Anyone own a Allen Reel?? chasing reviews
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MattGoodall
- Posts: 150
- Joined: Sun Sep 22, 2013 7:50 pm
Anyone own a Allen Reel?? chasing reviews
Just wondering if anyone has an allen reel more the Alpha or Kraken. just after some reviews cheers.
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Andre Rossouw
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Re: Anyone own a Allen Reel?? chasing reviews
Hi Matt
Yes, I have two size models of the Kraken reel. Will bring them along to the casting day.
Yes, I have two size models of the Kraken reel. Will bring them along to the casting day.
Re: Anyone own a Allen Reel?? chasing reviews
I've got 9 Allen reels: 3 x Krakens, 3 x Alpha II, 2 x Trout and a Trout II
I would buy more of them, but I really don't need any more reels (I've also got a couple of Solitudes and a Sage). Allen reels are great reels for the price. I'd rather buy two or three of these reels than a more expensive reel plus a spare spool for it. I don't know how well they'd hold up against a GT, but I'm more than willing to try! Just need to find a suitable GT who is happy to complete the review ...
I'll also bring a few to the casting day, but I won't be there until around 1pm.
Cheers,
Graeme
I would buy more of them, but I really don't need any more reels (I've also got a couple of Solitudes and a Sage). Allen reels are great reels for the price. I'd rather buy two or three of these reels than a more expensive reel plus a spare spool for it. I don't know how well they'd hold up against a GT, but I'm more than willing to try! Just need to find a suitable GT who is happy to complete the review ...
I'll also bring a few to the casting day, but I won't be there until around 1pm.
Cheers,
Graeme
IFFF Certified Casting Instructor
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MattGoodall
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Re: Anyone own a Allen Reel?? chasing reviews
Cheers for the feed back guys,
So u had them for long?? they holding up alright with the drag system.
They must be alright if u have 9 of them Graeme. Yeh for the price i guess u cant go wrong. Will have too put one too the test on some Salmon next run. Cheers guys
So u had them for long?? they holding up alright with the drag system.
They must be alright if u have 9 of them Graeme. Yeh for the price i guess u cant go wrong. Will have too put one too the test on some Salmon next run. Cheers guys
Re: Anyone own a Allen Reel?? chasing reviews
Salmon won't be much of a test for them! I'm looking towards sambos and GTs to test them: 18lb snapper aren't strong enough to stress the reels ....
Yeah, they've all held up well since I started buying them about 3 years ago. The Krakens have a cork composite drag, but all my other Allens have CF drag washers (which are just fine.) The current versions of the Alpha reels have been moved across to cork composite drags and I have not seen how they are holding up. If we can assume the drags are similar to the Kraken drags, they'll be fine for a few years of use. I can't comment on the longivity of the Allen cork drags though (too recent), but personally, I wish they had stuck with CF drags. I don't trust cork as a drag material in the long run.
As you say, though - for that price, who cares? Buy something current to replace it in a few years time, either from them or another company.
Cheers,
Graeme
I'm looking towards sambos and GTs to test them: 18lb snapper aren't strong enough to stress the reels ....Yeah, they've all held up well since I started buying them about 3 years ago. The Krakens have a cork composite drag, but all my other Allens have CF drag washers (which are just fine.) The current versions of the Alpha reels have been moved across to cork composite drags and I have not seen how they are holding up. If we can assume the drags are similar to the Kraken drags, they'll be fine for a few years of use. I can't comment on the longivity of the Allen cork drags though (too recent), but personally, I wish they had stuck with CF drags. I don't trust cork as a drag material in the long run.
As you say, though - for that price, who cares? Buy something current to replace it in a few years time, either from them or another company.
Cheers,
Graeme
IFFF Certified Casting Instructor
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MattGoodall
- Posts: 150
- Joined: Sun Sep 22, 2013 7:50 pm
Re: Anyone own a Allen Reel?? chasing reviews
True Graeme, last season got up too 10 kilo salmon and they pull pretty hard prob more a test for the alpha
than the bigger kraken, but ur right a big GT or Sambo would be a good test. Would love too target some sambos down
this way .....
Is that cos the cork wears quicker than the CF or ??? but yeh i think for the price if u can get almost 3 reels for the price of one and set up 3 rods and still last a few years at least if not more cant go wrong with that.... Thanks for the feedback mate appreciate it...
Matt
than the bigger kraken, but ur right a big GT or Sambo would be a good test. Would love too target some sambos down
this way .....
Is that cos the cork wears quicker than the CF or ??? but yeh i think for the price if u can get almost 3 reels for the price of one and set up 3 rods and still last a few years at least if not more cant go wrong with that.... Thanks for the feedback mate appreciate it...
Matt
Re: Anyone own a Allen Reel?? chasing reviews
Is there something wrong with cork as a drag material? Well, no, nothing seriously wrong. I think it’s just my cynicism about marketing showing through. You’ll only find cork being used when the reel is a fly reel AND the reel is being marketed specifically into the North American market. You usually won’t find a European reel with cork drags: they use artificial materials like carbon fibre and “Rulon”. You will not find cork used in spin gear, baitcasters or game-fishing gear - only fly reels.
I believe cork is for stopping bottles, not fish.
