thedonnguyen Posted May 17, 2016 Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 are they worth investing in or does it not matter since our drags are locked down anyways? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurejerk Posted May 17, 2016 Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 They work great I have to replace mine each year because of use. Personally I never lock down my drag, everyone has their way of doing things and I prefer to use the drag for what its designed to do. The reason is if you happen to have a unknown nick or weak spot in your line or knot this will save you more than you realize. My drag is tight but if a fish makes a hard run, my thumb is there to add any additional pressure if needed without having it locked down...Let your rod do its thing as well ....Just my style....Less big fish lost for me MarkH024 and trav 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ong Jim Posted May 17, 2016 Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 It is a small investment, so it is worth the money. I fish the Delta and target large stripers too, so I never lock my drag. Had to learn that the hard way, a few times. I had the rear hooks of two S-waver 200 get pulled out of the lure because my drag was a little too tight. Let the rod do lion's share of the fighting and your drag as back up. Straight cranking will eventually grind down the gears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesofthejungle Posted May 17, 2016 Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 worth it imo, I too never have my drag fully locked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigpoppabass Posted May 17, 2016 Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 Worth doing if u need a drag on older reels. It seems I am unable to ever crank down drag entirely especially if there is lots of line out. There are utube vids out there to follow... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassbass Posted May 18, 2016 Report Share Posted May 18, 2016 I have them on a couple of reel and the seem to work great. Never hard and issue but also never had an issue with the stock ones in my Calcutta's or Curado's. I do not lock my draga down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volfan Posted May 18, 2016 Report Share Posted May 18, 2016 (edited) On Daiwas, they definitely are an upgrade and definitely worth it. They're less noticeable of an upgrade on Shimanos I've used, but it's such am inexpensive thing to do, why not? Edited May 18, 2016 by Volfan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigpoppabass Posted May 18, 2016 Report Share Posted May 18, 2016 (edited) , why not? Cuz you commit amd learn it or struggle first time. I needed to watch a vid once a couple of springs popped. Edited May 18, 2016 by bigpoppabass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicky Posted May 18, 2016 Report Share Posted May 18, 2016 Hey Don! I think the Carbontex are definitely worth it. If you're using a Shimano that's maybe made a few years prior like a Curado E, the dartanium drags are nice and smooth but after pulling on some accidental bat rays, I actually blew up the dartanium. I'd imagine grinding down on a big bass would put just as much strain on drags than playing out a big bat Ray. I've had my Carbontex drags in my curado for 6 years now and they're still good. They just need a good pat on a towel every so often to free of grease then just a small gloss of grease over then. On a side note, if you're fishing with a newer style Daiwa like a Lexa, Tatulas, or Zillions, have what Daiwa calls UTD drag which is a carbon fiber drag washer that is literally a Carbontex washer. The same goes for some of the newer Shimanos too. When I cleaned my friend's Curado I, I was surprised to find out Shimano had upgraded to carbon fiber drags. I'm not sure about all the the models that have the CF drag so I'd quick crack the reel open and see. So if you're fishing with newer Daiwa reel that has UTD drag or newer Shimano that has a CF washer, your reel basically has CF drags that are as good as Carbontex. Hope this helps! Nicky Lakeshark 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicky Posted May 18, 2016 Report Share Posted May 18, 2016 Oops that last sentence might have been a bit confusing. What I meant to type was the drags just need a good wipe on a towel to clean out gunk that builds up on the washer, then just a small coat of grease over the washer so it's not rubbing straight metal to washer. Lakeshark 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedonnguyen Posted May 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2016 I'm using lexas and the drag is slipping on one of my reels when completely locked down, so they need replacing and was debating between factory or carbontex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
igl00jx Posted May 18, 2016 Report Share Posted May 18, 2016 Carbontex is the way to goIf I recall, for the Lexa 300, $18 straight from smoothdrag Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkH024 Posted May 18, 2016 Report Share Posted May 18, 2016 I have Carbontex in a bunch of my conventionals but not my swimbait reels. Like Lurejerk, I never fish a locked drag, even when fishing for musky. Good working drag = more landed big fish in my personal experience. The drag is a great cheap upgrade on any reel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicky Posted May 18, 2016 Report Share Posted May 18, 2016 Ok if your drag is slipping then I bet a locked down drag eventually will bore down the CF drags so they'll eventually need to be replaced. Daiwa stock drags and Carbontex are comparable in price but when I replaced the original drags with Carbontex, the Carbontex are always a bit thicker so I'd say go with Carbontex. Just clean out the main drive gear, the Carbontex, and the rest of the metal washers that are in the drag system every so often and you should be good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle Davidson Posted May 18, 2016 Report Share Posted May 18, 2016 I installed them on an old Calcutta 100 that I restored along with some ceramics. The drag feels great, big improvement from the OEM Shimano. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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