Bearings - To Shield or not to Shield?

[kaya_one]

Originally Posted by Lipripper92592

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.

Originally Posted by T-Rex

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.