Ambidex Match

[Polecat]

Ambidex.jpg

Picked this up on ebay, delivered today. Not sure I really needed it but it was black, shiny, reasonably priced and not a model I've seen too often. Should be good fun on our local pond paired up with a suitable rod.

[Nobby]

That looks clean. The bail arm on those can be a bit prone to pitting, even rusting.

Inside it's like a tuned engine, the crank has been made bigger to give a greater throw to enable the reel to lay line on that wide arboured spool. Bits had to be hacked off to give the crank room to turn.

I'm not sure why they put it in the slope-backed body as Ted Young had already developed the swan-necked body for the Ambidex. I think it' one of the rarest Ambidexes outside of the first version and the rare anti-reverse lever experiments.

[Dave F]

I managed to obtain a really good Ambidex Match and used it on my local “ Happy Place.” It performed well and my personal preference, glad it wasn’t a Swan neck. I have a MK 7 Swan neck and don’t like the style at all. The nicest Ambidex I have and used is a MK 6.

[Polecat]

That looks clean. The bail arm on those can be a bit prone to pitting, even rusting.

Inside it's like a tuned engine, the crank has been made bigger to give a greater throw to enable the reel to lay line on that wide arboured spool. Bits had to be hacked off to give the crank room to turn.

I'm not sure why they put it in the slope-backed body as Ted Young had already developed the swan-necked body for the Ambidex. I think it' one of the rarest Ambidexes outside of the first version and the rare anti-reverse lever experiments.

Thank you Nobby, it's nice to know a bit about the reels and their development. There is a little bit of rusting on the inside of the bail arm - as you note can happen. It is (was) in pretty good working order except the bail arm would not clear the spool properly when open - it sprung back a bit. I had a go at fixing it Friday night and now it's completely b*ggered. Luckily one of the members on here who lives local to me is coming to my rescue.

[Polecat]

I managed to obtain a really good Ambidex Match and used it on my local “ Happy Place.” It performed well and my personal preference, glad it wasn’t a Swan neck. I have a MK 7 Swan neck and don’t like the style at all. The nicest Ambidex I have and used is a MK 6.

Hi Dave, I have a Mark 6 as well, but mine is a swan neck. I assume that the Mark 6 came in both body styles?

[Dave F]

Hi Polecat, Yes the Mark 6 Ambidex was both body styles. I found the ratchet switch on the 7 very “iffy” just a riveted piece of shaped metal and presume, that it would be the same fitting on all Swan necked versions. I much prefer the “older” body style. I’ve finished my collecting of Ambidex reels - theoretically, “The Match” was MK 10 and the last model that was made.

[Polecat]

Cheers Dave, I know what you mean about the "iffy" ratchet switch - although I've not managed to break that yet...