Upgrade Revo's 2024

fishingcajun reply :

Any help on upgrading Revo's, Revo S, Black Max, etc.

Delaware Valley Tackle reply :

My first recommendation is a professional cleaning. Revos respond especially well to being cleaned and properly lubed.

I'm a true believer in the Cabontex drag washers and they are fairly in expensive. Beyond that, I'd see what a cleaning does and then evaluate from there.

J Francho reply :

Handles are all pretty much interchangeable, as are some of the bling. You probably need to be more specific in what you want. Can't see any point in trying to upgrade a Black Max. Carbontex would be a replacement in my mind, since Revos already use a similar material.

Delaware Valley Tackle reply :

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Handles are all pretty much interchangeable, as are some of the bling. You probably need to be more specific in what you want. Can't see any point in trying to upgrade a Black Max. Carbontex would be a replacement in my mind, since Revos already use a similar material.

Granted, the difference in drag power is not as noticeable as in other brands of reel. Even though the materials are similar, the Carbontex washers seem to have a tighter weave and smooth out the drag some on a Revo.

I agree with not investing a lot in the Black Max.

J Francho reply :

Well, the Smooth Drags product is way better than the OE parts on the Revo. Just saying that I don't think you'll up the drag, though you're right, Smooth Drags do hold grease better, if you go to a wet system, if you want smoother. That's def. an improvement.

central.PA.bass reply :

Do you think it would be beneficial to upgrade the drag on a Revo S with the Carbontex drag washers? I'm ordering some for my 09 Premier and was gonna get some if they were gonna be beneficial... what is the drag on a revo s?

J Francho reply :

Is the drag giving you trouble?

lightsout reply :

If you do your homework you can find parts from other reels that will interchange. To save weight, you can swap the handle to a BPS carbonlite handle. The gears from the carbonlite/Pro qualifier tournament will also swap into certain revos. The duraliminum will give you a noticeable decrease in weight over the brass.

central.PA.bass reply :

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Is the drag giving you trouble?

The premier is.. I set the hook and the bail spins or "slips" regardless.. I do not have that problem with any of my STXs.. And no the drag on the S isnt giving me any problems.. just looking for projects to do this winter to pass the time..

J Francho reply :

The Premeir's aluminum gearing cannot handle the higher drag force that the S/SX/STX can. You trade drag power for weight on that type of reel. You could add a Carbontex washer to the mix, but you'll still have to be careful with max drag power.

central.PA.bass reply :

I called BPS and they are out of stock on all carbonlite handles and didnt know when they would get more..

lady said they'd be around 30some bucks

KenG85 reply :

So what's in the 2010 premier that gives similar weight and the ability to handle 20lbs of drag. Is that not the same duralumin gears?

hitchhiker reply :

A good thorough cleaning and polishing of key areas should have any revo in primo condition.

You could ask BPS for a used carbonlite handle from a returned reel and get a swept drag star. Don't forget the nut, locking ring, and screw. It should be about 1/2 the price of a new one. It only has two bearings in the handle though.

You could add 2 bearings to the levelwind in an S and add 1 to the Premier, but you'll have to order a different level wind tube from a Winch or an SX to accomodate the extra bearings.

Can't think of much else, but I'm sure there's more.

lightsout reply :

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So what's in the 2010 premier that gives similar weight and the ability to handle 20lbs of drag. Is that not the same duralumin gears?

Your right, I believe one of the J.M. reels has the duralumin gear and has 15lbs(?). Its the design of the drag stack on a given reel, not the duralumin matierial.

J Francho reply :

Who knows what the manu spec'd for the new reels. What I guess I'm missing here is why spend all this money to get something else? I mean, why not just buy what you wanted in the first place?

There's nothing wrong with upgrading, or replacing worn parts like drag washers or bearings, but it seems like way too much ado and money for minimal gains.

central.PA.bass reply :

But when the Revo Premier (2009 version) comes with pathetic drag initially, why not upgrade it? Especially when you cant get a good hookset because of the drag being so weak?

rubba bubba reply :

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Especially when you cant get a good hookset because of the drag being so weak?

You could do that, or you could use your thumb more as another option.

central.PA.bass reply :

I guess... I'd rather have the security of knowing my drag is strong enough to not slip when I set the hook.. different strokes for different folks I guess..

J Francho reply :

Wrong tool for the job. The Premier was for light baits, and light line. You want max drag, get an SX/STX.

central.PA.bass reply :

just out of curiosity.. then why did Abu Garcia upgrade the drag on the new Premiers?

KenG85 reply :

I think, at least for me, it's cabin fever. And learning about the reel mechanics is fun. I find it pretty interesting. Also, the best part about learning something is applying it. So helping assemble something into something unique is rewarding. I know I wont be able to wait to use my customized stuff once it warms up.

And there's the money issue. I bought my Revo S for 80 bux 2 years ago. Now i want something better, so instead of paying over 200 for a new one. (well 150 if i sell my Revo S). I can spend 70 - 90 creating my own unique product customized to my liking.

