

Please note......I'm not a 'reel repair/cleaning' type personality.....I can BARELY TIE MY OWN SHOES ON MY OWN!  )
So this is just MY OPINION, which is BASICALLY NOT WORTH MUCH. 

[Pro Reel]

From a reel mechanics perspective, it's all about interior design, durability,  parts quality, parts prices and long term availability. I actually rank Quantum reels above many others on most of those issues. Their design is strong. The overall durability is strong. long term parts availability is good to better than most. I give them a fail on some parts quality and a somewhat ok on parts prices. The main fail on most quantums that we see are the drive gears. I don't know what they are doing but almost every quantum that ever comes through my shop has a geary to grindy feel. The gears just don't stay smooth as long as some other brands with the same level of care. Now, to be fair, every manufacturer there is recommends yearly full service and routine throughout the year maintenance. Most people don't do that. My conclusion is that with quantum, if you want it to stay smooth, you better keep the gears greased regularly. If you do, then it will stay smooth for a long time. If a geary buzzy feel doesn't bother you then don't worry about it. If you like quantum reels, there is no reason not to use them, just take care of them, get them serviced yearly or learn how to do it yourself. Keep the gears greased and the reel will last a long time.

[analfisherman]

Pro, your PM box is full.....so I'll ask you here.

Can I send you a list of some 'minor' screws and parts for some Quantum PTi Spinning reels and see if you can find them for me?

You can PM me with answer.
Thanks
Joe

[Oldfart9999]

I have some Quatums that are old enough for Social Security, mid 90s Irons IR3s, MG1310s and 1 MG1420 I was given as  a piece of junk. The 1420 needed a good cleaning which I did and throws a crank a freaking mile, it was actually designed as a small saltwater reel. Except for thge MG1310s(which don't get used anymore) they are heavy aluminum frame metal side plates with 3 ball bearings but they throw my deep cranks as well as most new reels. I have 5 AC500 that I bought the year after they were discontinued, 5 years later I had a hard time getting parts, nice reel but now forget parts. Now, as far as I'm concerned, they have priced themselves away from me, I'm on a fixed income, now I'm buying BPS Pro Qualifiers, if need be I use Revo parts in them, they work, aren't higher end Diawas or Shimano's but they work and that's all I need.
Rodney   

[Pro Reel]

Cleaned out my messages box. Send parts numbers and I will look. As far as I'm concerned, no reel company does a very good job of keeping parts for older reels. with some companies, it will depend on how popular a certain model was and how long they carried that model without major changes. I say quantum is ok because as long as it's an actual quantum reel, and not a made for BPS signature reel, I usually can get parts for several years after they were discontinued. Shimano has some parts for reels that were discontinued 10 years ago and then other reel that were discontinued just a few years ago they don't have any parts for. Daiwa just told me today they don't have a worm gear for a 17 size line counter reel that's just a few years old. Abu Garcia is probably the best for having older parts, but they are the worst for the prices they charge for parts. A revo gear set is $40 where a curado gear set is $15 and a smoke gear set is $20 Most Daiwa gear sets are $20 or less. even though lews and abu garcia use the same gears in many of their reels, lews customer service sells them for less than abu does. I often put lews gears in revos when I have the models that use the same gears just to save the customer some money. So , you can see, quantum partrs prices are compatable or better than several and the availablilty seems to me to be similar to most. It is very frustrating when I can't get parts for a 5 to 10 year old reel, but it doesn't seem to matter very much which brand it is as much as how many of that model they sold.

[Sparky84]

It does seem that quantum doesn't hold on to a design very long always something new coming out. To be honest I've never had alot to spend on reels and I've had good  luck with quantum and when i saw the smoke i just thought it was friggin cool lookin and in that price range is gotta be at least a slightly above average real so i got it and i love it.but i do think my next one after this may be more along the lines of a Daiwa zillion but it's gonna be a while i JUST got my smoke.

