For those of you who don't know who Alan Tani is, you should google him, as he's the guru of reels. While shimano tld 15's are good lever drag reels for the money ~$130, they can be improved slightly.

Their handles could be a tad longer

Where Alan Tani comes in is what happens inside the reel, replacing the stock canvas drag washer with a penn 6-25 (~$6 vs $15 for a carbontex, and a drop in fit) A light coat of Cal's drag grease and hitting all the bearings with reel x. Lots of small parts when tearing the reel down, so choose your work area carefully, especially a floor where you can find the small bits when you drop them.

Much smoother drag, smoother freespool and I like the feel of the longer crank

Now the big question is, after the upgrades and having $170-180 into the reel, how's it compare to say an avet mx for the same price? The shimano has more drag and holds more line, but I like the feel of the avets better. If shimano would make the tld 15 1/2" narrower, with a carbon drag washer and longer crank from the factory, it would be a killer jig reel for $130, IMHO
I've also done the same carbon drag washer treatment to a shimano charter special 1000, I'll try and get some pics up later.

Their handles could be a tad longer

Where Alan Tani comes in is what happens inside the reel, replacing the stock canvas drag washer with a penn 6-25 (~$6 vs $15 for a carbontex, and a drop in fit) A light coat of Cal's drag grease and hitting all the bearings with reel x. Lots of small parts when tearing the reel down, so choose your work area carefully, especially a floor where you can find the small bits when you drop them.

Much smoother drag, smoother freespool and I like the feel of the longer crank

Now the big question is, after the upgrades and having $170-180 into the reel, how's it compare to say an avet mx for the same price? The shimano has more drag and holds more line, but I like the feel of the avets better. If shimano would make the tld 15 1/2" narrower, with a carbon drag washer and longer crank from the factory, it would be a killer jig reel for $130, IMHO
I've also done the same carbon drag washer treatment to a shimano charter special 1000, I'll try and get some pics up later.
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