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Fox BJ-5 Centrepin

Julian Peacock

Julian Peacock

Senior Member
Evening all,

A new pin arrived today, a Fox Bob James one. Looks nice, it is light but spins for 25 seconds and feels a little coffee grinder like in the palm.

I don't remember either of my Okuma's feeling like this when new.

Do I have a duff one?
Should I send it back, or maybe try and fit better bearings?

Advice gratefully received!

P.S I know that a 3 minute spin does not mean a brilliant reel and it is about start up inertia, but 25 seconds with the micro drag fully open?

Kind Regards,
Julian
 
Don't think of fitting new bearings, if you think it needs new just send it back. I've not seen one of these but as its advertised with 'high quality low friction' bearings then it doesn't sound too good.

Your comment about feeling like a coffee grinder sound significant.
 
For that sort of dosh mate i would want it perfect.................. send it back and see what they replace it with, it could just be a bad one.
 
Perhaps they are the new type of quality German bearings we have heard about, with the funny spelling...I think Germany has only five letters, and the first one is a 'C' :D

Cheers, Dave.
 
Going back a few years the market was flooded with these probably a Chinese rip off...
 
Sounds a bad one to me. Never seen one but the write ups say you can blow the reel and watch it spin indefinitely so sounds like it's had a knock.
 
I have done a bit of googling and have seen a suggestion of warming the bearings as the lubricant may have solidified due to lack of use from being stationary in the shop. Makes sense to me.
I bought the reel from a reputable shop, although I have busted my own rule of only buying a reel from a reel manufacturer! I suppose I may have got what I deserved.
The reel is made in China but i am not aware of any cheap Chinese copies? Were these genuinely (sorry!), on the market?
 
I thought that the fox bj centre pin was actually a jw youngs light weight pin rebadged in a collaboration between the two brands. I think this pin is now called a 'super light weight' model in the youngs range since all things related to Bob James became toxic! May be worth a call and asking the question with their service departments
 
Julian, did you get sorted? I bought one myself recently. Out of the box it was a poor runner and, from the marks from the handles on the neoprene pouch, it was obvious it had been sitting on a shelf for a fair while.

IIRC I got about thirty seconds out of it. I know that how long a pin spins is a bit of a red herring, but it still seemed poor. A little bit of adjustment saw me get a little more. The float adjustment took a fair bit of messing with to get right, it definitely wasn't right out of the box.

A couple of trotting sessions later, a little more tweaking and it's running much better and was fine in use. I was happy to the extent that I hadn't bother to repeat the rather academic timed spin. However, on seeing this thread, I gave it another go. I got about sixty seconds on its back and ten to fifteen more upright. Nothing particularly impressive, but the fact that rotation is started by the weight of the knot in a piece of pole elastic that I use as a line retainer keeps me happy enough.

Not everything about the thing fills me with joy. There's a fair bit of bearing rumble and vibration (but only at irrelevant speeds I'll never see when actually fishing).

I suspect that the lightweight spool is the reason for some of the negatives and positives. I bought the thing with trotting in mind, to see if the extra diameter would help alleviate some of the tedium of retrieval following a long trot. However, I suspect that my 4.5" Hardy Conquest is actually big enough. It's also a hell of a lot more refined than the Fox. One thing that I'm positive about is that I won't be using smaller than 4.5" for trotting ever again.
 
Hi Chris, I bought mine for the same reasons as yourself. I didn't bother sending it back in the end and instead have relied on it bedding in! The bearings were grumbly on mine too. I have taken it out twice and bagged 11 chub in about an hours use using a 2 swan loafer which of course it gives line easily to.
I find the ratchet a bit too soft as I rove about changing swims a lot. Will need to band it up. I also find the fine adjustment the exact opposite, it jerks in big movements. All that said it serves a purpose but I would not recommend it.

I have incidentally, developed a tarty liking for 'pins and have just received a pair of black 4.5 inch Marco Cortesi's with line guards which I hope to leger with. Initial impressions are positive, especially at £40 each.
 
I have 5 of these Fox reels and love them! They are my preferred choice for trotting and I use them for Salmon fishing too. Just put a bit of oil on the spindle and it should be ok?

The original retail price was £324.00 but they didn't sell that well. You can pick them up for £130-150 these days BNIB which I think is a bargain?

Far better than a Marco Cortesi which has been assigned to the bin long ago!

Regards,

Jeff
 
Chris and Jeff,

Mine too now runs much better following a drop of oil on the end of the spindle.

Thanks very much:)
 
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