[Steve K]

I've got a Saltist 50. I, like you, can't just fish a reel without taking it apart and having a look at the guts. I kept the stock drags as they don't seem to degrade the way the Dartamntanium washers do. I cleaned them up and greased them with Cal's grease and put them back in. I've got great drag.

The tearing of the washers subjects them to forces they would not encounter when encased in the stack in the main gear. Don't you agree? As long as they deliver up to about 20 lbs of drag, why change them?

Every time I get ahold of a Torium or Trinidad I want to switch out the washers to Carbontex as the stock drags as installed create one hell of a mess. I'm talking main gear stuck to the pawl big time and a big mess of drag junk mixed with drag grease. So, I'm familiar with Carbontex. But I'm going with this philosophy: If it works, don't fix it.