Luxor Saumon vintage spin fishing reel take apart and service

[@bobjohnson7207]

What a find it sure would add to the experience of catching a Salmon.

[@2ndChanceTackle]

Yes it would! Thanks

[@christopherjenkins2373]

This is actually a Luxor 3-LA reel. Going by the word Saumon and the color I’d say this is what Luxor called a Seven Seas Saumon Mer. It is smaller than the large Saumon Mer often called a 300 size. The larger Saumon Mer had a huge ball bearing in it while this smaller 3-LA had no bearing. These Luxors are extraordinary precision reels for their time. They were made from the late 1950s through the 1960s. I have this reel though mine has the bail. It was common practice for fisherman to remove the bail on these Luxors. I’d honestly rather the PUM version as I prefer reels w/o the bail. Enjoyed seeing this one Dennis.

[@2ndChanceTackle]

Thanks for the clarification

[@PythonDad]

Always interesting to see neat products like this, whether they're vintage or just come from a different engineering heritage so to speak. When I think about it, I can't think of very many brands outside of Shimano, Daiwa, and the several brands now managed all by Pure Fishing off the top of my head. But looking at other regional websites of Shimano and Daiwa seems to give some insight into the features that people in those regions are interested in. They're often quite different from those in the U.S. markets. I think the Van Staals and early ZeeBass reels took quite a bit of design inspiration from these Luxor reels.

[@christopherjenkins2373]

You are very correct. The Van Staal in particular is very much a sealed Luxor Saumon Mer (300). The large Luxor was the preferred surf fishing reel for those Montauk fisherman of the northeast back then. There was nothing better on the market. I own five of these and rank them among the greatest spinning reels ever made! - Chris

[@2ndChanceTackle]

Yes they did

[@joycedimaggio3816]

Thanks Dennis

[@2ndChanceTackle]

YW Joyce. Hope you are enjoying the summer fishing! Dennis

[@joycedimaggio3816]

@@2ndChanceTackle my mother has been in the hospital since June 18th and should be home on the 21st. Not much chance yet but looking at this evening. Thanks!

[@FrankLadd]

Did I miss it or does that ancient reel not have a single bearing in it. I did not even see a plain bearing (What you call a bushing) Those old reels had good metal and finely fitted surfaces so they may outlast us all. I'd love to find something like that in a left handed model. I reallt like the oil ports! I wonder if I can add two to some of my reels.

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Cool old reels those Luxor's and Crack's. They had quite a following amongst surf fishers in the 50's and into the 60's for their dependability. I have a couple of them myself. They did have bails; Looks like that one had been removed. They have straight bevel gears that were common in early spinning reels. Curious: It seems that the straight bevel gears I've had all make some gear noise, a buzzing sound. I've not been able to listen to a new one to see if this noise is inherent in straight bevel gears or due to wear. Have you ever heard a quiet bevel-geared reel? Best, Paul

[@2ndChanceTackle]

Hard to say, but I think it is general wear that eventually causes the noise. I've hear less noisy ones, but not quiet ones - Thanks for the note - Dennis

[@thenatureoffishing7591]

Thanks, Dennis.

[@glennmcleod4751]

That's a Beautiful reel Dennis loved to find me one like that... question why does it seem a lot of older reels are always left hand retrieve...

[@garrettlauzon1656]

I think it was because back in the day, many companies appeased to the majority. So, as a result, most fishing reels and other things (like guns) were made for mainly right handed people.

[@2ndChanceTackle]

The majority of folks are right handed, Reels that mount under a pole generally are crank side left because the stronger, right hand is needed to control the pole. That is the opposite with reels mounted above the rod. Modern reel shave the interchangeable handle that can be set on either side. Early versions had fixed handles that could not be swapped. Manufacturer's made separate models for the right hand crank - Thanks for asking - Dennis

[@surfcat2051]

Did they make different models/sizes of this reel? I had one in my hand at a garage sale about 20 years ago and decided not to buy it but i seem to remember it being a different color. Didn't realize they only had one drag washer.

[@liamthepyro]

I think they made a black version too. Might be a different model tho.

[@christopherjenkins2373]

This reel is what was marketed as a Saumon Seven Seas. It is nothing different from the standard Luxor 3-LA model. Most are a silver color. I’ve never seen a black one however.- Chris

[@2ndChanceTackle]

Thanks again for the added information - Dennis