Daiwa Saltist 30T

[NightAngler]

With season closing soon, did a service on this reel today. It's the first service since I bought it new abt 20 mths ago & it probably had clocked abt 70-80 offshore trips.

Upon stripping, found some minor salt intrusion thru drag engage/disengage lever. Also minor sign of rust for cranking shaft bearing but ARB was OK.

2 of the 3 screws for another side plate were jammed & had to leave it till another time when I get hold of an impact driver. For that matter, spool wasn't removed & clicker mechanism service/spool shaft bearing is being KIV.

Side cover minor salt intrusion deposit removed successfully & not much stain remained visible due to its grahite(or hard plastic) construction.

Corrosion also observed between reel foot/main frame but cleaning wasn't possible till spool is removed.

Besides the 2 main gears which are made of brass, all other metallic components are made of stainless steel. Even the anti reverse pawl(dog) is made of SS. Pretty good finishing quality for all the SS components.

Overall, am very satisfied with its performance as it had landed countless ang cho, quite a few grouper >10 Kg & also stingray up to abt 35Kg. It's now my favorite offshore reel when fishing ground requires heavy sinkers(1Kg or heavier) due to its very good deadweight cranking power.

One very bad design of this reel is the reel clamp which consists of 2 loose studs. Pain in the axx when attempting to align them & secure in a rocking boat. Not too sure whether a better design is available for later batches.

Should be a good alternative for those looking at Saltiga/Ishidai but facing budget constraint. The 30T spool can take in comfortably 50 lbs braid(without topshot) 600yds spool of Tufline or 500 yds spool of Power Pro.

[Sashimi]

any photo of the reel??? and oso price ard how much???
GST rising... better buy equipment now before price increases...

[stickbom!]

I've probably said this many times to friends... "Any rod/reel that a commercial boat man uses is bound to be decent!!" LOL Their rods and reels hardly get serviced and is hammered, even if it isn't by a fish, it still gets hell from the elements. Thanks for the input YS, such posts are extremely useful for budget conscious anglers who are looking for reliable gear. Keep em coming!

[DaFrogman]

YS,

Thanks for the post. I did have a look at the Saltist series when considering star drag reels for my crew to use. For 20 months of usage and that much time on the water and fish, then I would say that the reel has help up very very well.

The best way to avoid jammed screws from new is to take off the screws before you use the reel for the first time and then putting some grease on the threads, something that can get overlooked at the factory.

As for the jammed screws, are they a Phillips head or Allen/Torx heads. I wish manufacturers would all use Torx head screws, they are very hard to strip. How do you use an impact driver on that small a screw dude?... just wondering, I usually just soak the sucker in Corrosion X overnight or sometimes use hot brake fluid...

Good stuff, keep us informed.

Saimee

[NightAngler]

Originally Posted by Sashimi

any photo of the reel??? and oso price ard how much???
GST rising... better buy equipment now before price increases...

Pics from google search
Daiwa Saltist 30T & 30TH : Campbells

Cost ard $330-350 (20 mths back)

Originally Posted by Dafrogman

The best way to avoid jammed screws from new is to take off the screws before you use the reel for the first time and then putting some grease on the threads, something that can get overlooked at the factory.

As for the jammed screws, are they a Phillips head or Allen/Torx heads. I wish manufacturers would all use Torx head screws, they are very hard to strip. How do you use an impact driver on that small a screw dude?... just wondering, I usually just soak the sucker in Corrosion X overnight or sometimes use hot brake fluid...

Will follow your recommendations of removing/greasing those small screws for my next reel.

I believe a tint of thread adhesive was applied onto those screw's threads. I'd observed some hardened blue residue for screws removed successfully.

Both side cover uses SS flat tip screws.

For those 2 jammed screws, had soaked them with corrosion penetrant for>24 hrs but still wont' budge.

I do have some very small 1/4" drive bits. Will use controlled force when using impact to avoid the risk of cracking the cover on heavy impact. Last resort is drilling them out.

[DaFrogman]

YS,

Just another quick thought on the jammed screws, since they may have that blue thread locker on them, if the sideplate area around the screws is metal and there are no plastic bits around it, you might want to try a bit of heat to loosen the thread lock compound. That has worked for me at least once in the past. Maybe a quick buzz with a disposable lighter or heat gun or maybe even ye olde Hairdryer...

If the sideplate is plastic/graphite, hey, try freezing it 'cos the metal screw would contract more than the plastic thereby loosening its position in the hole and the thread lock might get brittle when frozen...

Regards,

Saimee

[rolexking]

sharp details and lotsa repair pointers.
nice information