sorry for the rant Slip. & I am gald yours have not let you down yet.
Its just that i was SOLD on this reel as a DUNKING reel(for montauk) that you never have to grease.Technically that statement was true i guess.
Mine did catch a few bass too,and I did treat it like a rented Mule(which a VS will TAKE & never flinch) ,when it got sticky i knew its time had run out. For $150? i expected/deserved a little more .
Rather than send it back for a free new one like everyone else was doing i made a decision to strip it apart to see what was inside. It was not pretty.The biggest problem as i said was with the housing.
Are the Yellow ones different than the Grey ones?
btw, if you dunk ANY reel(like the 706z) you quickly become very intimate with it.There is no such thing as "I will clean and grease it in a couple of days when i get around to it".
It just still irks me when this reel gets compared in ANY way to a 706 or a VS.
Mr striper, the noise of the roller on the 706 is part of its charm,not a sign of mechanical failure at all.
best of luck with your Abu 6500 , I feel your pain.
end of rant