Leeda Northstar 70

[XmartyX]

Lads, just looking for some opinions. I bought a Leeda Northstar 70 fixed spool reel a few weeks ago. I have just gotten in to shore fishing and I was looking for something usable without breaking the bank. After reading through a few forums this one seemed to have gotten fairly positive feedback. Anyway I dropped it in the surf the other night and it seized up almost straight away! I got it home to find it full of sand but even after cleaning it as best I could it is not the same? The bail arm will not return automatically anymore. Would this have happened to most reels if I dropped them in the surf or is this model not sealed as well as other ones?

[saving private brian]

awe its a headreck when this happens.to be quiet honest the reel u bought wud be fine for the beginner but to myself and others leeda wud be 1 of my least favourite.i had a leeda reel and got a small bit of use out of it.but i wudnt generally class them as a good reel.when u move up to other better reels u will c it for urself.there are a few other reels u cud get with the likes of the mitchel range.u wud prob pay no more than 50 but wud be a lot better than the leeda range.i have a mitchel gita 700 and still goin well,and of course theres all the better ranges such as shimano.penn etc.keep an eye out on the the for sale section.u mite get a good decent second hand 1 here for a good bargain

[paul mason]

With Fixed Spool reels you get what you pay for. Buying a cheap fixed spool reel is false economy they tend to last for a season or less and pack in. What might seem like a bargain at the time might cost you more financially in the long run, or worse still loose a fish of a lifetime. The quality of the materials in some of the cheaper reels is quite poor, bearings, gears, spindle shaft and the body itself. Many of them come from the cheaper factories in the Far East not dedicated to building quality. If you’re serious about your fishing you are better paying a little more and buying quality.

[kevin o connor]

When you say, you cleaned it as best you could. Did you strip it down and wash it out. Some times the grease/oil used in some reels may not be the best. I think I would strip it down completely, clean it thoroughly and oil with a good gun oil. See if you can find the literature that came with the reel to make sure you have not lost any parts and make sure you have reassembled it correctly.

[XmartyX]

Really appreciate the replies lads.
When I opened the reel first I was concerned that the grease had been contaminated with the sea water and sand (it was very dirty).
I cleaned it out completely but then put in more 'general purpose' grease I had in the shed. This made it almost impossible to turn! I took it apart again and cleaned some of it out - based on your comments kevin I should never have used it in the first place! Well all this assembly and disassembly created a further problem - the lever to switch the antireverse lock off and on broke when I was using the reel last Sunday. The top pin (about 1mm in diameter) snapped off the shaft - I must have weakened it with all my interference.
To fish on Sunday I had to hold on to the reel to stop line from pulling off!
I'll put this one down to experience.