Pro Gear Oceanus 30

[MarkR]

Oceanus 30:

http://www.siamfishing.com/content/v...=73&cat=inside

FB guys have returned...wonder what the verdict is

[edylie]

This reel looks very simple and neat!!!

I would love to own one of these ...

Anyone has news from FishingBuddy about the result?

Thanks,
Edy

[MarkR]

Yo Edy,

Heard it passed with flying colors!

[MarkR]

For those intrested in the Oceanus 30, I've just heard that with some drag tuning, the reel can dish out max drag of 34lbs...so that should give say 25lb+ at strike...

Some pics from the AG website:

½Í¤Ñ¸Ü³½

and from Siam fishing:

progear oceanus 30 (ÀÒ¤ 2): ÊÂÒÁ¿ÔªªÔè§ - ªØÁª¹¹Ñ¡µ¡»ÅÒ : Siam Fishing - Thai Fishing Community

[hon-su]

So what are the results after the sambo test?? Im keen to know as Im looking to get one next month.

[jerk]

cant find any result. u buy one , test it n let us know?

[MarkR]

Hi Hon-su,

Not first hand information but I understand from the guys who were on the trip that the Oceanus held up very well.

The guys were using the upgraded models (improved frame, drag cam etc.) from the 2nd batch (serial# >300). No reel failures were reported.

Anti-reverse seems to be bullet proof and cranking is very good under load even with a 4.9:1 ratio. The Oceanus's main gear is larger than the Jigger 4000/5000 main gear I gather, think comparable to the Blue Heaven main gear and way larger than the 665's main.

All feel that the reel is very light, hence ideal for long periods of jigging.

Some tuning is still needed to get the best out of the reel, eg. change of handle T-bar grip and some additional tweaks/mods with the drag cam to get more max drag. The reels that are tweaked locally are now capable of a max drag of around 34lb (think max drag for stock reels from the 2nd batch is still 24-26lb) but I gather that at 34lb of drag pressure, a slight increase in resistance while cranking is noticeable- this observation of increased resistance at very high drag settings is peculiar to most lever drag reels in the market.

The group did some filming which included a segment showing the complete take apart of the Oceanus- somewhat similar to a recent AG video where a modified 665 was taken apart.

I also understand that for the finale, the group was filmed fishing the Oceanus with fully locked dags just to show that the reel could take the stress of locked drag Samson jigging

Very attractively priced as well...currently costs less than S$500 I believe. Certainly, looks as though the Pro-gear Oceanus will give Accurate a run for its money

Best regards

[scarpie]

thanks for the info Mark. Just what are the drag tweaks involved? I'd be interested in knowing.

[Makaira]

Originally Posted by MarkR

Very attractively priced as well...currently costs less than S$500 I believe. Certainly, looks as though the Pro-gear Oceanus will give Accurate a run for its money

At this price point, imho, Avet is the one who would or should be quaking in their boots; especially if the PG incorporates an anti-reverse bearing.

[DaFrogman]

Mak,

At under S$500 for a decent caliber lever drag pocket rocket, I reckon that in addtion to AVET, both the Accurate BMs and the Penn Torque should also be worried. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see an all metal Shimano lever drag that is lighter than a Torsa coming out.

Time will tell... who is selling the updated PGs in Spore currently?.

Still wondering if an AR Bearing is used with 2 dogs on this reel.

Saimee

[Makaira]

Yo Saimee,

Cannot include Penn Torque into the mix dude ... star drag If Shimano or for that matter Daiwa comes out with a full-metal CNC machined lever drag reel in that class, it could well be double the price of the PG. Should they decide to be price competitive, it will very likely be a cast metal frame with stamped metal or graphite side plates ala Torium & Saltist.

PG is able to price the Oceanus so competitively simply because the reel (at least parts of it) is produced in some low cost country; or so I've been told (I stand corrected if my information is wrong). That, however, does not mean that it is low quality. As to how well it will hold up in long term use, time will tell.

Best regards,
Makaira

[hon-su]

I noticed also the frame of the PG is similar to Blueheaven. Maybe some parts are borrowed from other reels??

[MarkR]

Hi Guys,

Yes, I do recall Mr Tang saying that some of the parts for the Oceanus were to be fabricated in Taiwan...I suspect that the AR dog system is one of these parts because it looks uncannily like the AG mod for the Boss reels. The Oceanus does have an AR bearing as well...so 2 AR dogs plus 1 AR bearing...will have more detailed info on the drag tweaks soon but for the moment I gather that it involves incereasing the thickness of washer stack. Otherwise, from a horrible start, things are beginning to look better for the Oceanus but as Mak has said, only time will tell if the reel will hold up to long term use

Tight lines

[MarkR]

Originally Posted by hon-su

I noticed also the frame of the PG is similar to Blueheaven. Maybe some parts are borrowed from other reels??

