I’ve tuned a number of reels. Here is my take. Adding a bearing, or bearings to the knob really smooths things out compared to the bushings you find in many reels. Adding bearings to the drag support and spool support will not be noticeable to the hand but will really help for a smoother drag. Adding bearings to a line roller most certainly helps with line twist. All my reels have 2 line roller bearings. I don’t tune anymore as I just can’t see as well and like you mentioned, sometimes the disassembly of a line roller can be a bear. While I never have had any Daiwa reels with bushings bind up I have had several Shimano reels that have. Many of those bushings can absorb water and swell. So I just take a preemptive measure and change them out. Have to say that now when I get a new reel I check to make sure that it doesn’t need any upgrades. Of course my reel buying days have become less and less the past couple of years. I think the best move I ever made was when I bought 4 of the Daiwa Ballistic FW 1000’s. I added 4 bearings and those reels really shine. Hope tuning upgrades work out for you.

Regards


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