I have a little break between tournaments and am finally going to send my reels in for much needed repair. I wanted to send my reels directly to Shimano but was told the waiting list is 8-10 weeks. That's too long to go without my reels. I called all the authorized repair facilities in Texas, and they are all 4-6 weeks out. I am preparing to send them to Mark's Outdoor Sports in Birmingham Alabama; they are 2-3 weeks before they can look at them. Has anyone used those guys?

My specific question deals with possible upgrades. I am sending in 10-Chronarch 100SF's. I believe these are the original versions of the Chronarchs. I am aware of upgrades to the bearings, but don't know any of the specifics. I do want to upgrade whatever components I can, but I'm not sure what my options are. None of the customer service people I spoke to were very helpful. What have you guys done to your reels that you recommend I have done to mine? What's the deal with the new color-coded reel handles? I have read where those are cool.

I'm also sending in a few of the original Castaics (I love those reels and wish I had never upgraded to the Chronarchs 4 or 5 years ago) and some Stradic spinning reels. My spinning reels are shot; the Castaics need service. Are there any upgrades to those?

Thank you for your suggestions. Troy Jenkins

adcoreel@sabinenet.com Give them a shout, they may be a bit quicker.

www.fishermike.com can get it done quick. They are a Shimano service plus dealer.

Troy,for the upgrades, generally most shops will replace the bearings with a higher tolerance and replace the drag washers. If you decide to go with the ceramics, be sure to ask supplier for data to ensure you getting ABEC 7 ceramics.For sure, you can't tell by looking at them. theyare pretty high dollar. Lots of shops are Shimano service plus dealers as well, but only one shop i know of that specialized in Shimano freshwater baitcasters only.

Shimano service Plus dealers are buisness not shade tree. They get parts direct from Shimano. You can trust a dealer, because they don't won't complaints on their record. You can call Shimano and they will tell you if there are complaints. Not everyone is a Service Plus Dealer, but most of the repair shops that have been listed on the forum are great and will do you a fine job. You have to repair 5000 reels a year to become warranty service, so shimano does'nt make it easy.