You're the "Reel Wizard"!! I like the reel from first impressions as it has some great qualities but it also has some complicated cons! I still may pick it up as it seems it will do for some of my applications. Thanks Peter for the in depth teardown and the great content!
Hey fether! Haha love the title although I don’t think I’m performing any magic of any kind lol. I’m also no expert, just a dude who likes to tinker and tear things down =). I will say that aside from some shortcomings that I have really come to enjoy this reel quite a bit and it’s fast becoming my favorite “analog” reel of 2024. Keep an eye out for sales as I think the current asking price is a bit on the high side imho. Cheers my friend!
coming from knife stuff, i definitely recommend the wiha torx bit selector kit and your favorite stubby screwdriver if you’re looking to get into reel maintenance like this!
Hey fire! Indeed! I have a relatively “full” wiha set and they’ve been great. I do wish they made it a bit easier to tell what driver you’re grabbing but that’s a small complaint to have. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and cheers my friend!
Hey Patrick! No worries at all! I understand tearing reels down for maintenance isn’t for everyone. I do hope these videos inspire folks to try if they want to though and to help demystify the process a bit. Cheers my friend!
Hey earl! I think that would be a cool comparison to see for sure. Will keep that in mind! Also, yea… not really sure what they were thinking when they made this style of brake assembly lol. People love swapping bearings… Cheers my friend!
Thank you! I would like to see if I can repair the silver feather while watching this video. It may not be possible right away, but... I also tried accessing the bearings. As you said, it was very troublesome. I wish this complicated brake unit could be made a little simpler.😅
Hey DIY! I hope you’re able to get your reel fixed! I think you will enjoy it quite a bit once it works as intended. I’m still a bit shocked that yours came damaged and that your replacement sideplate wasn’t much better… I agree with you that I wish the construction of the brake assembly was simpler haha 😅. I’m curious as to why they designed it this way… Let me know if you have questions for your repair attempts and cheers my friend!
Hey chris! Now you just need to get one when it goes on sale haha 😆. Imho, so far, this is my favorite “analog” reel of 2024. Nudge nudge lol. Cheers my friend!
Great video as always Peter,I can also strongly recommend this reel if it's in your budget. I have hardly touched my other reels since getting this one because the casting is so hassle free. I typically cast 2.2g as my lightest lure fwiw.
Hey Jacob! Yea, I can agree it’s a reel that works very well. A few small gripes here and there but I’d say overall it’s been a pleasure to use. The two other “worlds lights bfs” reels have been a bit of a let down sadly… Anywho, look forward to more of your videos with the reel! Cheers Jacob!
Hi Peter ! Nice review ! This reel seems to come from the same factory than Kastking reels. And the dynamic brake system is also similar to the Sharky III… which fortunately is really much easier to disassemble…😉👋
Hey nomdi! Long time no see my friend! Hehe you are correct about the factory and the braking system. It seems though that this time they got it right or are at least closer… much closer… I have really enjoyed using this reel as it casts conveniently, casts well and it is not so overbraked that you will never backlash. It has the great ergonomics the kastking reels have as well. Anywho, thanks so much for stopping by my friend! Cheers nomdi!
Thanks Peter. You know I really rate this reel and now I see why. It's been very well thought out and made. I'm glad I don't intend on upgrading the bearings, especially the side plate, lol. It's a shame they have chosen to go with a high price for this reel because it's one that everyone should be able to experience. I got mine for $130AUD but I wouldn't pay much more for it. Anyway, I'm really glad I was able to see this teardown as it makes owning the reel even more pleasurable
Hey Frank! Haha yea the reel performs quite well but it’s a really odd choice for side plate brake assembly. I’ve never seen anything quite like this before… The weird thing is that they provide the bearing size for the side plate almost as if to suggest that they encourage bearing replacement. Very odd… oh well at least the reel performs very well. Cheers my friend!
Nice Peter! I've heard so many good things about this one, the only thing holding me back is probably the price I think.. I'll keep my eyes peeled for the next sale I think. A bit annoying that it that difficult to reach the bearing as well. A bit pain in the ass during service etc. 👍🏻
Hey kalle! Aside from the giant pain that the sideplate brake assembly is I still really do enjoy this reel quite a bit. If it were cheaper I think it would be a reel I would recommend to beginners and advanced users in a heartbeat. Cheers my friend!