J Francho reply :

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just out of curiosity.. then why did Abu Garcia upgrade the drag on the new Premiers?

Sales? Who knows. They aren't very durable reels anyway (all Revos), based on what I see after a couple years use. Guys love them, and they work well though.

KenG85 reply :

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Who knows what the manu spec'd for the new reels. What I guess I'm missing here is why spend all this money to get something else? I mean, why not just buy what you wanted in the first place?
There's nothing wrong with upgrading, or replacing worn parts like drag washers or bearings, but it seems like way too much ado and money for minimal gains.

I was responding to this, btw.

Chris at Tech reply :

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Sales? Who knows. They aren't very durable reels anyway (all Revos), based on what I see after a couple years use. Guys love them, and they work well though.

What do you see breaking down in the Revos?

fishingcajun reply :

KenG85, That's what I was looking to do. Upgrade with better parts. My reels are all less than two years old and work fine. I couldn't afford to buy all winch's, so I had to settle for a couple lower end models. I thought I read in a post that all lower end Revo's could be upgraded.

J Francho reply :

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Sales? Who knows. They aren't very durable reels anyway (all Revos), based on what I see after a couple years use. Guys love them, and they work well though.

What do you see breaking down in the Revos?

These parts, specifically the clutch trip and yoke posts:

FishinTN reply :

Is there a upgrade for those parts? I have several going on season 2 and 3, so far so good. Hope it stays that way.

Delaware Valley Tackle reply :

The best thing you can do is keep them clean and lubed

SWMIBASSER reply :

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Do you think it would be beneficial to upgrade the drag on a Revo S with the Carbontex drag washers? I'm ordering some for my 09 Premier and was gonna get some if they were gonna be beneficial... what is the drag on a revo s?

The drag is pretty solid in those reels as is....I would grease the stock washers and call it good.

For the S, your biggest improvements will be in Bearings, and spool changes.

SWMIBASSER reply :

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Is the drag giving you trouble?

The premier is.. I set the hook and the bail spins or "slips" regardless.. I do not have that problem with any of my STXs.. And no the drag on the S isnt giving me any problems.. just looking for projects to do this winter to pass the time..

A carbontex washer for a old school Abu round reel works perfectly for under the main gear. Lose the stock junk washer that is under there. Then ad a carbontex washer and metal washer to the main stack.

KenG85 reply :

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KenG85, That's what I was looking to do. Upgrade with better parts. My reels are all less than two years old and work fine. I couldn't afford to buy all winch's, so I had to settle for a couple lower end models. I thought I read in a post that all lower end Revo's could be upgraded.

There's tons of upgrades you can do to Revo S and I think it could be done for a reasonable price as well. Most of it reduces weight, swapping the brass for Duralumin.

I think the line guide is worth changing.

Spool/bearing upgrades should be fine as well. Whats cool is if you swap for the REVO inshore spool, you'll get the new infini spool, the new pitch centrifugal breaking system and higher line capacity. But I went for the the SKT spool/handle.

It's 4BB handle is butter smooth, but unneccesarily heavy so I swapped for the SKT handle.

The only thing I'm worried about is swapping the main brass gear for Duralumin gears. I just don't know if they'll handle the torque from the 24lbs of drag. I'm gonna look into why the 2010 Premier's lightweight gearing can handle it. Then maybe i'll get it's parts (if its a reasonable price.)

I also have an SX coming, so I'll probably do somethings to it as well. I think its a awesome reel, just beefy at 9oz.

SWMIBASSER reply :

I wouldn't worry about cutting weight on an S. It's just not money well spent.

Lighter spool fine..

The older premier uses a lighter handle with no bearings, no bearings in the levelwind, aluminum screws, lighter spool....Basically every part in it, except the frame, and palm plate is lighter.

You can't use the 24lb drag of an S with the older Duralumin gears. (maybe it's possible on the newer gears but I can say for sure)

Reason being the main gear doesn't have the machined notches for the keyed drag plate. You can however add a carbontex washer to below the main gear. The stock Abu round reel washer fits and works perfect....You can also add a second drag plate, and washer....Still not the drag of an S, SX, or STX, but much better than the stock Premier.

KenG85 reply :

Well its not that expensive to lighten these reels up. I've swapped almost everything in my S for duralumin, net cost of 30-40 bux. I did realize that the older gears duralumin gears don't have the notches, but the new 2010 premier does. However, I don't think salvaged parts from these will be available for a while. I guess I will be leaving the brass gear to the keep the impressive drag. Unless swapping the notched washer for an additional circle washer won't sacrifice too much drag. I could live with 18lbs for the weight reduction.

I added one circle washer and one carbon washer to my premier. I'd say the stock drag put out about 8lbs (i know its rated for 12), now I'd guess its a little over 12lb and feels noticeably smoother. Do you think replacing the plastic one will increase this?

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Upgrade Revo's 2024

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