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centre pin

I expect they are going to do well with those!

The line guard could be a useful addition. I find I get the line around the back or the handles of my Mk I all too often.
 
Very interesting and I must admit rather tempting,the line guard and larger spool,look like a couple of nice additions. :)
 
I bought the Marco Contesi reel last year. The pawl fell out when I had my first proper tug on it. No fish and I eventually found the little bit of metal in the grass. It does spin for 2 minutes but what good is that really? now in the cabinet. Bought a nice old Speedia wide drum on ebay for less money. Rachet doesn't fall out and it makes a magical sound.
 
Nick Clark said:
I bought the Marco Contesi reel last year. The pawl fell out when I had my first proper tug on it. No fish and I eventually found the little bit of metal in the grass. It does spin for 2 minutes but what good is that really? now in the cabinet. Bought a nice old Speedia wide drum on ebay for less money. Rachet doesn't fall out and it makes a magical sound.
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You did well to get a Speedia wide drum for less than £30 these days.

I have been using one of these off and on for a few weeks now. Obviously it is nowhere near as well built as old pins such as the speedia, and being a bearing based reel rather than a pin it ain't going to last as long. However it doesn't really compete in that market, rather against the Okuma bearing reels which cost three times the price.

It will, of course, spin forever as will any bearing based reel set up even half right. However for those using it for trotting the start up weight required to get it spinning (a rather more important factor) is more than the Okuma competitors and a lot more than either a well set up Speedia or Arial. However it certainly does the job with the sort of floats that most barbel anglers are going to be using. So decent enough.

It isn't any where near as well built as the Okuma reels. The ratchet can disconnect for no apparent reason and it can be a little difficult to operate at times. Line can also go round the back of the reel and tangles up on the gearing.

However at £30 it is a bargain. Particularly as it is quite wide and can take more line than standard Speedias and Arials that I use. It can make a useful reel for those times you need the extra line. I used it for worming for barbel and chub and the extra line over my usual reels was good to have. It is also fine for trotting with heavy float set ups.

Personally I would recommend finding a decent second hand speedia or arial every time. Genuine pins, rather than bearing based reels have a longer life span and are much easier to maintain in the field. However if you want a new reel rather than a second hand reel the price difference between this and the Okumas does make it very attractive.

Hopefully the prices of the various Okumas will drop in order to compete as they are built a lot better. Okuma always seem to aim to come in well under the main competitors, whilst making quality kit. Their SVG fly reels are as good as Hardys at a third of the price and whilst not being much of an expert on baitrunner reels their version seems a great reel to me and costs around £40 instead of the £80 of Shimanos; so expect to see the Okuma centre pins at around £60 when they would be worth buying.
The one thing I can't believe is that people are still selling this reel at nearly £150 branded as the TFG X-Pin...who brought one of these, at that price just madness.
 
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Cheers Pete. The Mordex Merlin is a 4 1/2" pin with a movable line guard if that's required (I prefer without). The drum is just a whisker under an inch wide (wider than a rapidex). Seem to go for £20-30 on ebay. I have two of them and they both spin for 45-60 secs.
 
Nick Clark said:
oh - speedia wide drum was £19.90!
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Great buy that, the last Speedia I brought (standard drum) cost £35 and I sold one last year on e bay for £52.00! I must admit to having been suprised to get so much although it was in good condition. I was hoping they had all become collectors items as I have another two brought for next to nothing back in the nineties.;) Given the thousands of them that are around I always thought that a vain hope...
If you can get the wide drum speedias for that sort of money then don't bother with this reel. Actually I would go for the standard Speedia over this reel or the Okumas...but some people like new shiny stuff.:) How long a reel spins just isn't that important any bearing reel will spin for ages when batted with your hands, but how exactly that helps when you are fishing is beyond me.
 
I suppose chatting on here will only put the prices up. The narrow drum one I have was about £20 also. It's the older model 1960s?, with Speedia outside the triangle and, as if it mattered, it spins like a gyroscope. The trouble with speedias - to put people off - is that they have a smaller diameter than the Marco Contesi pin so you have to wind it about 3 turns to every 2 you would on the Contesi. IF you want new I'd get the Contesi and do something about the pawl falling out with a soldering iron.
 
