Orvis Vortex and Battenkil Large arbor reflections (long)

[Luyen]

Have been fishing a 9/10 Vortex for six months now, and just bought a Battenkil 5/6 Large Arbor. Some thoughts for those of you considering these popular reels:

The Vortex is a beautiful reel -- wonderfully machined, elegantly designed. I haven't boated any monsters with it, but it's been very much up to the challenge of Montauk fall albies, a couple of keeper bass, big blues, and some big jacks. Drag is very smooth; the reel is extremely easy to maintain and clean; there are unusually few mechanical parts. For the price, it's a great deal. Anyone with any questions, feel free to email or post here.

The Battenkill Large Arbor is a great value ($185 for the 5/6) reel for those looking for a large arbor reel at low cost. However, it is in a different league from the Vortex. The click and drag mechanisms appear to be virtually identicaly to the original Battenkill mechanisms. The only difference is that they are hidden in a panel on the reel frame rather than exposed. I've owned a "regular" Battnekill for 20 years, and it still fishes great, but you really have to take care of the gear, clutch, and click, because they have a tendency to attract grime and dirt.

The weirdest thing about the Battenkill I received was that it had a missing part(!) I brought the reel in to Orvis to have the spool rigged. I specifically asked for right-hand retrieve. When I took the reel home to play with it, I noticed it was rigged backwards (cranking the line in was going against the drag. Feeding line out wasn't). Flipping the direction of the reel is simple: you open the panel and remove the gear around the spindle, flip it over, and replace it on the spindle. However, while doing this, I noticed thatone of the parts clearly visible in the manual diagram was missing (essentially a restraining piece for the drag adjustment). When I put the spool back on the reel, the drag wouldn't function (it was always off, no matter how much I turned it up). The restraining piece evidently keeps the internal drag adjustment nut tight, which is necessary for the drag to function properly.

To Orvis's credit, they replaced the reel frame no questions asked. However, when I returned home, I discovered that the reel was again set to left-hand retrieve. Luckily, this time, the restraining piece was in the reel when I opened up the panel. However, the manual clearly states that the reel comes factory preset for right-hand retrieve.

So nothing traumatic, but obviously Orvis has some production kinks to iron out in this reel. I'm glad I discovered the problem when I did instead of out on the water surrounded by busting fish. If you buy this reel, be sure to open the hatch at the store and check it out carefully. Also make sure it's set up for the proper retrieve.

Haven't yet gotten the Battenkill out on the water, but will let you know the results when I do.