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NGT Dynamic Baitrunner. Thoughts?

Graham Elliott

Graham Elliott

Senior Member & Supporter
Hard to find a new 4000 or 5000 baitrunner with rear drag and a double handle.

These are less than £20 in 4000 size

Can't be any good...can they?
 
I'd consider myself to be a slight tackle snob but even without factoring that in I'm not sure I'd skimp that much on a reel.
 
Hi Graham,
I have Shimano gtes and Shakespeare reels, but last year I ordered a pair of Hirisi HB4000 direct from the manufacturer in China.( I know probably not the right time to mention China) But let's be honest I bet most manufacturers reels are either made in China or have many Chinese components in them. They are just branded as something sounding English, and have additional mark up applied.
The HB range are bait runners with rear drag, come with spare spools plus single and double handles.
They arrived within two weeks of ordering and really looked good quality.
I have used them for tench and bream fishing during most of last year and I cannot fault them.
Total cost including delivery was less than £40.
 
I've also had positive results getting reels direct from the Batflu place. In my case with Yumoshi fixed spool reels. Simply the best quality fixed spool reels I've ever owned. Three years on they're still faultless. They cost £24 for both, delivered.
I've since discovered that the more ball bearings the reels have the better the quality.
Mine are 12+1 IIRC, got another with 7+1 and while it works it's in a different league quality wise. It was about £7.
 
NGT make some good kit when it comes to luggage and terminal bits. But I got a couple of alarms for piking a few years back. They cost about 6 quid a pop, and I thought as long as they beeped when the drop-off indicator went, they’d be worth the money. They both lasted a session - one packed up during (it was raining), the other didn’t work when I checked it a week or so later. My delkims have definitely done me more £6 each per session since.

I got some cheaper Leeda Freespool reels for tenching a couple of seasons ago. I quite like Leeda stuff, my old man has got a carp waggler rod that’s real quality and I had some good Leeda luggage that lasted my teenage fishing years... However, I was retrieving an average sized clump of weed one session, and one literally fell apart in my hands. The other now sits in the reel cupboard in its bag.

My opinion, there probably are a few gems out there in the budget ranges. But for rods and reels, they’re not worth risking if you’re targeting waters that could do you a fish of a lifetime (or even a season).

“You can’t afford cheap”, as my Grandad used to say. Although, he was justifying his taste in Scotch...
 
I have owned some NGT bits for years and haven't let me down -

42 inch landing net 0- had for 5 years and the spreader block thread broke - net still good
2m extending landing net handle - had for years but left on the bank
weigh sling - had for 5 years still going strong

Some really good reviews on their gear on the web......
 
I’ve been using some NGT stuff recently and found it to be decent stuff but I think it might bite you in the arse if you were to use it for fundamental tackle.

I consider myself a relatively smart tackle shopper and I certainly wouldn’t pay £25 for a lead pouch when an NGT pouch will cost me £6.
what can possibly be different unless your a total tart and everything needs to be a top matching brand. Rod bands, tip protectors, pouches, bags etc fair enough NGT can be perfect for that but I wouldn’t chance it with a reel.
10 bearings by themselves should cost more than £20 and why on Earth is there 10 bearings in it. Just pointless bragging rights.
A reel needs no more than 4/5 to be beautifully smooth in all motions and functions.
It only takes the worm drive to be made out of monkey metal and strip while playing the fish of a life time and it suddenly becomes the most expensive reel in the world as it’s cost you BIG TIME.
My NGT chair leg adjusters failed very quickly after a few sessions. Just lucky I’m a welder 😎 so it’s still going strong
 
Shimano reels of a certain age have just ONE ball bearing , but it was a quality bearing, and they are still going strong 20 plus years later. And that's the rub, these cheap reels are smooth silk, but the material quality is not as good. Fixed spool reels take s lot of wear and tear, the last thing anyone would want is them to explode when playing a fish of a lifetime. Metal fatigue is the enemy.
 
It costs about that to service a Shimano reel at Felindre.
Probably worth a punt. If you get a season, you've got your moneys worth, any more than that a bonus?
All the NGT stuff I've had has been fit for purpose, no drama with any of it but mainly tackle storage, luggage etc.
I've had Nash & Daiwa reels at more than twice that price fail within a season due to plastic parts failing so branding is no guarantee.
You pays your money...
 
