Galvan Brookie

[noreaster]

Originally Posted by wt bash

If you pull the trigger and find the balance is off down the road, lead tape from the golfing industry can help that. Wrap enough on the spool then line it up.

S.M.R.T. smart!

[r reese]

Just got this reel for a 6'6" orvis superfine 3wt rod i love it set the drag and forget it adjusts internally with allen wrench same going out as coming in i like simplicity

[gretch6364]

Looks like I have one of these in the 3/4 size in the mail and set to arrive Friday. I will take a look and decide if I want to return it or not. I was all set and excited about it, but then I talked to a shop and the guy said they are nice, but not really mean for a lot of adjustment. He said they were adjusting one in the shop and a plastic part broke off as they were increasing the drag.

I don't really understand from the pictures how the adjustment works, and did not realize there were plastic parts in it. Is the clicker not the ball bearing that is inside in the spool? Thanks

[cptxkirk]

Originally Posted by gretch6364

Looks like I have one of these in the 3/4 size in the mail and set to arrive Friday. I will take a look and decide if I want to return it or not. I was all set and excited about it, but then I talked to a shop and the guy said they are nice, but not really mean for a lot of adjustment. He said they were adjusting one in the shop and a plastic part broke off as they were increasing the drag.

I don't really understand from the pictures how the adjustment works, and did not realize there were plastic parts in it. Is the clicker not the ball bearing that is inside in the spool? Thanks

So a couple things to say about this:
1) I have played with these in the shop I work at and from what I can tell I didn't see a single plastic component.
2) the shop you spoke to is right about one thing! You are not buying the Brookie for the drag. While you can adjust the drag, the tension out of the box is what a majority I have sold it to keep it at.
3) tell the shop you spoke to, to stop tightening it that much. If you want a solid drag buy a Rush or a Torque. The Brookie is meant for the modern light weight rods that need a light weight reel to balance.
4) to tighten the drag you pop off the spool and using an Allen wrench you tighten the spindle. This increases the tension on the outgoing and incoming. Thus you really shouldn't be tightening that much!

I have now sold close to a dozen of these reels and they are getting nothing but rave reviews. Use the reel for its intended purpose and it will work perfect.

[gretch6364]

Thanks for the response Kirk. I plan to probably just leave it as set. All I really want in a drag for a 3/4 wt is something that will protect 6x and 7x tippet, and won't birds nest. I had a Hatch on my 4wt and sold it to get a click style drag that I can palm on that occational 20+ S. Platte trout.

So in looking at the pictures, the ball bearing inside the spool locks the spool onto the spindle, which I am guessing rotates around a second internal spindal that has some sort of teeth milled into it. Then when you tighten the screw with the allen key, it tightens whatever "clicker" they use onto the internal spindle...does that sound about right?

[gretch6364]

Well, I got the Brookie in the mail today. I will say the mill work, finish, and build of the reel is awesome. However, I am thinking about returning it. This is the picture that I wanted to see and was my biggest fear:



The spool simply rotates around one fixed spindle with a plastic plunger pushing against the inside of the spool to create the drag. They never show this in any of their pictures and I wonder why? The "Innovative Click Ball system" is just a sprung ball bearing pressing against the ridges on the face of the spindle and does not have anything to do with the drag...just the noise making.

My worries are as follows:

How will this plastic nub wear?
If Galvan stops making them and it wears out, what do I do?
If God forbid Galvan went out of business, what would I do?

The is super light and really well made, I just worry a little about the design and long term durability. What does everyone else think?

Lastly, the O-ring that seals the "drag" is fixed to the spindle and the spool rotates around it...should I make sure and keep a little lube on this O-ring so that the spool rotating around it does not wear it out?

It is probably going to need replaced as part of the maintenance. If lube or water get to the inside and get on the "drag nub" it will adversly affect the drag for sure...so have to be careful there.

[bear 007]

I don't think Galvan is going to go out of business anytime soon, they are known for their good service. I've had a Ross gunnison with a delrin drag for almost 25 years now and have never had a problem, I really don't think you will have a problem with it.

[jaybo41]

I'd be more concerned with someone stealing it versus the reel malfunctioning/production of that model stopped/Galvan going out of business. Galvan's customer service is one of the best in the business and their reels are outstanding.