Pro reel cleaning service vs doing it yourself?

I was wondering if when its time to get my reel serviced for cleaning whats the best way to do so ?im leaning towards having a pro do it because im afraid ill put it back together wrong or lose some of the parts .if i go that rout who would yall recomend me using in the future ?also how often should it be done because ive heard once a yr on one website then every 2 to 3 months on another ?

If you're wondering about doing yourself, there are a ton of YouTube videos on it. There are a few reels that I won't touch and leave them to the pros. Others, I clean on my own. It's about the $$$ of the reel and what I have done to them.


I suggest you get some dedicated smaller tools from a place like Northern Tool or Harbor Freight. I also suggest you go online and get the blueprints for the reels, I have several of these stored on my laptop so I can refer to them while I'm working on them.

If you're not interested in learning...here's a buddy of mine who works on my reels (Diawa Steez).
https://tackletrap.com/index.php?main_page=document_general_info&cPath=2176&products_id=9885

If you are taking your reels in to get cleaned every 2 months you'd never have them to fish with! I clean mine once per year usually. That said, I'm sure like anything else mileage may vary based on use and care.

DIY

I just oil mine every once in a while . Rarely have I ever had them cleaned by anyone else.

If you do this every time you re-spool or at least every other time, you shouldn't need to service it unless some bearings/bushings/gears break inside.

Also if you are going to have them serviced, SouthWest Parts and Service in Dallas has repaired all my broken reels and made them like new. they are excellent.

2-3 months? They drag them through the dirt in Odessa?