Alright guys, I opened up my Busted Fin Nor OFS95, the main gear broke, all the way around where it mounds to the reel handle. I have taken some really good High-Res pics but left my Digi-Cam pic at work, I will get it tomorow. The gear broke because it is CAST! NOT MACHINED! Fin-Nor needs to correct this issue ASAP, if they are expecting people to fish these reels with heavy drags, the gears need to be able to support the drag capabilities as well. -Patrick
if the gear illustrated was a machined stainless part, I dont think it would have failed. I think the way this reel was made so cheap was to use 100% cast aluminum parts, which as we all know are very weak as opposed to a CNC Milled piece. Here are some pics of my Reel Failure. Fin-Nor sent me my repaired reel back, I hope it holds as I really like this reel.
The cast parts are what keeps the price at the magical $200 mark! I could be wrong, but if they were to replace the cast parts with machined-from-billet parts, the cost of the reel would substantially increase.
Looks like I made the right descision after all. please tell us what you were hooked up to/ how much drag, etc. when the failure occured that main gear looks like stainless in the photo. what led you to beleive it was a cast part? -Brian
I had the drags tight enough so that a 36" Amberjack couldnt take any line. I'll post pics tomorow, its definately a cast piece, i can tell by how pourus the metal inside the gear was where it snapped
I am surprised with such porous gears, that the reel weighs as much as it does. Maybe their P.R. could be that they designed it that way so it would float. They probably make them from melted-down car keys. Did you notice any fragments with "VW" or "Yugo" stamped in them? Since they are casting the parts anyway, maybe they should use lead--the reels would not be noticably heavier and the ductility of the material would prevent cracking. Russ
The material must be hard, both the drive gear and the pinion, because the teeth of the DG and P didn't break while the DG body did in stead. The force applied on the handle must have been significant although there is a design flaw: apparently those holes weakened the DG body.
I got my Fin-Nor OFS65 when it came on market. I learned the only way to upgrade/improve this line of reels is to give it away to the kids down the street. I even gave them a few bucks to get it out of my hands. Brand new never used once....what a waste....
I have a second friend who ordered one on the internet. He has not used his yet, and I offered to act as a go-between to deliver it to Gunsmoke for the purpose of making certain it got thrown overboard in the best manner possible. He is going to fish with it. Russ
Russ, I will guarantee that these new half-arse spinners would find themselves on the ocean floor if you put one on his boat. He does allow the Sustain line of spinners on the boat as he has had good luck fishing with them. I also like them. When a school of chicken dolphin appear, the little sustains and Stella's brought out immediately. Those chicken dolphin are an excellent bait for marlin. You can pull a fresh rigged little dolphin for hours without it falling apart.
Thanks for the pics. looks like the broken main gear is made of cast iron or aluminum. Need a magnet to be sure although in a situation like yours I beleive it would have stripped the gears on cast aluminum. Nonetheless, it is a machined part, but doesnt look like even decent steel, let alone stainless the break is too grainy for stainless. probably cast iron. Thank God I bought the Cabo 80pts instead. How you likin that purple Avet? -Brian
That purple avet looks too nice to use, I got a topshot of 60lb Izorline Pink on it and even my wife said its "pretty"
Just an update, Fin Nor contacted me to let me know that there was a bad batch of thinly machined gears from the factory, I have taken my Fin Nor out 3 times since it broke and have caught several more amberjack w/o an issue. After jigging w/ Tom's setup, I know why everyone like such light setups now though.
Not to beat a dead horse or take issue with Fin-Nor's contention concerning the bad batch of gears, but I would have three observations: (1) the ability of a bad run of parts to get into actual product does not speak well for their quality assurance, if any. On the other hand, I guess it could be argued that at that price, you can't expect superior QA. (2) There have been other problems--admittedly not as bad--that had nothing to do with the gears. (3) I am not an engineer, nor did I inspect the faulty reels myself, but it would seem that the inferior metal could be an issue without regard to the thickness of the parts. Russ
Just an update, Fin Nor contacted me to let me know that there was a bad batch of thinly machined gears from the factory, I have taken my Fin Nor out 3 times since it broke and have caught several more amberjack w/o an issue. hi there. is there a way to identify reels from the bad batch (before the gear breaks..), e.g. by the serial number? just bought a couple of these..
