Darrin,
Thanks much for your help in explaining the construction and use of the new American Tackle Aero Spinning reel seat.
Based on yyour recommendations, I ordered some of these reel seats for the next builds on spinning rods.
I received the reel seats today and they are everything that you spoke of.
I do believe that these seats will solve some of the reel seat ergonomic issues that I addressed in a much more complicated way in times past.

Thanks again for your help.

Roger

Now if tey would only make it in a larger size like 18!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mike (Southgate, MI)
If I don't want to, I don't have to and nobody can make me (except my wife) cuz I'm RETIRED!!

Mike,
I asked the same thing.
I know that with many reel seats, it is nice to have a larger seat to accomodate the palm.
However, as Darrin pointed out, eventhough the reel seat is a size 16, the palm expansion on the top of the seat, does in fact make a very comfortable grip.

Take care
Roger

I'm gonna have to second Mike on the request for, say, a 17 and an 18. The palm swell certainly has better ergonomics, but if you grip the stem of the reel between middle and ring finger (conventionally), you'll find the neck on the 16 leading to the threaded barrel is pretty small. With a reel in place there is always a gap between the nut hood and the start of the swell. This "gap" lines up perfectly with the thumb and forefinger, making those two fingers grip a much smaller diameter compared to the rest of the seat. Long sessions may result in some cramping between them.

Can the Fuji Quick-Lock Recessed Cork Foregrip fit on the Aero threads? This might solve the problem of the neck being small.

Rick

I take it you mean the HPS integral foregrip and hood. It probably would fit, Rick, but I don't think it'd solve the problem. It's the same thing you see with the NPS, IPS, VSS and similar OEM seats, with regular nut, or even the KDPS nut: once there's a reel foot in place they cannot close fully.

Echo the larger size - and expand the swell towards the threads. I will buy a ton of them then.

Have any of you ever tried turning the seat around. It would then be uplocking. The swell fits just perfect in the palm of your hand. The fore grip will come out flush with the front of the seat and it only needs to be just a couple of inches or so, tapering down towards the blank.

Bob McKamey -- Custom Tackle Supply

Or maybe we could be looking at plate reel seats mounted on a continuous handle. Could a plate seat be affixed to a carbon-fiber type grip? What steps would be needed to ensure a lasting mount?

Rick

Hi Roger,

I thank you for the purchase, American Tackle and it's distributors appreciate your business!

Seems to me Mike has brought this subject up once or twice before. Although we don't have one now, we are looking into similar designs that will offer what the AERO16 does.

From my point of view, the primary reason for the larger model is to increase the I.D. to fit larger rods. Most smaller and medium spinning reels have similar sized feet so the reel fit isn't necessarily an issue. And, although the position of the palm swell was mentioned, it ends where it does to accomodate the threaded hood portion. Also mentioned was that some folks turn the seat around to move the swell toward the front of the rod. If we were to offer the larger model, most likely the swell would be only slighty larger then the 16. Thank you for the comments, for now it's a work in progress....

Best Regards,

Darrin Heim
American Tackle Company

Bob,
I did a mock up of the reel seat turned around.
No matter how I tried, with different tapers on the cork, back, and fore grips, I could not achieve the comfort that you get with the threads on the tip side of the reel.
The comfort that you get with the back grip tapering nicely into the reel seat can not be matched with the back of your hand coming down on threads rather than the back grip.

With respect to the comments about the larger seat size, a mock up might be made where the Aero portion of the size 16 grip continues on around the sides of the seat. This increase on the lower portion of the reel seat - while still allowing a full lock up with the reel seat nut, would tend to fill the small void that is now experienced with this seat. Overall, the current version is certainly a great improvement on other seats on the market.


Roger

Mee too on the bigger sizesof Aero reelseats. You can't fit a lot of the reels that I use on the 16. If they made 17's and 18's I'd buy them almost exclusively!! C'mon American Tackle - how about some 17's & 18's!!!

Rog

For me it's an issue of length to accomodate the reel foot. Yeah, I could file down the reel foot or forego the foregrip, but I don't want to do either.

The transition to the palm swell can be made right at the end of the threaded barrel. No need for the smooth bit. With a gradual increase the hood can ride up a little, and I find it actually helps in securing the reel when tightened up. My ergo-skeletons are made just that way.