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Hi Cam,
The frame material used on the Alphas Ito is indeed aluminium.With this in mind,It is believed that Diawa didn't install their CRBBs as it would have been a somewhat fruitless exercise.Bare alloy is noted as a not so salt friendly material when other metals are in direct contact with it.Therefore Daiwa went with their standard stainless steel bearings and labeled it a fresh water reel.
Hi Tri,
Keep in mind Wheezers' wise words:- We were using standard bearings for years before the evolution towards CRBBs and the like.(Maintainance is your best weapon against the elements.)
You can change the standard bearings over if you wish without to much trouble,But the cost of the exercise could be an issue.You are also still left with the frame itself exposed to the salt enviroment.The only way I can think of to apply protection to the frame would be getting it anodized in a clear finish.I'm not exactly sure if this would end up being a,Be all,End all soloution to the problem.
The factors that lighten the weight of the Ito are :-
The alloy frame is milled more than the standard Alphas.
It has a Duralium spool which is also milled out.
The gearing is made from Daiwas' GIGAS material.
A slightly milled handle.
And a type R rotor on the spool.
Although some of these things are very small,They all contribute.The Alphas Ito weighs in just a touch heavier than their Pixy.
In summary I personaly would still recommend you look at a different reel for salt water applications.As the cost of bearing changes and anodizing would be quite a bit.Even then I can't guarantee it will definantly protect your investment.Daiwa label it a fresh water reel for a reason.
As you mention the stock Alphas is a nice piece of work.And it sounds like it will suit the type of fishing you are doing.The only thing I'd do to a standard Alphas is install Jacks' Carbontex washers.I recently did this conversion for a m8,And the result was awsome!An extreamly smooth drag was attained throughout it's entire range,With pressure suiting Barra and jack at the nasty end.We estimated it at around 7-8kg with only hand pressure on the drag star,None of this pliers stuff to tighten it.I'm unsure if the rest of the reels internals will be able to handle this upgrade???Only one way to find out.
Cheers b8.
Last edited by Hardb8; 03-06-2007 at 04:51 PM.
The underlying spirit of angling,Is that the skill of the angler,Is pitted against the instinct and strength of the fish,And that the latter is entitled to an even chance for his life. Regards, Hardb8.Kickin tails and razin scales since 1979.
Ive checked tackletour and yep they say aluminium body as you probably found there too. Mind you aluminium alloy is pretty salt tolerant - look at aluminium boats!! I dont beleive everything i read from tackletour as ive noted some mistakes in the past! still wouldnt mind beting the reel could be magnesium construction going on the weight - similar to the mag steez! but then again could be wrong!! kind of think would be ok if washed down after use! but TT said not much advantage over standard Alphas so maybe thats the go for a price saving??!.
Quite often the price is an indication of the construction - how is the ito priced against the SteeZ? cheers
the alphas is 100% alloy construction, no magnesium. it is a fair bit heavier than the steez! the steez is the lightest all metal baitcaster on the market. I have a steez and a pixy and had an alphas until recently and you could definitely notice the weight difference. daiwa needed a high end low pro casting reel that could handle salt to combat shimanos offerings so released the alphas/sol based on a pixy. agree with hardb8 no point using an ito ai in the salt, the bare alloy would start to sacrifice and ugly pitting would occur. as i said earlier if you are looking for an alphas with a bit more performance check out the type f, a JDM version. painted silver, has extra bearings and lighter GIGAS maingear for weight reduction. only reason daiwa don't recommend it for salt use is they swapped out the CRBB's for stainless ones (daiwas stainless bearings have a higher ABEC rating than their CRBB's meaning they are higher performing) again with sensible care and maintainence this reel would have absolutely no issues in a salt environment...
in terms of price comparo...well the ito ai has not been available for some time and being an ito custom makes it quite collectable and therefore pricey, last i heard they were commanding about 350USD and steez goes for about 400-450USD in the same market (699 here). not as collectable as some of the previous megabass offerings like the M-ito and most notably the TDZ variant. in terms of out and out performance you'd take a steez. but if you are a collector then you'd still have a steez as well as an ito ai!
Hi Cam,
I think wheezer has answered the questions you've asked on price.
Again I can tell you,As I own,And use one,The Ito Ai suffers marks from fresh water fishing.Even when cleaned meticulously.Salt would obviously be more of an addition,To an already existing problem.
With regards to aluminium boats.Take yaself a look at an ally hull that has seen a bit of use.Even if it has been cleaned after every outing,It'll never look the same as it did the day she rolled out of the shop.A nice analogy to compare the reel in question,Being made from the same material.
It's not all about how much reels cost for some.I just purchased Daiwas' latest.And I could have almost bought two Steez's for the price I happily paid for this single reel.Some people are collectors/users of limited offerings like myself.The Ai also falls into this catagory.Which is why I bought one.
Cheers b8
The underlying spirit of angling,Is that the skill of the angler,Is pitted against the instinct and strength of the fish,And that the latter is entitled to an even chance for his life. Regards, Hardb8.Kickin tails and razin scales since 1979.
Aluminium it is then! Surprising Daiwa dont bother finish coating them! thought maybe their higher end reels would be anodized rather than painted?
probably not a great analogy as aluminium boats are made from marine grade alloy! Ive seen old tinnies (35 year old) with pretty minimal corrosion considering what theyve been through - more than your average reel unless its an Alvey of course - haha!
i believe the alphas ito is not a daiwa product. it is a megabass product using an i'ze factory tuned daiwa alphas as the base. yuki ito (megabass) and daiwa have a long history of collaboration on limited models. it was never a mass produced model, instead being produced in limited numbers available over a limited time. the price was quite high at first release, then came down a bit but now is starting to rise again as they haven't been on the market for a while and are collectable like all other megabass reels. if i didn't already have a pixy and a steez i'd get one but i need one that is a little more salt capable so instead a type f will suffice, rather than leaving it unpainted daiwa have painted it silver...
re boat analogy i believe what hardb8 is getting at is when you buy a brand new bare alloy boat it is all shiny, as soon as you use it it gets dull. doesn't corrode away but it gets dull and has watermarks all over it. unless you keep washing it in a mild acid solution (done when prepping for painting) so yes i think its a suitable analogy....i'll stop ramblin now!!
The underlying spirit of angling,Is that the skill of the angler,Is pitted against the instinct and strength of the fish,And that the latter is entitled to an even chance for his life. Regards, Hardb8.Kickin tails and razin scales since 1979.
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