5-20 Posted November 27, 2023 Report Share Posted November 27, 2023 Having a hard time finding a handle that works for the 23 Antares DC MD. Tried the 110mm Varial. Did not like how long it was. And it felt like I lost a lot of feel and sensitivity with the WCZ flat knobs. I think it's because of the mass of rubber that absorbs and mutes a lot of that feel that's transmitted with thinner knobs. I went back to the OEM handle and I got so much of that feel and sensitivity back. But the knobs are so small and it is a bit of a flimsy handle. I tried a Tranx 200 handle at 102mm and it felt a little better. Still felt too long and I did not like the sharp ridge and steep curve at the ends of each knob. Thinking a 95mm handle should be great. I've been trying to find a decent OEM Shimano 95mm handle but having a hard time finding anything. Really would prefer not to shell out and potentially waste a lot of $$$ on a 95mm varial handle but that's starting to look like that's the only option besides sticking with the OEM 90mm handle that came on the Monster. Appreciate any suggestions for a decent 95mm Shimano handle with flat knobs. Or any other suggestions. Not interested in Gomexus handles. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jscarbr Posted November 27, 2023 Report Share Posted November 27, 2023 Search for Shimano Yumeya Morph808 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassmann86 Posted November 27, 2023 Report Share Posted November 27, 2023 Personally my opinion feel “sensitivity” comes from the rod and your hands on the blank, exposed blank on the reel seat or finger on the line. not through the reel. check out studio composites, hedgehog studio has a few in stock and on sale for a killer deal right now that’s too hard to pass up. SoCalBassBum and Dink whisperer 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassmann86 Posted November 27, 2023 Report Share Posted November 27, 2023 https://www.hedgehog-studio.co.jp/phone/product-list?search_tmp=Search&keyword=[Studio+Composite&Submit=Search Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5-20 Posted November 27, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2023 10 minutes ago, Jscarbr said: Search for Shimano Yumeya Thanks. I actually did an extensive search for Yumeya handles a few days ago when that recommendation came up somewhere and I couldn't find a 95mm model with flat knobs. I'll keep on looking though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5-20 Posted November 27, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2023 4 minutes ago, Bassmann86 said: https://www.hedgehog-studio.co.jp/phone/product-list?search_tmp=Search&keyword=[Studio+Composite&Submit=Search Thanks. Saw a couple of 96mm models that weren't sold out but these had round knobs. Not sure if I am missing a model that has flat knobs? I looked at the Hedgehog website earlier and tried to design a handle that had flat knobs and wasn't sure if that was possible at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5-20 Posted November 27, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2023 Any of you ever try the ZPI Zelos handle? They are 92mm with flat knobs. Some models are available at $90. Morph808 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5-20 Posted November 27, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2023 I think I'm going to go with the ZPI. Sent an email to Hedgehog to make sure the handle would work for the Antares MD and come with the 7mm nut I need to lock it down. https://www.hedgehog-studio.co.jp/product/5018 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassmann86 Posted November 27, 2023 Report Share Posted November 27, 2023 18 minutes ago, 5-20 said: I think I'm going to go with the ZPI. Sent an email to Hedgehog to make sure the handle would work for the Antares MD and come with the 7mm nut I need to lock it down. https://www.hedgehog-studio.co.jp/product/5018 You can get them right now on sale at the hookup up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5-20 Posted November 27, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2023 Just now, Bassmann86 said: You can get them right now on sale at the hookup up Yes I saw that. They had only one model left in stock and I didn't like the color. Hedgehog has them for the same price. Will see how quickly they can ship it out. I'm not really sure why the Zelos handles have been discounted so heavily from the original $190 price. Hopefully it doesn't have anything to do with the quality and decreased demand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brootalititties Posted December 1, 2023 Report Share Posted December 1, 2023 (edited) On 11/26/2023 at 5:48 PM, 5-20 said: Having a hard time finding a handle that works for the 23 Antares DC MD. Tried the 110mm Varial. Did not like how long it was. And it felt like I lost a lot of feel and