Hey Justin! Thanks so much for the question! Tbh, I can’t quite say as I haven’t gotten a chance to test the cormorant yet but you’re in luck as I have one that is in the queue to be looked at. I will say that I have been quite pleased with the silver feather but that I think it could be a bit cheaper. I would potentially wait until the SF goes on sale and get it then or you could wait a bit until after I get a chance to look at the cormorant? Either way I don’t think you can go wrong as both reels are likely to be solid performers. Hope that helps and cheers my friend!
Pure lure has come out with a new version of the Sliver Feather with Aluminum frame 60 Elite HG/XG the weight has gone up to 139 gms and the spool weight to 4.7 gms with bearing and pin but the bare spool weight remains at 2.3 gms hope it preforms the same as the original. Not sure if you measured the bearing on the spool and side plate.
Hey Percas! Yep, the "Silver" Feather Elite model looks to be an aluminum framed version of this reel with a few changes. As you mentioned, the spool bearing size change is listed and a bit strange? I wonder if they increased the size to maybe make the reel a bit "beefier" but I am not quite sure. The spool dimensions remain the same as well as the braking system. I did notice that they changed the line guide to an improved low friction version which looks quite nice actually. Unfortunately, I am not sure that I will really look at the Elite version for a few reasons; they currently have no LH stock and they will be releasing an all new Silver Feather reel soon. To answer your question on the bearing sizes; both reel side plate spool bearings are a 3mm x 7mm x 3mm, however the spool bearings are different Elite 5mm x 10mm x 4mm and the "air" 5mm x 8mm x 2.5mm. Anywho, thanks so much for the update and cheers my friend!
I have ordered the RH in XG version already hopefully it will not disappoint. Do you think it would benefit from a RORO ceramic bearing change for the spool.
Hi Peter, great video (as always, I should say)! I am considering this as a possible first casting reel in the near future (read xmas gift to myself) and I have to ask: did you upgrade the bearings? If so, which bearings would you suggest?
Also, kudos for the bergeon mat, I never thought to use one when working on my other reels, nut I definitely appreciate the subtle wink to the horology community
@@maurogatti2009 hey Mauro! Actually I never upgraded the bearings for this reel haha. I may swap the spool bearing though as mine is starting to squeal a bit at times. I think it’s due to the shields coming loose as they’re just inserts. However, I don’t want to take apart the brake mechanism to replace the side plate bearing anytime soon… that was not fun to do haha. I’d probably upgrade to some ceramic hybrid micro bearings or some hybrid ceramic stainless shielded bearings like JZN bearings. They’re cheap and work quite well. Hope that helps and cheers my friend!
@@maurogatti2009 hey Mauro! Haha yes! The Bergeron mat has been awesome to use. I wish there were more tools and equipment that I could borrow haha. Cheers my friend!
Hey I am looking for an all round bfs reel. Targeting mainly crappie, trout and bass. Lure weight will mainly be 1/32-1/4. You think this reel is worth it? I was planning on the cormorant but I lowkey can’t justify 200 bucks.
Hey zz! Yep, if you can stomach the cost of the cormorant I’d say the silver feather is a great reel. It’s a really convenient casting reel and hardly backlashes but is also super capable and can go down to 0.56g like the cormorant. Hope that helps and cheers my friend!
@@Zz-id5qp hey zz! Afaik there are no known issues with the silver feather. The only thing I can think of is that the reel may feel overbraked when you first get it but it will work in and you’ll find that you can really start getting some good power behind your casts without much fear of backlashing and yet still getting good distances. It is a phenomenal reel imho. Hope that helps and cheers my friend!
Hey Percy! Go check out the purelure combo video. I have the silver feather on the purelure creek dance 492UL rod. It makes for a pretty decent combo but really the reel shines. Cheers my friend!
Hey Nero! Thanks so much for the recommendation and request! Do you happen to know if this is a BFS oriented reel? If so, I will consider taking a look. Cheers my friend!
@@neroxyn7625 hey Nero! I actually just tried looking for it and can’t seem to find it on their store? Does it have another name by any chance? Cheers!
@@BFSFISHINGCHANNELit's actually called M1. I mispronounced it. I have been replying but it's not showing here for some reason so apologize if you get duplicating replies.
@neroxyn7625 hey neroxyn! Haha you’re in luck. I have that reel and it’s a hot mess. I do not recommend it at all. It feels like cheap plastic because they use a plastic shell over the metal frame, the drag is quite rough and jittery, the handle twists extremely easily, the brake dial looks and feel extremely cheap, and the tolerances are not good. All of this and they are asking a fairly high price as well… I would move on and look at other reels. Sorry it’s probably not what you want to hear but I would not recommend this reel at all. Cheers my friend!