I've bought various cheapo reels (5 or 6), for canal lure fishing and for my telescopic rods used in foreign seas. 3 have failed after 12-24 months. I still use (maybe 20-25 sessions p.a.) a couple of Shimmy 3500RE that I bought in the 80's. They've never been serviced, and they've never given me a moment's bother. With old (bomb proof IMO) Shimmys selling for £25-30 on eBay etc etc, I'd say they were better value, and far better quality, than cheap reels made to sell ....and not to last.
Ball bearings?? I've never had a bearing fail on a Shimmy, and the most ball bearing in the (13!!) Shimmys that I own is 2.
Servicing?? I put one good drop on chainsaw oil in rear lube point of each used Shimmy every year, whether they need it or not :D
 
Terry Simner said:
I've bought various cheapo reels (5 or 6), for canal lure fishing and for my telescopic rods used in foreign seas. 3 have failed after 12-24 months. I still use (maybe 20-25 sessions p.a.) a couple of Shimmy 3500RE that I bought in the 80's. They've never been serviced, and they've never given me a moment's bother. With old (bomb proof IMO) Shimmys selling for £25-30 on eBay etc etc, I'd say they were better value, and far better quality, than cheap reels made to sell ....and not to last.
Ball bearings?? I've never had a bearing fail on a Shimmy, and the most ball bearing in the (13!!) Shimmys that I own is 2.
Servicing?? I put one good drop on chainsaw oil in rear lube point of each used Shimmy every year, whether they need it or not :D
Click to expand...
Tried too many times Terry to strip down and never got them back together.
For £15 ish I just feel it's safer get Felindre do it.
After a normal season, my 6010/8010 baitrunners are usually in need of a bit of TLC and they will be 20-25 years old.
Its normally bail arms, clutch washers need replacing, anti-reverse packs up etc..
Like you I have a few now , so tend to rotate them
I've had some good cheap reels, several going strong after many years, so it really can be a lottery

.
 
The addition of a line roller race was always a welcome bearing to be added imo. One either side of the main gear and one in the rotory head on the through shaft.
any more than that is just putting them in for the sake of writing it on the literature.
90% of a reels smoothness in operation is down to balance rather than bearings.
Rap a bit of blue tack on the line roller and spin that handle and you’ll see what I mean. It will wobble around like a bleeding weeble no matter how many bearings are in there as you’ve knocked the balance right out with a few extra grams where they weren’t meant to be.
 
Paul Richardson said:
Tried too many times Terry to strip down and never got them back together.
For £15 ish I just feel it's safer get Felindre do it.
After a normal season, my 6010/8010 baitrunners are usually in need of a bit of TLC and they will be 20-25 years old.
Its normally bail arms, clutch washers need replacing, anti-reverse packs up etc..
Like you I have a few now , so tend to rotate them
I've had some good cheap reels, several going strong after many years, so it really can be a lottery

.
Click to expand...
Don’t take this the wrong way but if your replacing bail arms and friction washers And anti reverse mechanisms after a season then there is something really wrong.
ive got a few old 90’s shimmy’s and they don’t need anything but line and a drop of lube. The anti reverse mechanism is practically impossible to break unless you physically attempt to remove those tiny springs. If your service guy is telling you to replace those parts he’s having you on.
send em to me if you like I’ll service them for you for the cost of posting them back. It takes about 15-30 mins for a 90’s baitrunner depending on what crud is inside them.
 
Richard Isaacs said:
Don’t take this the wrong way but if your replacing bail arms and friction washers And anti reverse mechanisms after a season then there is something really wrong.
ive got a few old 90’s shimmy’s and they don’t need anything but line and a drop of lube. The anti reverse mechanism is practically impossible to break unless you physically attempt to remove those tiny springs. If your service guy is telling you to replace those parts he’s having you on.
send em to me if you like I’ll service them for you for the cost of posting them back. It takes about 15-30 mins for a 90’s baitrunner depending on what crud is inside them.
Click to expand...
I might well take you up on that Richard if you're serious - there has to be a few beers in it for you 👍
I think they are pretty straight at Felindre, I tend to tell them change this and that. Like you said in an earlier post, I don't want a major malfunction when playing a good fish or 1st day of a week trip to the Wye( which always seems to happen - net snapped last year).
I'll PM you -cheers
 
I’m absolutely serious Paul.
obviously I’m talking about servicing fully functioning reels not repairing broken ones.

send me all your reels and I’ll give them a proper service for you.
ive got an unusually large amount of free time at the moment, it’s certainly not a difficult job so really no charge is necessary. every single part in those reels is manufactured to last a lifetime should it be used correctly and maintained appropriately. No need to worry and start replacing things.
 
Well. still not decided whether to risk a pair.
Only needed for few local tinca sessions on the heli rigs.

Keep my 5000 xteas for the barbel fishing.

Could match up the one 4000 stradic I have using the fighting drag...not ideal. But you are looking at £80 or so.
I have 3 x 3000 stradics if anyone wants to swop😂 1 for 1.

Thinking at £38 for 2 and maybe 10 trips per year maybe be ok.

Double handle / rear drag a must.
 
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