Cork compresses over time, so the longer you have the reel, the less drag it will have. The lifespan of the drag is very much reduced if you leave it dialled in when you aren’t fishing (i.e. if you have a cork drag, you should minimise the drag before storage.)
Cork is not “designed” as a friction material, and in fact, it’s really only present in “cork drags” to provide a compressible material for the rubber matrix of the drag to be “squeezed” into. It’s the rubber matrix surrounding the cork that provides the stopping power for a cork drag. The compressible drag material is compensation for poor engineering, in my opinion: a fine drag knob adjustment thread with a modern CF drag does a better job.
When the marketing guys talk about “zero startup inertia” inherent in cork drags, they are hiding one of the design flaws of cork drags, which is that a cork drag doesn’t reach its full drag setting until it has heated up through friction, thereby expanding the cork washer to fill the gap. So with a cork drag, the fish is going to take a little line before the drag reaches full power.
To get the same drag strength from a cork system as you’d find in CF, you need a bigger washer and drag plate. A reel with a cork drag will often be heavier due simply to the drag mechanism.
Having slammed cork here, that doesn’t mean I avoid it at all costs. I’ll buy reels with cork drags if other factors can sway me. I do have three Krakens (cork drags). My very best reels are the two Solitude reels I have, both of which have cork drags. These two reels have the strongest and smoothest drags of all the reels I own, but they are also the most solid and the best finished reels I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing with. They are $400 though, so they are outside this discussion in terms of price point.
Cheers,
Graeme
I believe cork is for stopping bottles, not fish.
Cork compresses over time, so the longer you have the reel, the less drag it will have. The lifespan of the drag is very much reduced if you leave it dialled in when you aren’t fishing (i.e. if you have a cork drag, you should minimise the drag before storage.)
Cork is not “designed” as a friction material, and in fact, it’s really only present in “cork drags” to provide a compressible material for the rubber matrix of the drag to be “squeezed” into. It’s the rubber matrix surrounding the cork that provides the stopping power for a cork drag. The compressible drag material is compensation for poor engineering, in my opinion: a fine drag knob adjustment thread with a modern CF drag does a better job.
When the marketing guys talk about “zero startup inertia” inherent in cork drags, they are hiding one of the design flaws of cork drags, which is that a cork drag doesn’t reach its full drag setting until it has heated up through friction, thereby expanding the cork washer to fill the gap. So with a cork drag, the fish is going to take a little line before the drag reaches full power.
To get the same drag strength from a cork system as you’d find in CF, you need a bigger washer and drag plate. A reel with a cork drag will often be heavier due simply to the drag mechanism.
Having slammed cork here, that doesn’t mean I avoid it at all costs. I’ll buy reels with cork drags if other factors can sway me. I do have three Krakens (cork drags). My very best reels are the two Solitude reels I have, both of which have cork drags. These two reels have the strongest and smoothest drags of all the reels I own, but they are also the most solid and the best finished reels I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing with. They are $400 though, so they are outside this discussion in terms of price point.
Cheers,
Graeme
IFFF Certified Casting Instructor
Re: Anyone own a Allen Reel?? chasing reviews
Good post Graeme. That's pretty much the nuts and bolts of it. Just providing another point of view.
Salmon won't really test out a drag. They're more of a tractor rather than a dragster. Most times, you're lucky to get to the back of the fly line, let alone backing. If you really want to test a drag, find some tuna or mackerel. Trevally on shallow flats will also do the trick.
I wouldn't say synthetic drags are better over cork drags or vice versa. You really need to consider each individual reel and how it's designed. I've had some high end reels with carbon fibre drags that were absolutely hopeless.
I'm still a fan of cork drags, because it's a simple system if designed well. Yes, you probably won't get as much drag pressure out of cork, compared to a well designed CF drag reel. Saying that, you get 3-4 kg of drag pressure out of most cork drag reels, which is more than adequate. If you feel this is low, see how long you can hold up a 4kg weight through a bent rod.
A well designed reel will also have a palming lip on the spool to supplement the drag. With direct drive reels, you can also hang onto the handle to supply 'extra drag'. Just have to remember to let go if the fish wants to go for a run.
I haven't fished the Allen reels, so can't comment.
Salmon won't really test out a drag. They're more of a tractor rather than a dragster. Most times, you're lucky to get to the back of the fly line, let alone backing. If you really want to test a drag, find some tuna or mackerel. Trevally on shallow flats will also do the trick.
I wouldn't say synthetic drags are better over cork drags or vice versa. You really need to consider each individual reel and how it's designed. I've had some high end reels with carbon fibre drags that were absolutely hopeless.
I'm still a fan of cork drags, because it's a simple system if designed well. Yes, you probably won't get as much drag pressure out of cork, compared to a well designed CF drag reel. Saying that, you get 3-4 kg of drag pressure out of most cork drag reels, which is more than adequate. If you feel this is low, see how long you can hold up a 4kg weight through a bent rod.
A well designed reel will also have a palming lip on the spool to supplement the drag. With direct drive reels, you can also hang onto the handle to supply 'extra drag'. Just have to remember to let go if the fish wants to go for a run.
I haven't fished the Allen reels, so can't comment.