List of Ambidex Reel Models

[Snoekjaeger]

And this would be the later version, with the Nr 2 on the body (and the box...).
I still have my doubts... why did they not mention the Nr 2 on that model...
JPC

[Nobby]

But that 'later' one appears to be a half-bale reel.

It's best not to try and make sense of Ambidexes...that way madness lies. Just think of them as eccentric engineers, locked away in a dark and dismal factory, not let out into the sunlight until they got it right.....somewhere around 1956, I'd guess.


They spent the war making aircraft instruments, many of which were covered in that 'wrinkle-finish' black paint to reduce glare. I'm told the stuff gave off appallingly noxious fumes.....which might explain an awful lot about their organisation immediately post-War.........

[The VFC]

Hi,

I had my doubt about the Nr. 1 with Prov patent reference, but I found one on the internet, see pic attached.

I am also confused with the one on the other picture, not marked Mk 1 but with full bail etc.

Regards,
Jean-Paul

Hi again JP - agree with nobby's comments that madness lies in trying to classify too closely! The top reel in your earlier post, however, is clearly an Ambidex No.3 (not 2) with its distinctive spool type (and quite sought after I might add). I have no idea why the No.1 has the Prov Patent still on it - though a number of thoeries could be put forward, though my guess would be the same as yours: that the plate (though not necessarily the whole reel!) dates from the period between Patent application and approval. The reason I question whether the reel is entirely from this period is that the colour is wrong - it should be in the earlier bronze colouring, rather than the brownish tinge of the mid-period models. Without seeing the reel first hand its hard to make further comment (i'd like to look at the alloy used for the interior parts and the paint job up close for example).
ATB
Jim

[Snoekjaeger]

But that 'later' one appears to be a half-bale reel.
It's best not to try and make sense of Ambidexes...that way madness lies. Just think of them as eccentric engineers, locked away in a dark and dismal factory, not let out into the sunlight until they got it right.....somewhere around 1956, I'd guess.

They spent the war making aircraft instruments, many of which were covered in that 'wrinkle-finish' black paint to reduce glare. I'm told the stuff gave off appallingly noxious fumes.....which might explain an awful lot about their organisation immediately post-War.........

LOL

Indeed it is a half bail, I was thinking (not a good thing.. I know...) they would still be making the Nr 2 in both a half-bail and flex-bail (or a regular full bail) version.
JPC

[Snoekjaeger]

Hi,

I had my doubt about the Nr. 1 with Prov patent reference, but I found one on the internet, see pic attached.

I am also confused with the one on the other picture, not marked Mk 1 but with full bail etc.

Regards,
Jean-Paul

Hi again JP - agree with nobby's comments that madness lies in trying to classify too closely! The top reel in your earlier post, however, is clearly an Ambidex No.3 (not 2) with its distinctive spool type (and quite sought after I might add). I have no idea why the No.1 has the Prov Patent still on it - though a number of thoeries could be put forward, though my guess would be the same as yours: that the plate (though not necessarily the whole reel!) dates from the period between Patent application and approval. The reason I question whether the reel is entirely from this period is that the colour is wrong - it should be in the earlier bronze colouring, rather than the brownish tinge of the mid-period models. Without seeing the reel first hand its hard to make further comment (i'd like to look at the alloy used for the interior parts and the paint job up close for example).
ATB
Jim

Thanks for your input, I am very new at this type of reels, but it became pretty soon clear to me that the Ambidex line was going to be a tough one...
Oh well...
I jumped...
so I might as well try to swim

JP

[Snoekjaeger]

Just to see if I got it right : the Mk 3 never had "Mk 3" written on it ?

Was confused because of the one in the other topic that looks (a little) like it (flex-bail, some writings,...), differences are the dragknob (I think) and chromed parts, was ID'd as a Mk 2.
I'll post pictures of these 2 (and another one) here to avoid confusion (I'll just act like there is no confusion so far )

So one of these below is the Mk 2 (type 4 as in the other post), and the other a Mk 3

JPC

[The VFC]

That's right JP - (although *cough* rather embarrasingly!) the middle photo above is incorrectly labelled as a Mark 3 on my site - the result of trying to save time by switching out old descriptions/ photos to save time! Its actually a No.1 Type 5. with Flexible Pickup. Looks like the top photo is the same. The bottom reel is the Model 3 of course. Right - off to correct website....

[Snoekjaeger]

That's right JP - (although *cough* rather embarrasingly!) the middle photo above is incorrectly labelled as a Mark 3 on my site - the result of trying to save time by switching out old descriptions/ photos to save time! Its actually a No.1 Type 5. with Flexible Pickup. Looks like the top photo is the same. The bottom reel is the Model 3 of course. Right - off to correct website....

With "No.1 Type 5" you mean the very first model type 5 ?
Not the reels marked "Nr 1" as such (and 5th type of those) ?

I am just asking because I was mailing with another collector and we got confused over this (as appeared after a few mails...) :
- to him the very first/oldest models were also Nr 1's (even when they not carried that number)
- I just called them "Ambidex Casting Reel", the others "Ambidex Casting Reel Nr 1", etc (each existing in a number of types..)

So it is very easy to accidently be talking about different reels in these matters

I am finally getting to understand most of these, thank you all very much for your help

It's gonna take me some time to describe all the different types, but that's all part of the fun in collecting

JP

[The VFC]

Hi JP - no it was the No.1 that was marked as such initially: Type 4 (1/2 bale, serrated flyer) and Type 5 (FP and serrated flyer) are just marked Casting Reel (as the No. 3's and 4's would later be).

Jim

[Nobby]

By a strange, and equally annoying co-incidence, my Photobucket images also call my No2 FP a No 3. and I can't find a way to change the title on the site!



I believe Youngs didn't call them by 'Marks' until the 4 or 5 version?



I think the reel we know call a No3 was a No2 FP with a first version folding handle ( with the huge long chrome clip) and Q/D spools.

The handle proved unpopular and was later changed to the second version folding handle, but the same arm was used and it kept the same casting number and therefore part number....not helpfull!


The Q/D spools appeared later again, though I don't know if they were actually identical, on the De-Luxe version.


The flexible pick-up was dropped after Youngs were granted permission by Hardy to make a version of their patented full bale arm for the Ambidex, but I still see Mark 5 reels with an FP so it wan't discontinued. There are Mark 5 reels with a full bale too.


Chris Yates famously caught his record carp, The Bishop' with a No3 reel, but it had the later folding handle on it and was probably a one-off version cretaed for him by a tackle dealer or possibly Youngs themselves.


Mark and Moley are better versed in this than I, but a search of the various Ambidex threads on here will find all the information that we have.


Just don't expect to ger definitive answeres with regard to this reel....they really weren't that organised.