Hi Hon-su,

Guess the Oceanus is modelled after the Blue Heaven, lots of similarities apparent. If they could circumvent the patent issues, PG might have incorporated a twin drag system right from the start...not sure when the Asian version incorporating twin drags will debut but hopefully the promised twin drag modification kit for the existing international version will be arrive in Asia soon.

Incidently, it appears that the recent drag modfications for Studio Ocean Mark's BH include retrofitting the reel with cork washers in place of the stock teflon washers to achieve greater drag pressure...perhaps this could be done to the Oceanus as well?

Cheers

PS. Heard Jigging Master is trying to get a foothold in the Aussie market...just wondering how Samson jiggers are responding to the parabolic actioned J/M blanks

[hon-su]

well.....its starting but not in real demand yet becoz of the prices. We stock their jigs and they are awesome jigs particularly the Rockets. Geez they go down fast!!. Was only using 200gm on the weekend and managed a few on PE5.

[MarkR]

Originally Posted by hon-su

We stock their jigs and they are awesome jigs particularly the Rockets. Geez they go down fast!!

Absolutely. JM Rockets are the fastest sinking jigs i've used, they go down faster than any short or long profile heavy jig. Easy to work too! Pretty effective in Taiwan but personally haven't had much success with JM Rockets elsewhere

[hon-su]

well I can added its damn effective on sambos.......most of our hookups came within a couple metres of cranking.

[MarkR]

Placed an order for the Oceanus today and spent some time fiddling with the shop's demo unit. First impressions...cranking is pretty light and smooth, definitely comparable to the Boss Magnums and much much better than the AG modified Boss Accurates...but as expected, not as smooth as the Shimano Torsa.

Turns out as well that the AR system is just double dog, no one-way bearing, the bearing supporting the gear shaft is a standard 2-way bearing. All bearings fitted in the reel come direct from Japan....Progear sourced these bearings direct from Japanese suppliers...not sure why they avoided American made bearings.

The reel I played with had it's drag tweaked to the maximum...immense drag pressure (16kg?)- not certain what the specific drag tweaks are but believe that it involves slight mods to the washer stack and the drag cam.

Overall construction, polishing and finishing is very good, on par with the Boss I feel. No external plastic parts which I think is good.

One thing I dislike is the lack of a strike button. The 4 screws securing the reel foot to the reel appear to be slightly smaller in diameter when compared to those in the Boss. Progear has made some changes to these screws and the entire frame so I hope they will be secure and able to withstand the stress of high drag fishing.

A longer offset handle as well as a more ergonomically designed T-bar handle grip for the reel is available from AG.

Not a silent reel...expect the usual sound of the AR dogs engaging when you turn the handle

Tight lines

[Makaira]

Originally Posted by MarkR

Not a silent reel...expect the usual sound of the AR dogs engaging when you turn the handle

What a pity!! I thought finally someone can give Accurate a run for their money by offering a similar product at competitive prices.

How much backplay is there. Is it similar to the Avet?

Larger diameter screws for the reel foot notwithstanding, does it have a reel clamp? IMHO that is vital when anglers intend to use heavy drags. How the reel clamp is anchored to the reel frame is also vital.

[stickbom!]

Hi MarR, any idea if the reel foot will fit in standard Fuji size 20 T-DPS or PSS seats? How much more will the "Tweaked" version cost?

[MarkR]

Originally Posted by Makaira

What a pity!! I thought finally someone can give Accurate a run for their money by offering a similar product at competitive prices.

Strangely, I forgot to enquire if the reel came with a clamp assembly but managed to find this picture on the web. Will check with FB tom.

Amazingly, I didn't notice any backplay and yes, the reel will fit PSS-20 nicely, that's the standard reel seat on most customized JM overhead jig rods

Total cost with the longer offset handle and T-bar grip should be around S$600.

The AG guys being perfectionists, are still not 100% satisfied with the Oceanus I understand...guess the reel needs to see more fishing time so perhaps that could translate into additional upgrades/mods/improvements soon...kinda reminds me of the phase the pre-magnum Boss Accurates went through

Tight lines

[Makaira]

Originally Posted by MarkR

Total cost with the longer offset handle and T-bar grip should be around S$600.

The AG guys being perfectionists, are still not 100% satisfied with the Oceanus I understand...guess the reel needs to see more fishing time so perhaps that could translate into additional upgrades/mods/improvements soon...kinda reminds me of the phase the pre-magnum Boss Accurates went through

Looks like the price may continue rising with additional bells & whistles. Should be interesting to see the final variant and how much it costs.

[MarkR]

Just spoke to the FB guys. Can confirm that the reel comes with a clamp assembly. They tell me that they don't expect any major modifications to this current version apart from the optional twin drag mod kit due much later. Apparently this version is "good enough" and a fully tweaked Oceanus (drag + longer offset handle + t-bar knob) would cost me no more than $600.

Fish Hard

[Makaira]

Good to hear Mark. Fish hard & let us know your personal assessment of the reel.