Shimano Exage 4000 Front Drag -Opinions

Hi folks my old spinning reel packed in so I picked up a front drag exage in the 4000 size today. Will be paired with my 8ft spinning rod. Some might think its a bit big but it feels great on the rod and will cover me for both shore and hopefully some deep sea lure/jigging action.

This seems like a lovely reel, great build quality- lovely smooth drag and the anti reverse is absolutely excellent.

Just wondering if many of you guys have a front drag exage and how do you find them?

Any particular maintenance tips to be aware of beside the normal rinse after use?

Great reel, I have one 3 years and it's still as good as new with just rinsing down after use. I've used it on shore and boat and it's always been up to the job. For the money you would do very well to get another reel that come close to the exage.

Great-the leaflet with it mentioned a drop of oil in the maintenance port if my my model had it- does it?

great reel - nice smooth drag. mine doesn't have a maintenance port. i wipe with a damp cloth after ever session and oil the moving parts every so often thats all

Sent My shimano aernos oceania to Shimano in Swansea more in hope than expectation as broke the handle. Had it back in 3 days fixed safe and sound. Can't complain as possibly an idea

have the 3000,and its a little miller of a reel, not designed for salt water, but rinse after use, let drain till dry, a little touch of 3 in 1 oil will keep it good, I also put a little bit of grease inside, have the reel a good few years now, Eddie....

Shimano Exage 4000 Front Drag reel - it's my first choice, has been for the past 3 or 4 years.

You won't get a better lure reel for the money - full stop. Lays braid perfectly.

Hi steve interestingly enough when I spooled the braid on it was a little "humpy".im fairly sure I did it right-I had a nice bit of mono backing on before the braid.i wound the whole lot on under serious tension my finger was reddened out of it with the heat. Is there any other tip I need to know about?

its best to wind braid on under tension as if you were using rod and reel,small tip get someone to put Biro through spool and keep hands taught against spool(good job for the wife),this helps with line layout and keeps even,braid will also need to be stretched before use,Eddie....

Hi steve interestingly enough when I spooled the braid on it was a little "humpy".im fairly sure I did it right-I had a nice bit of mono backing on before the braid.i wound the whole lot on under serious tension my finger was reddened out of it with the heat. Is there any other tip I need to know about?

The thicker the braid, the more lumpy it gets. What lbs braid did you spool 20/30lb?

That's the thing-it was good quality .18 mm braid

What breaking strain mono was it? I tend to use light mono (like 5lb b.s.) and have never had issues. It's also only a relevatively small amount of backing just to give the braid something to bed onto. How many yards of backing versus yards of braid did you put on?

Hmmm maybe thats my problem it could have been some 12 or 15 lb mono I used as backing. I filled up the spool maybe a quarter or half inch up the way and the braid the rest

Savage reel. !
Keep clean after each outing
Lube and oil every 3rd outing. Last ya years


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Hmmm. Shouldn't have made that much difference though.

The backing is there to give something for the braid to bed into (and save you a fortune by not having to fill the whole spool with braid!). Can I suggest that you wind the braid straight onto the spare spool, and when you come to the backing, cut it off and spool with a lower b.s.. Then wind it on until its close to, but not at, the lip of the spool. Then simply take off the spool, put on the empty one, and wind it all back onto that. It's worth taking time to do this, enlist the help of a friend or the missus. Always easier to do it with the reel on the rod and line through the rings. Try and ensure it goes on tight and flat. Give it a go and let us know how you get on.

Savage reel. !
Keep clean after each outing
Lube and oil every 3rd outing. Last ya years


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Where do I need to put the oil?

Great reel for the price but doesnt have a maintenace port!

you only need to oil the moving parts, around the handle, the bail arm and also the line roller. i usually put a drop in the anti reverse too. i don't think it's good to oil too much though as it can sort of gunk up if you know what i mean. only need a little oil. the main thing is to get the salwater off it and prevent corrosion.

Did you get this sorted? If you bought this locally no harm to bring it back and ask them to have a look at it?