The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

So there was an "old warrior " Aerial on a well known auction site . It had a reasonable start price and although looked tired it was listed as all working correctly .
I'm not that up on Aerials but thought it looked like it may be a C815 (despite being listed otherwise)
I placed a bid and won it at the starting price ,did that mean no one else thought it worthy ? Maybe a error on my part .
When it arrived I was quite happy ,as advertised it spun well with only a barely perceptible deviation . It felt tight and with all its battle scars It has a lot of charm and character .
I knew from the images the tip of the ratchet lever was broken but unfortunately when it arrived the drag adjuster is also non functional ... it maybe just the spring , I don't know . The only other tiny niggle is a bit of a dent where something has banged the pawl into the backplate . But for the money I think it acceptable to me .
I'm thinking of stripping it as it's had a bad makeover at some point . I was also thinking of getting the drag and ratchet lever fixed but I'm not sure . Is it worth spending the money on ? Could I live without the drag ?
John

A fine old warrior John, worth spending a few quid getting it sorted, well done sir

Send it to Gary Mills he has new ratchet levers and I'm sure any other parts it needs. I had mine serviced by him and it made quite an improvement.

Thanks chaps .
Harry someone else suggested Gary Mills to me earlier . I did speak to him on the phone and he gave me a fair and reasonable quote, but it would also be a very sizeable percentage of the original purchase price . He does seem a busy man though with quite a turnaround time .
John

when it comes to refurbishing or repairing... it's a balancing act... I've bought £30 rods and spent over £100 having them refurbished... maybe a waste of money to some folks, but to me, the end results are well worth it..... if you want something that works well, spending a bit of money on it will pay dividends later

I have couple of these and they are a real workhorse! I use mine for ledgering rather than float fishing/trotting. Loaded with 10lb line they cope with carp/barbel quite easily.

Depending upon the estimate to renovate they seem to go for around the £80 - £100 mark and quite a bit more when in excellent condition.

Thanks chaps
I guess just taking mk eye into account maybe it wasn't such a great purchase . If I spend on having the repairs done the reel is about its price anyway and maybe I could have got one without site many dings and dents or character depending on how you look at it .
Maybe for now I will just enjoy it as it is ... warts an all .
John

Do what you can yourself and enjoy it for the bargain price you bought it at. If it becomes a good friend then treat it as such and spend some money on it, as it will then be a keeper.

Hi Reedling
I smiled reading your post . A perfect reply
John

Reference Allcocks Aerial Old Warrior, I had such a reel that was in the same condition. It was sent to Steve Boncey to be given a makeover, I got it back today as new. I am well pleased great work and service.