Viking Lars | Saturday, 25 May 2024
I recently found an older Lamson reel, the first series Lamson brought to market. An LP Spey, which is a big mill wheel. It’s heavy, room for more backing than I hope I’ll ever need. They had a really nice break system for their time and and even though something lighter, sexier and obviously better has come since, they’re still as good as they were back then.
When’s a classic a a classic? I don’t know - in my eyes it doesn’t have to be a pre WWII Hardy Perfect. In Lamson-years, this is a classic. They're not made to the tightest tolerances and they are certainly not as elegant as their more recent reels. They are most certainly not as light as their modern counterparts, but they are as sturdy and unbreakable as an old two stroke Detroit Diesel engine.
I really didn’t need it, but I bought it used very cheap and had to discard the line that was on it. I’ll probably also put new backing on. Whatever’s on there discolours the line, which I can’t work with. The reel is in good, working order. The brake system on these was top notch when they came out and it’s still as good as it was then. More than good enough for my use. I did notice something and that’s a bit of start up resistance, which modern reels don’t have. I’ll survive.
I took it apart to have a look since it’s setup for right hand wind. I have other salmon reels set for right hand and it really doesn’t bother me much, but I wanted to reverse. It turns out I can’t remember how that’s done, but I suppose Google will solve that later.
“Took it apart” sounds very involved, but it is of course only a matter of pressing a small button and removing the spool. The reel and the relatively simple brake mechanism and clicker were stuffed full of grease. I’ve written about how I do enjoy performing winter maintenance on my gear, making sure everthing is lubricated and so on. This was certainly lubricated.
As such I don’t suppose that too much lubricant or grease is a problem. However, since it’s easy for sand and grit to get into the reel, too much grease will only attract more sand a grit, potentially leading to intensified wear. I’ll take it completely apart later, but for mow, I’ve just cleaned it with q-tips, paper and a little degreaser.
I’ve bought and sold plenty of used gear online during the years. If you’re not obsessed with getting the latest and greatest (?) all the time, there’s a lot of money to be saved buying used. I don’t know about the rest of the world, but in Denmark and Scandinavia there’s a big market on Facebook. I do scour - sometimes you trip over something - like this Lamson LP. It was really cheap, which was why I bought it. I have enough reels to keep me trading reels for flour when Armageddon comes.
Have a great weekend!
Lars