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Posts: 743
| How could the nut loosen up with the handle nut plate on? |
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Posts: 425
Location: MN | The screw for the handle nut plate loosens first, then falls out. Then the nut plate falls off. If you don't expect the reel to fall apart, it is easy to miss when those components fall off. After they are gone, the nut loosens.
Hopefully, the solution is to simply add blue Loctite to the nut plate screw. |
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Posts: 1000
| Ran the 400A all weekend. The reel is unbelievably smooth on the cast and retrieve. Very comfortable to reel all day.
My impression was that it's an excellent all-purpose reel. Jr Cowgirls were great on it. I wouldn't recommend 10's with the paddle handle. I'm definitely getting the HG later this year. and possibly another 400A with a power handle. Really, really happy with these reels
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Posts: 32934
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Propster - 6/9/2017 11:13 AM
nar160 - 6/8/2017 1:14 PM
I have a 300ahg and 301ahg.
Good:
- fits great in my smaller hands, more comfortable than a Beast, similar to NaCl 50
- cranking force needed is manageable with everything I've tried so far (10's, some cranks, etc.) Not sure about 12's. I can crank a 3.5 oz double 10 just slow enough to stay under the water for an extended period of time.
Bad:
- line bunches up on side as others have noted
- constantly have to tighten star drag down. Particularly bad when ripping crankbaits.
- the screw that holds on the metal piece that retains the handle shaft nut fell out on both reels within a couple days. The metal piece then fell off and the nuts loosened. I noticed when after a cast, my #*^@ handle was gone! Handle fell in the drink along with several pieces underneath. Checked the other reel and it was getting loose as well. I called Shimano and they want me to buy all of the parts - "handles don't just fall off." So I'm expecting to shell out another $60-80 just to get them back to original after 4 days of use. Will put some loctite on those screws moving forward.
Tell me what you need and I will order them for you and save you 30%. But the nut isn't just "on and then off", it is threaded so has to work its way off - can't believe you didn't feel the handle being loose on at least a cast or two (retrieve ) before it would have came off to the point where the handle falls off and you don't even notice it.
I second that. |
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Posts: 132
| Ran my 400HG a bit on Sunday, I am a big fan. Very, very smooth. |
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| I used my 400A for the first time on Sunday and it performed quite nicely. I threw mostly double eights and it casted awesome and the pull on the retrieve wasn't bad at all. I only managed one backlash on a ridiculous snap cast straight into the teeth of the wind. I didn't see any of the uneven line lay that other posters have been talking about. |
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Posts: 1753
Location: Mt. Zion, IL | Propster - 6/9/2017 11:13 AM
But the nut isn't just "on and then off", it is threaded so has to work its way off - can't believe you didn't feel the handle being loose on at least a cast or two (retrieve) before it would have came off to the point where the handle falls off and you don't even notice it.
^^^^^^This guy nailed it. I don't buy that the screw simply fell out. Shimano uses blue loctite on the handle nut screws. Even still, if they missed one, you can't tell me you would not feel something out of the ordinary with the reel and be able to stop abusing it until the issue is corrected. |
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Posts: 3157
| Ill cut to the chase- do you think this reel stands up to dbl 10s burned!!! 3-4 hours a day,twice a week 3 1/2 months a year??? Can't afford and too reckless to buy a 500hg. |
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Posts: 464
| I will further this. Should this be the next reel purchase 400a for all around low profile use? Sucks, twitch baits, top waters, buck tails. Looking for the 5 iron of the bag. |
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Posts: 1901
Location: MN | happy hooker - 6/12/2017 2:30 PM
Ill cut to the chase- do you think this reel stands up to dbl 10s burned!!! 3-4 hours a day,twice a week 3 1/2 months a year??? Can't afford and too reckless to buy a 500hg.
Without having used one, but just knowing how most other reels we've been discussing the last several years feel, I will venture this: For the HG, no way. Too much frickin' work. For the A (30IPT is it?), I would say that you're not going to get much burn out of it, unless you supply all the burn. Seems like our search for a smaller version of the Tranx 500 will continue. It may simply not be feasible to achieve. |
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Posts: 425
Location: MN | happy hooker - 6/12/2017 2:30 PM
Ill cut to the chase- do you think this reel stands up to dbl 10s burned!!! 3-4 hours a day,twice a week 3 1/2 months a year??? Can't afford and too reckless to buy a 500hg.
No comment on durability yet - need to put the time in and see what happens.
But when it comes to effort, my question would be how do you define burn?
With an HG you can pull a cowgirl fast enough to blow out without too much effort. I build my 10s to about 3.5 oz and the HG will pull them just slow enough to not blow out with a moderate amount of effort. You certainly can pull a bucktail faster - I have some smaller bucktails with #8 IN blades that are built up fairly heavy that I retrieve quite a bit faster - the HG would probably not be sustainable on a double 10 at that speed unless you have really strong hands and wrists. |
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Posts: 1000
| happy hooker - 6/12/2017 2:30 PM
Ill cut to the chase- do you think this reel stands up to dbl 10s burned!!! 3-4 hours a day,twice a week 3 1/2 months a year??? Can't afford and too reckless to buy a 500hg.
