Alan's Workbench
Offset handle grips
Jun. 15 2009, 8:36 AM
Jun. 15 2009, 8:36 AM
The fish's interface with the reel is the drag system. Once you upgrade your drag washers to greased carbon fiber, the fish will probably not be able to tell the difference between your $90 Ambassaduer and your $350 Calcutta. Your interface with the reel is the handle grip. In between the handle grip and the drags is a reel with single or two speeds, leverdrag or star drag, graphite or aluminum frame, level wind or no. Once you're on a fish, your reel may as well be a black box. It's you on the handle grip and the fish against the drag.
So why are most handle grips about the size of a peanut - even on the big reels? Tiburon addressed this issue with their patented T-Bar handle, featuring a very large angled grip. Their patent covered offset angles from 10 to 25 degrees. Not to be deterred, Avet came out with a large grip that featured a 9-degree offset. Recently, Accurate introduced a grip that also featured a 9 degree offset, Alutecnos a curved grip, and Shimano finally introduced a "bellbottomed" Offset Ergonomic Power Grip Handle on their larger Tiagras. The trend towards larger offset handle grips is unmistakeable.
If you've never tried a large offset grip before, find one of these reels and give it a spin. You're in for a real treat!
If you've never tried a large offset grip before, find one of these reels and give it a spin. You're in for a real treat!
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September 4, 2009, 5:55 am
Where can I get a offset for my Shimano 50 and my 30 wide 2-speed? To replace it do I need to send it to Shimano or can I do it myself?