sensitivity with the WCZ flat knobs. I think it's because of the mass of rubber that absorbs and mutes a lot of that feel that's transmitted with thinner knobs. I went back to the OEM handle and I got so much of that feel and sensitivity back. But the knobs are so small and it is a bit of a flimsy handle. I tried a Tranx 200 handle at 102mm and it felt a little better. Still felt too long and I did not like the sharp ridge and steep curve at the ends of each knob. Thinking a 95mm handle should be great. I've been trying to find a decent OEM Shimano 95mm handle but having a hard time finding anything. Really would prefer not to shell out and potentially waste a lot of $$$ on a 95mm varial handle but that's starting to look like that's the only option besides sticking with the OEM 90mm handle that came on the Monster. Appreciate any suggestions for a decent 95mm Shimano handle with flat knobs. Or any other suggestions. Not interested in Gomexus handles. Thanks. The oem handle for the curado K in the XG and PG gear ratios is 95 mm. I ordered one for my calcutta200 and it worked great. Only thing I don’t like about it is that the knob posts do not accept most standard afternmarket knobs (I prefer the snake bites from whiplash factory) so you are stuck with the oem knobs but with that said they are slightly larger than the standard sized ones so you may actually really like it. I think it was like 25 shipped from shimano usa Edited December 1, 2023 by brootalititties 5-20 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5-20 Posted December 1, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2023 Hmm, thanks, Brooalitties. May try that later. I actually just got the 92mm Zelos from Hedgehog this afternoon. Wow, that was fast. It's a very nice handle. Really quite similar to the OEM Antares MD handle size wise but it's much nicer from a quality standpoint. Knobs are a nicer feeling rubber. It's a really light, solid and very smooth feeling handle. Haven't installed it yet. Felt like it was a pretty good deal getting it on sale for 50% off which helped offset the $25-30 shipping charge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5-20 Posted December 1, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2023 16 hours ago, brootalititties said: The oem handle for the curado K in the XG and PG gear ratios is 95 mm. I ordered one for my calcutta200 and it worked great. Only thing I don’t like about it is that the knob posts do not accept most standard afternmarket knobs (I prefer the snake bites from whiplash factory) so you are stuck with the oem knobs but with that said they are slightly larger than the standard sized ones so you may actually really like it. I think it was like 25 shipped from shimano usa Just looked into it. The K handles have been discontinued. The handle knobs on the M reels look different from the K knobs. Not sure if they're also a different size. Too bad I sold/gave away all of the 200K reels I had or I'd just take one off and try it on the MD. brootalititties 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5-20 Posted December 1, 2023 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2023 It’s a pretty nice handle. The knobs on the MD handle are actually a little bigger than the Zelos knobs. It feels like it would be a great handle for a reel like the 150 Bantam MGL. One interesting thing about the Zelos nut. I wasn’t sure how to tighten it down without damaging it so I just hand tightened it. Somehow I got it tight enough I guess. And there’s supposed to be a small locking screw that keeps the nut in place. That thing is tiny and needs a small eyeglass sized flathead screwdriver which I do not have so we’ll see how long the Zelos stays on the reel with the nut being only hand tightened. Morph808 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brootalititties Posted December 1, 2023 Report Share Posted December 1, 2023 33 minutes ago, 5-20 said: It’s a pretty nice handle. The knobs on the MD handle are actually a little bigger than the Zelos knobs. It feels like it would be a great handle for a reel like the 150 Bantam MGL. One interesting thing about the Zelos nut. I wasn’t sure how to tighten it down without damaging it so I just hand tightened it. Somehow I got it tight enough I guess. And there’s supposed to be a small locking screw that keeps the nut in place. That thing is tiny and needs a small eyeglass sized flathead screwdriver which I do not have so we’ll see how long the Zelos stays on the reel with the nut being only hand tightened. I always use a small piece of thin fabric as a cover to prevent tooling marks when tightening/loosening components that need a little torque to secure, sucks about the set screw some of those little parts are so annoying to deal with 5-20 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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