[analfisherman]

Sparky, you'll enjoy it!

I know many folks who love theirs and never complained about performance.

You may want to do some checking around to see if you can find someone locally that does reel cleaning and consider having the KVD cleaned......may just be more afordable than you thought?

A challenge I've found with anglers who never have their reels serviced is........after a while even good grease and oil can get old and gummy which can make dirt accumulate to the gears......and when you do find/notice a problem......it could be too late and end up replacing parts or spending A LOT for parts to be shipped.

Side benefit, the guys around here that service reels often after they service them the owner has a reel that works as good or even BETTER than when it was new....and then you have TWO new or new working reels to enjoy. 

Have FUN and ENJOY your new reel! 

[nats]

never had a quantum baitcaster, but for finesse fishing I have 2 quantum exo -30 and LOVE THEM, and I have decent reels to compare them too,  patriarch ,and stradic.

[RuddyDuck]

I don't bash there Baitcasters! I have a couple Kinetics and a newer Icon. Kinda like the Icon, decent reel for the money, light and palms well. Now, if I had to pay full price for reels, then maybe I would get something different. But, if I find one at a good deal I'm not afraid to use it.

The drag on one of my older Kinetics did get weak on me, but when I took it apart, the drag was loaded with grease. Worked better once I cleaned it up a little. I kinda see where parts may not be quite as easy to find. I was looking for a drag washer for my Kinetic before I took it apart and just not as many pop up compared to looking for a Citica or something like that.  It also does seem like they change models more often than others.

Overall I think they a decent reels, especially if you can get a good deal on them. They cast good and retrieve the fish good, when that rare moment comes that I actually catch something!
 

[Sparky84]

So coming from one who has never...ever...tuned up a reel im wondering because I've heard this somewhere is it actually good to oil and grease a brand new real somethin about you have no idea how long that real has been sitting there...

[LgMouthGambler]

So coming from one who has never...ever...tuned up a reel im wondering because I've heard this somewhere is it actually good to oil and grease a brand new real somethin about you have no idea how long that real has been sitting there...

Yeah, if its like 5 years old. Otherwise, we do it to get them to perform better with flushing the bearings and greasing everything more properly.

<")))<{

[analfisherman]

Sparky as LMG will tell you........as soon as you open up that reel Warranty is VOIDED.

So I don't recommend you start the learning process on a new reel.

But ya, I've had 'SOME' of my new reels tuned straight out of the box before......but LMG is EXTREMELY TALENTED on REELS.......HE KNOWS HIS CRAFT WELL!!!!!!!
When he takes a reel apart and puts it back together.....it's probably put together BETTER than it came from the factory.

Rumor has it.........he has some other great skills too.......but verdict is still out on those, from what I'm told. 

[LgMouthGambler]

Only other skill I know of is making bourbon disappear.

<")))>{

[Capt. BassinLou]

Only other skill I know of is making bourbon disappear.

<")))>{

He does this ^^^ better than working on   reels.. in fact he needs the bourbon to work on the reels.... lmao!!

[Pro Reel]

Sparky as LMG will tell you........as soon as you open up that reel Warranty is VOIDED.

So I don't recommend you start the learning process on a new reel.

 

This is a misunderstanding. Servicing a reel does NOT void the warranty. Actually the manufacturer encourages you to service your reel and supplies instructions on how to do it, even though the instructions are very minimal. This is a misconception based on the fact that opening something up and tinkering with it usually does void it's warranty, however, a reel has to be maintained and is intended to be done. Now, with that being said, making modifications could void your warranty. They won't cover any damage caused by you. If you change the bearings in the first year to a different brand or if you do anything that causes damage, then they might not honor the warranty. Even then, it's only going to be voided for the effected parts. Now, with that being said, you should use the stock grease for the warranty period. If your reel has red grease from the factory and you send it in for warranty repair because it got grindy, then it better still have red grease.
I have discussed this with the customer service dept. of several major brands and got the same basic response from all of them.