Bearings - To Shield or not to Shield?
 

Looking for input on leaving shields on or off.
I am in favor of no shields and punched some shields off of one of my reels recently and seemed to have damaged the internal bearings...so off to the shop for new ones.
Pros and cons of shield and no shields?

What is best way to get the shields off - yes I realize it depends on the shield?
I had to punch them with a ice pick like carpentry tool. Couldn't pry them off.

AlanTani says no shields and Ken's in Oside said to leave em on. Hmmm?

How often are you oiling bearings - with or w/out shields?

I follow his forum as well, all four of my Daiwa's have one shield pulled. The pulled side faces the back, so essentially it becomes sealed. To me it's a bit of fun to break the reel down when I have free time so I tend to lube and oil every few trips.(my trips are few and far between). Have you tried the TC3 he suggests? It's worth every penny and more. I think I paid $23 for a small can but it should last many years.
Alan's site is worth so much $$$$$, I love that he can just buy a reel to break it down and give a review of the components, etc. If I remember correctly Alan mentioned some of the higher end reels come with open bearings, something to the affect that fishermen who take care of their gear, or clean on a regular basis should have no fear of open bearings. These people tend to spend $$$$ on quality gear.

I prefer open, but shielded are fine as long as you can pry the shield off to clean and oil or grease the bearing. I use an exacto knife or razor blade to pop shields off. X2 on Alan Tani's website - it's a great resource!

Thanks for the input. I have had to pry off my shields and they can't be reinstalled due to damage when prying off. To clarify on the post, I am asking about input for typical conventional star and lever drags.
I assume with non-shielded bearings I would have to oil 'em up at sooner intervals.

for freshwater no shields. for saltwater kayak use sheilds, as your reels are going to get wet and sandy if you surf launch, the bearings will corrode faster, and require more maintance if you dont have the shields. Salt water on a boat no shields.