My
Impressions
I
got bamboozled into doing a free cleaning in exchange for being able
to do a review on this reel. Still not sure what I got out of this
deal. LOL But anyway, Thanks to go the tncathunter for giving up this
reel for 2 weeks.
The
Tekota is one of those reels I have thought about getting for some
time but for some reason didn't. Now that Abu Garcia has decided to
drop the original Alphamar, that will change. When you first pick up
the Tekota it gives the impression of being solid and well built. The
handle is solid with out being overly heavy and it has a very
comfortable grip.
Teardown
and Inspection
The
frame is diecast aluminum, and the drive side plate is stamped
aluminum. The non-handle side plate is aluminum braced graphite. The
graphite plate is thick and in-cased on the outside in aluminum so it is
quite strong. The reel foot is stainless steel and riveted to the
frame.
One thing that impressed me was
the release mechanism was simple and the parts were heavy, so there
should be no problems with it. The spool shaft is well supported by
the frame, thereby keeping flex to a minimum.
Overall the Tekota is not a
complicated to reel tear down but (there's always a but) look out for
the drag clicker spring and pin when you remove the drag star. They
are small and easy to loose. The reel will work just as well without
them, the drag star just won't click when you turn it.
Drag
Shimano
uses their Dartainium
drag washers and they are known for being good drags. Not knowing how
much the reel had been used, I wasn't sure how the drag would
perform. It did however pull it's advertised 18 lbs of drag and was
smooth throughout the drags entire rating.
Caution
with this and all reels, never exceed the factory recommended drag
settings.
Gear
Set
The
Tekota has a 4.2:1 gear ratio and retrieves 25 inches of line per
turn. Which makes it a little faster than the Abu 7000iC3 and a
little slower than a Fathom. The gears are about the same size as the
gears in the 7000i C3 so they should give no problem.
Anti-Reverse
The
Tekota has an anti-reverse bearing and a anti reverse dog. Its always
a good idea to have a back up to the IAR bearing.
Clickers
The
Tekota has 2 clickers, the line out alarm is a simple design and loud
enough to wake you up. Should you want to catch a few zzzz's at 2AM.
It also has a clicker on the drag star. This will allow you to count clicks and return the drag to it's original position.
Line
capacity
The
spool has a mushroom post on it so braid users can tie directly to it
and will not have to use a backing or warp the spool with electrical
tape.
Test/Yards
mono 14/340, 16/285
braid 50/385, 65/365
Casting
This was a
used reel so I couldn't check the casting in its fresh out of the box
condition. So I gave it a good cleaning and lubed it in the same
manor as I would a Penn Fathom. Casting distance fell right between
the Abu 7000i C3's and an Alphamar 12. It was set with a little side
to side spool play. Casting weights between 2 and 5 ounces, I never
had to use my thumb to keep the spool under control.
Like Abu's
Alphamar the Tekota does not have an auto engage when you turn the
handle. Instead you must flip the lever back up to it's original
position to engage the reel after casting. Myself I don't miss the
auto-engage. It doesn't take long and flipping the lever becomes as
natural as turning the handle to engage the spool.
Conclusion
The
Tekota TEK 500, is about the same size as a Penn Fathom 15 or to put
it another way. A little bit wider han a narrow spool 7000i HSN and a
bit narrower than a 7000I C3. If you need more capacity there is a
600 size as well. The Tekota TEK 500 not only gives the impression of
being well built, it is well built, smooth and great buy for anyone
looking for a reel this size.