Thank you for the laughs. I needed that alongside my stiff Monday drink.
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Posts: 38
Location: WI | Check out muskyhunter forum. Jim Saric did a full review of the 400hg, 400pg and 500pg. comparison. Quite interesting! |
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Posts: 7090
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | happy hooker - 6/12/2017 2:30 PM
Ill cut to the chase- do you think this reel stands up to dbl 10s burned!!! 3-4 hours a day,twice a week 3 1/2 months a year??? Can't afford and too reckless to buy a 500hg.
No. The reel MIGHT, you won't |
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Posts: 121
Location: Forest Lake, MN & Bemidji, MN | First hookset. I have spoken with Shimano, under warranty but I have to send the entire reel at my expense and be without a reel for at least three weeks.
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Posts: 1901
Location: MN | You're doing it wrong  |
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Posts: 121
Location: Forest Lake, MN & Bemidji, MN | Hahaha! Possibly Keith! I do find it odd that the rest of my shimano reel's handles don't have the same shape after catching fish? Hmmm, noggin scratcher. I do love the reel, the handle... No comment. |
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Posts: 4269
Location: Ashland WI | Wow!!! So...how big was the fish??? |
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Posts: 121
Location: Forest Lake, MN & Bemidji, MN | Unsure, I lost it. Happened at 10pm Thursday night, fish hit going into the first turn at boatside in the dark and when I set the hook I thought the handle came off. Then I tried reeling and my reel was all jacked up and as I was flailing it jumped and went back under and the first headshake once it was back under water it came off. No surprise, the line was not tight. I'd guess 42-44", I saw it decent when it jumped. Thankfully I caught a skinny 46" (using a calcutta ??) on Friday at noon so it wasn't as much of a bummer for my two days on the water for the week. |
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Posts: 532
| Maybe I'm missing something. If the handle bent and it's the only thing wrong why not take it off and straighten it your self? Takes 3 minutes.
Seriously if that was done on the hook set I have to ask why are you pulling your reel handle to set the hook? |
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Posts: 121
Location: Forest Lake, MN & Bemidji, MN | Wow, I guess I set the hook pulling in one direction with both hands. Not sure the position of the handle relative to my rod etc at the time. I was surprised by the fish, it was dark. I don't practice my form or anything at home. I have caught plenty of fish and never had anything remotely similar happen.
I didn't bend the handle back straight because in my experience metal doesn't get stronger after it bends multiple times, so it will happen again if it happened the first time.
Since you think I am lying (for god knows what reason) please call Thorne Brothers in Minnesota (where I bought the reel) and ask for a guy named Erik, he answered when I first called them about it Friday asking what was best to do with it. Hoping I could swap it out or something. He talked to another employee about it as well. He told me what to do with the reel and he also told me I was the second person he has heard of that this has happened to. So I'll sleep well tonight knowing someone else out there sets the hook wrong too. Sorry that I shared my experience. |
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Posts: 1100
| That also happened quite a few times when the Toro NACL came with the power handle, if i remember correct. |
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Posts: 532
| It could be read as if I was doubting your story, I was more making light that your not using the rod hand to set the hook but your reel. I believe most would say you need to tweek your technique if that's the case.
Regardless, if by sending the whole reel back and not having it for three weeks is better than straightening the handle that's up to you. I feel that using a straighten handle every fishing trip and saving the shipping money to buy another more sturdy handle would be a better option in my eyes.
Yes the handle you bent in the present would be more prone to bend, if straightened that could serve as a learning tool not to use your reel to set hooks.
If you do send the reel back, I hope they put on a different handle for you. But Likely it will be the same handle That came on the reel, and may bend on your next hook set. |
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Posts: 670
Location: mercer wi | Hopefully you didn't strip the threading on the shafts with that much torque you put on handle nut. That's cool Shimano will warrenty the handle for human error. I've done it before.
O yea, I really like my 400's. |
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Posts: 2687
Location: Hayward, WI | Geez. I broke the power handle knob off an Okuma once too. Only happened once, years ago. Guess I need to seriously reevaluate my hooksetting technique now. I sure feel silly. |
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Posts: 2687
Location: Hayward, WI | P.s. I pull "some" on the handle when I rip big rubber too. Obviously we shouldn't set the hook with the reel handle but in my mind the handle should be build to take some amount of sideways stresses.
With that said these new reels do sound nice. Anybody else have an issue with line stacking up to one side of the spool? Any idea if Shimano is selling the power handles for these and what they cost? |
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Posts: 256
Location: Janesville | I have the 400 and love it . caught some fish on it and the drag works great. I really like this reel will be buying more. |
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Posts: 1660
Location: central Wisconsin | curleytail - 6/25/2017 9:03 PM
P.s. I pull "some" on the handle when I rip big rubber too. Obviously we shouldn't set the hook with the reel handle but in my mind the handle should be build to take some amount of sideways stresses.
With that said these new reels do sound nice. Anybody else have an issue with line stacking up to one side of the spool? Any idea if Shimano is selling the power handles for these and what they cost?
We had the line stack up enough on one side that the line was rubbing the frame. We trolled all the line out, rewound it and it was fine. Don't know why, we will see if it happens again. |
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