Zee-Baas Spinner

[Makaira]

Another new toy for spinning reel aficionados to ponder over. Remember reading about it being featured in one of the the big Japanese tackle shows earlier on this year. The price makes most other hi-end spinning reels seems like a bargain!!! :P

http://tackledirect.com/zeebaas-zx-s...nual-bail.html

Hmmmmmmmm ..... I wonder where the drag knob is???

[stickbom!]

I was told by the AO guys that the reel weighs a mere 500g! Now that you mentioned it... yeah where's the drag knob?!

[JIGW]

I fiddled with the reel in the yoko show earlier this year.......Drag knob is on the spool itself, just turn the top of the spool to tighten.

Originally Posted by stickbom!

I was told by the AO guys that the reel weighs a mere 500g! Now that you mentioned it... yeah where's the drag knob?!

[MarkR]

That's a beautiful looking spinner. Heard that someone responsible for the zeebaas was a former van staal employee and that there may be some patent infringement issues.

http://www.zeebaas.com/

[DaFrogman]

Aiyayaiyayai,

With the amount of Titanium on that thing I'm not suprised at the price. Wonder how long the manufacturer will survive, especially in view of Mark's observations on possible patent infringements....

Interesting that its the first time that I have seen a reel manufacturer actually quote the Rockwell hardness used in parts of a reel....

" 316 stainless rotor spindle hardened to 70 Rc
• Oversize titanium main shaft Ti Coated to 90 Rc and mirror polished, connected to the main drag plate using the Dutchman pin principle."

70 and 90 RC are pretty damned hard, as a comparison the vast majority of hardcore outdoor knives are rarely harder than 60RC since anything over that has a tendency to be very inflexible and very hard to sharpen. But for a shaft and gear, I guess that hardness could be very handy....

I absolutely love the coating they are using on that reel too.... about time someone figured out a better coating.

Want one, but of course can't afford it.....

Saimee

[Makaira]

Hi guys,

Was told of such possible "infringements" as well after the reel was introduced in Japan. However, point to note is that this reel is proudly proclaimed to be "Made in the USA", a country that takes patent violations VERY seriously. So, if they dare to launch it in the US & are already taking orders, any potential legal problems should have been ironed out. VS is now owned by one of the giants in the American tackle industry whose legal team can squash Zeebaas like an ant. Hopefully, the makers of that reel have done their due diligence. Otherwise, let's wait for the fireworks ... or rather .. the slight swish of a breeze to wipe Zeebaas off the face of the earth

Saimee ....... don't be so modest dude ..... it's not cannot afford ...... it's not willing to spend such an extravagant amount of mullah on a fishng reel

Best regards,
Makaira

[MarkR]

Hi fellas,

Yeah, guess the patent issues must have been straightened out. Wonder how smooth the zeebaas will be? Perhaps comparable to a stella? Could be the best of both worlds I guess, silky smooth Japanese gears and American CNC strength.

Check out the Amberjack landed on the VSB here:

http://www.caranx.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=2499

[Makaira]

Originally Posted by MarkR

Wonder how smooth the zeebaas will be? Perhaps comparable to a stella? Could be the best of both worlds I guess, silky smooth Japanese gears and American CNC strength.

Was just wondering that myself. The writeup says the reel uses a different gearing system from conventional spinners. Think it will probably still sound like a washing machine though

[tmlim]

The obvious benefit of the zeebaas is the absence of the bailarm and therefore the cranking arm offset is significantly reduced.

Looking at the tackles in the market, I want to be upfront that there isn’t excitement in the product design or creativity at all. They are simply reinventing the wheel!

1. Why can’t someone design a rod that can jig at a broader spectrum of jig mass, instead of 100 to 600gm at step of 100gm? For example, an in-situ tunable rod?

2. Why can’t we have a jig that is fast diving, light and less tedious to jig? The jig should be made cheaper, after all they are made of lead with cosmetics painted.

3. Why can’t we have a more ergonomic reel to jig, crank and have sufficient line at the same time?

I think there are enough talents in the fishing tackle industry to innovate and market these products. Otherwise, even a fool can see that the fishing tackle retail market is dying a slow death. It is because the better quality reels and rods we have can last for years. Presently, I only pick up lines and hooks at tackle shop.

tmlim

[Sportfisherman]

Guys ,

Iff this Zeebaas is going to disappear due to legal problem , the more reason for collectors of rare reels to buy it because it's going to be a very limited reel in the near future . So Saimee , what are you waiting for ?

JonLi .

[DaFrogman]

Mak & Jon,



The last little emoticon above illustrates what would happen to my bank manager if I told him about my "need" for le zeeeebbbaaaaaasss....

A similar scenario would occur with "She Who Must Be Obeyed" except that it would look more like this followed closely by this or just this so I best just and dream about the zeeebbbaaassss....

As for the gear mechanism, I reckon this extract gives a rudimentary rundown:

"Bevel Gears
Bevel gears are useful when the direction of a shaft's rotation needs to be changed. They are usually mounted on shafts that are 90 degrees apart, but can be designed to work at other angles as well.
The teeth on bevel gears can be straight, spiral or hypoid. Straight bevel gear teeth actually have the same problem as straight spur gear teeth -- as each tooth engages, it impacts the corresponding tooth all at once.

Just like with spur gears, the solution to this problem is to curve the gear teeth. These spiral teeth engage just like helical teeth: the contact starts at one end of the gear and progressively spreads across the whole tooth.

On straight and spiral bevel gears, the shafts must be perpendicular to each other, but they must also be in the same plane. If you were to extend the two shafts past the gears, they would intersect. The hypoid gear, on the other hand, can engage with the axes in different planes. "

So after trolling through that little bit of tech, I come to the assumption that the gears may actually work out quieter and smoother than we are used to seeing on US designed and manufactured reels and just as claimed by the maker, these types of gears are used in helicopter tail rotor assemblies. I also discovered that these gears are much more expensive to make then the usual straight cut bevel gears.

As for the patent issues, since the patents are pending still on the designs used in the zeeebbbaaaassss, I assume that their patent submission is under consideration by the patent office and of course possible objections by other reel manufacturers.

But I still "want" one...sighhhhh!!! I guess I'll just "make do" with something more conventional....hehehehehe

Anyway, in terms of Ho Dum, I am still but the lowliest apprentice in comparision to my great Master M .....aaaahhhh master I am not worthy....

Saimee

[htchng]

buddies... i rather get stellas

[MarkR]

Zeebaas spinners now come with a bail arms

[Makaira]

Originally Posted by MarkR

Zeebaas spinners now come with a bail arms

I believe the first gen Zee-Baas were sold with the provision of F.O.C. conversion / addition of the bailarm when it became available.

[Sportfisherman]

Guys ,

Let us hope one of our friends bought this reel and let us play with it , looking at the size , it's kind of neither here nor there . Wouldn't you think so ?

Sportfisherman .