Well, it was interesting yesterday as GS came over to inspect the JB12. First,
I will list the specs taken off the charkbait site since none where in the box.
-Patent pending toggle switch for high to low gear
-Gear Ratios - 5:1 high and 2:1 low
-Double disc drag system capable of 40#'s of pressure @ full!
-Grade 5 Stainless Shielded SAPPORO Japanese Bearings (not Chinese...)
-Heat treated stainless steel gears, cam and pinion shaft
-14 Point Double Dog anti-reverse
-Proprietary Carbon Fiber U.S. made drag washers for smoothness and heat dissipation
-6061-T6 aluminum construction on frame, spool, sideplate and clamp
-All exterior components are hand polished, both stainless and aluminum
-Lever drag control with finite notches on sideplate to eliminate lever arm movement from boat vibration
-Big Game style clicker
-Precision ground stainless steel friction plate with minimum 32 Rockwell hardness for high loads and consistently smooth drag performance at all ranges
-Easy 5 screw take down for maintenance
-Proudly designed, manufactured and assembled in the U.S.A.
The first thing we did was some maintenance. The stainless steel drag lever was loose as well as the lever side. Out comes the allen wrenches and locktite. After fixing that, we noticed all the allen bolts needed more tightening. Once that was done the reel felt better. The preset wheel still a little free floating, but not a big deal. The handle still has the back play, but we believe that is because of the lack of anti reverse bearings on the handle shaft. The only evidence of locktite on the reel was the handle screw. After removing it to put on locktite, we noticed it was hard to remove and locktite had been used.
The free spool on the reel is great. It spins and spins. Before loading it with some line we got it spinning and turned the drag preset until it slowed down the spinning. We then loaded it with about 100 yards of 130 mono. Out comes the sash weights. I had 36 1/2 pounds of weights on hand. We cranked the drag lever to full with the preset unchanged. It lifted the 36 1/2 pounds without the spool moving. We took that to mean that the reel could achieved at least 36 1/2 pounds of drag and still have free spool.
I'll let GS tell his story about how we tested the drag.
The shift lever is mean't to be turned not pulled. If you turn it forward (clockwise), you are in low gear. Counter clockwise puts you in high gear. It's not real smooth, but once you get used to it, it does work. We couldn't remove it because it looks like a little stainless pin has been put throught the knob and shaft and back through the knob again. I didn't want to punch it out as GS was eager to do so.
This little reel is built like a tank. The frame is very thick. The frame measured 7mm or 9/32". That's the same as a 50W tiagra. A hair over 1/4".
Today I was curious about the frame thickness of other "Might Mouse" size reels. So I pulled out the calipers. Here's a list of the frame thickness of various models.
John Baker 7mm or 9/32
Accurate 665 4mm or 5/32
Penn Torque 6mm or 7/32
Torsa 6mm or 7/32
With such a good free spool, I think this reel would be a great chunking reel for floater size YF's. There is no doubt that it can produce at least 36 pounds of drag. Probably in the low 40's. The handle did get a little harder to turn with it set at full drag as do all the lever drag reels. Fishing with 25 to 30 pounds of drag with reel would be a piece of cake. I only own rods with aluminum reel seats. I tried putting the reel on three different rods and it fit fine on all rods. SpecialK had said that his Model 6 size JB didn't fit his reel seats. Maybe the 12 size is different from the 6.
Here are some pics of where we used the locktite.