Nick Clark said:
I suppose chatting on here will only put the prices up. The narrow drum one I have was about £20 also. It's the older model 1960s?, with Speedia outside the triangle and, as if it mattered, it spins like a gyroscope. The trouble with speedias - to put people off - is that they have a smaller diameter than the Marco Contesi pin so you have to wind it about 3 turns to every 2 you would on the Contesi. IF you want new I'd get the Contesi and do something about the pawl falling out with a soldering iron.
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But I have all the speedias I need and if the price goes up will sell them, so praise away if that puts the price up;)

Sold my pair of Abu Cardinal 55's when they became fashionable for a while and brought some modern reels that are far better for the cash I got (and had change).
So Speedia's are the greatest reels every made, worth lots of cash, will catch you more fish, absolutely guaranteed.
Avon Royal Supremes (I've got one of them I hardly use) are also great and catch you more fish.
Mitchel matches are also great, particularly ones that make a sound like a coffee grinder, far better than modern kit. (got a couple of these).
Watch out on e bay:D
 
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Marco Cortesi

Hi Guy's,
Give us a break, I haven't used the first one I rushed out and bought yet!;) Along with a whole shed full of 'bargains' it is still in its box:rolleyes:
Regards,
G.T.
 
Pete Marshall said:
You did well to get a Speedia wide drum for less than £30 these days.

I have been using one of these off and on for a few weeks now. Obviously it is nowhere near as well built as old pins such as the speedia, and being a bearing based reel rather than a pin it ain't going to last as long. However it doesn't really compete in that market, rather against the Okuma bearing reels which cost three times the price.

It will, of course, spin forever as will any bearing based reel set up even half right. However for those using it for trotting the start up weight required to get it spinning (a rather more important factor) is more than the Okuma competitors and a lot more than either a well set up Speedia or Arial. However it certainly does the job with the sort of floats that most barbel anglers are going to be using. So decent enough.

It isn't any where near as well built as the Okuma reels. The ratchet can disconnect for no apparent reason and it can be a little difficult to operate at times. Line can also go round the back of the reel and tangles up on the gearing.

However at £30 it is a bargain. Particularly as it is quite wide and can take more line than standard Speedias and Arials that I use. It can make a useful reel for those times you need the extra line. I used it for worming for barbel and chub and the extra line over my usual reels was good to have. It is also fine for trotting with heavy float set ups.

Personally I would recommend finding a decent second hand speedia or arial every time. Genuine pins, rather than bearing based reels have a longer life span and are much easier to maintain in the field. However if you want a new reel rather than a second hand reel the price difference between this and the Okumas does make it very attractive.

Hopefully the prices of the various Okumas will drop in order to compete as they are built a lot better. Okuma always seem to aim to come in well under the main competitors, whilst making quality kit. Their SVG fly reels are as good as Hardys at a third of the price and whilst not being much of an expert on baitrunner reels their version seems a great reel to me and costs around £40 instead of the £80 of Shimanos; so expect to see the Okuma centre pins at around £60 when they would be worth buying.
The one thing I can't believe is that people are still selling this reel at nearly £150 branded as the TFG X-Pin...who brought one of these, at that price just madness.
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Pete - that's the most balanced review of the reel I've seen. Nice one. I bought the Ikonix version just before the Cortesi version was launched. Seemed a decent enough reel at the time. I now have a pair of Fred Crouch Jets, which I love, particularly having caught a few barbel with them.....
 
Another one from Dragon carphttp://www.dragoncarpdirect.com/products/Holland-%26-Wilkinson-Rotorglide-Centrepin-reel.html looks very nice
 
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Pete Marshall said:
Great buy that, the last Speedia I brought (standard drum) cost £35 and I sold one last year on e bay for £52.00! I must admit to having been suprised to get so much although it was in good condition. I was hoping they had all become collectors items as I have another two brought for next to nothing back in the nineties.;) Given the thousands of them that are around I always thought that a vain hope...
If you can get the wide drum speedias for that sort of money then don't bother with this reel. Actually I would go for the standard Speedia over this reel or the Okumas...but some people like new shiny stuff.:) How long a reel spins just isn't that important any bearing reel will spin for ages when batted with your hands, but how exactly that helps when you are fishing is beyond me.
Click to expand...

There is nothing I could usefully add, as I used to say to the judge.

As ever



Hugo



 
Got my MKII last week, looks the dogs !! Line guard (removable/adjustable) and a neoprene case ! Also looks more "bling" than the original :)
 
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