Is it worth the money to buy ceramic bearings for Abu reels? I have looked at Boca but $30 is what I generally pick up ambassadors for. (Used of course) I don't have much to spend so I want to get money's worth. Are there other bearings that are on par with the Boca ones everyone talks about that are cheaper? Are there any other tweets or upgrades that can be done cheaply to get the best performance out of my reels?

On a whim I bought boca bearings for my shimano. They definitely made a difference. the shimano bearings were 20 years old and it was not as if I could cast 40 more feet. Just seemed smoother I also found I needed less effort to pitch a lure and could cast farther but honestly with the stock bearings i could cast far enough to make it hard to set the hook.

anyway, IMO it is not worth $30 per reel unless the bearings you have are no good.

I wouldn't mind $10 per reel but $30 and I use 7 at a time...that gets into my boat fund quick.

Boca has a mid grade, ABEC 5 bearing that is a lot less expensive. I use these in a lot of reels. I've never had a complaint. Jeff at Boca can fix you up with these.

The main advantage of ceramic bearings, is longevity. They will outlast steel bearings. More expensive for the initial outlay, but just like LED light bulbs, will last a lot longer.

I got my bearings off of Ebay. ABEC 7 is the rating for the bearing. Buy some from China and don't worry about paying Boca their cut. The ABEC 7 ceramic hybrid bearings on eBay meet the same requirements as the ones Boca sells. They might even be the same bearings. I think I paid $5 or less per bearing when I bought mine. Then I saved all the stock bearings to use as parts.

On a catfish reel, you jut want it to be smooth. It doesn't need to cast 100 yards. Maybe if you are bank fishing it becomes a big deal, but even then, the cheap ceramic bearings work fine.

That said, just replacing the spool bearings doesn't buy you a lot. A lot of the drag is created by the cog gear and the level wind. Shop around and for around $30 you can replace all of the bearings in the reel, not just the spool bearings.

Didn't know they sold cheap ceramic bearings. Where do u buy them? Ceramic are alot more expensive than stainless everywhere.