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Airex was one of the first USA companies to make spinning reels, starting after WWII and peaking in the 50s. Kinda faded out by the 60s. The company was headed for a while by the "Father of American Spin Fishing", Bache Brown.
Bache Hamilton Brown: The Father of Spin Fishing in America - ORCA
The reel is from the 50s and so is the rod. It is made aluminum. Best I can tell (looking at old catalogs), it was made from about 1949 through 1956. Lots of fun catching fish on stuff older than me!!!
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The Vagabond was made for light tackle and weighs in a 10 oz (not bad for the 50s). It can be converted to bail-less use very easily. I haven't tried this yet, but some swear by it. Airex made an ultralight/entry level reel called the Apache. I have one. I think I'll break it out next.
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The Alcedo Micron is much more famous, achieving cult-like status among ultralight enthusiasts. They were quite expensive and collectable for a while. Once eBay came along, people realized there were more of them out there than previously thought. The prices have come down but a clean can still fetch $80-200, depending on condition and if the box or papers are included. It's a tiny reel, about 500 size and very light. It was well ahead of its time in the 50s, at least on the weight front.
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A ported brass main gear, beautifully cut spiral pinion and a bearing on the rotor, make this reel very smooth and fun to use.
The Great Tradition of Italian Fishing Reel
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Thanks. I take them completely apart and clean them. Then the gears and other brass parts are polished. Then everything is lubed and reassembled. Part of the fun is seeing the designs used over the years. Many of these old reels have some beautiful machining in them. Most were overbuilt. Good for us - they still work perfectly decades later!
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A lot of those were machined by a true craftsman
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Fishfishwish, do you own one of these?…
Attachment 405185..image taken from eBay! It’s also Italian. Years ago when I slowly gotten into UL tackles I was very interested in the Abu Cardinal 3 from the decades back and while searching I came across many highly regarded UL including the Alcedo and Mitchell 308, but they were expensive when condition close to “mint!” Instead I ended up with this:
Attachment 405186…now pairing with a late 80’s Fenwick Legacy 5’5”…
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Oh and thanks for the great information on the Italian tackle industries…it made an awesome read!
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Those 50s are highly sought after! I have an Orvis 101 and 301. Both need some work though.
I have an Ofmer badged for Wright McGill.
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I have no ABU spinners. I have six ABU baitcasters and 3 more ABU Garcias.
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Caught a few in recent days with the diminutive Airex Apache.
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So much for the antique roadshow for now.
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Wow, these are some great old reels and memories!
Bob
