Lightest spinning reel Hardy made

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ReelOld
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Lightest spinning reel Hardy made

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I'm starting to have a lot of fun and be really impressed with old ultra-lights. My research has left me with a few holes I hope someone can help me with:
What was the smallest reel Hardy made?
Is the Alcedo Mercury an ultra-light?
(Pics and info on the 2 above don't make clear the sizes)
Are there others I should consider besides Alcedo Micron, Cargem Mignon 33, DAM 110.
It seems to me that these tiny machines will handle salt water as well as any of my modern saltwater reels. Am I right?
Please don't tell my wife I added another genre to my collection...
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Midway Tommy D
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Re: Lightest spinning reel Hardy made

Post by Midway Tommy D »

The Mercury is considered light size, not UL.

Most of the Hardy spinners are though of as light size except the Altex 2, 3, Sea Altex V & Exalta, which are medium size. Some consider the Hardex 1 a UL, but in my mind that is questionable.

Most can be used in saltwater but should be maintained and serviced frequently, which most people don't do. There's not much tougher on older spinning reels and their spools than saltwater. Personally, I won't purchase a spinning reel I know has been used in saltwater
Love those Open Face Spinning Reels! (Especially ABU & ABU/Zebco)

Tom DeLong, NE
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Re: Lightest spinning reel Hardy made

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Altex No 1 is the best ultralight hardy made and well worthy of a collection and use

Cargem mignon and alcedo micron are smallest UL reels of that era along with orvis 50a. Just super engineering for the time. If made today they'd have a retail cost of $500

Orvis 50a came in many variants under both orvis brand (bail variations) and under other names sold primarily in europe markets in different colors and several side plate schemes

Quick microlite is a true ultralight and very different from the quick 110 which is also sometimes called the microlite 110

Moving to the mid 1970's into early 1980's my choices would be Daiwa mini-mite, 500C, 700C, sigma 025 and 030, shakespeare 2499 and the sears gamefisher variant (sp-428?) which are all in that mignon/micron size range. These were all very well made all metal reels and are all superior to the junk reels you see on ice fishing rods available today

Also have the mitchells (308/408/508), penn 716/716Z, shakespeare 2052, orvis 75A which are all just a tad bit larger than the previous described reels (in terms of line capacity and overall reel weight) but still very much in the UL/light range.

I have all of them listed above plus many others and enjoy tinkering with them and using them very much.

Enjoy,

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Midway Tommy D
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Re: Lightest spinning reel Hardy made

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Here's a few ultra lights for comparison. Click on the thumbnails to enlarge to regular size and click on it again for more detail.



Dam Quick Microlite, 110, 110N & 1001 side by side.



These are all the same reel and made by Shakespeare. Pflueger 550, Shakespeare 2052 & Wright & McGill Eagle Claw ECL.



Bottom right is a Garcia Mitchell 308. The Recordette was considered an ultra light in it's day but the ABU Record 700 above it was considered a light size. Go figure :?:

Love those Open Face Spinning Reels! (Especially ABU & ABU/Zebco)

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Re: Lightest spinning reel Hardy made

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Midway pretty much summed it up in those pics. How I forgot to mention the Quick 1001/1000 and cardinal 3 is beyond me. Must be a miller time moment. I just hope UL spinning reels of the period someday get the respect they deserve.

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kyreels
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Re: Lightest spinning reel Hardy made

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Just curious, are the Diawa's too new? When would they have started?
Love the Penns myself.
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Ron Mc
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Re: Lightest spinning reel Hardy made

Post by Ron Mc »

The first Daiwa spinning reels were the Daisy Heddons.
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Re: Lightest spinning reel Hardy made

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This is a wonderful thread. Got me looking back. Tom, you have a wonderful collection.

Ron, did Heddon make their own reels?
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Midway Tommy D
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Re: Lightest spinning reel Hardy made

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kyreels wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 9:35 pm Just curious, are the Diawa's too new? When would they have started?
Love the Penns myself.
I'm not an Asian made fan & don't collect them so I really can't elaborate much on that other than Daiwa started out in the Japanese market in the mid 50's and expanded from there. My Asian made reels are pretty much limited to a few Cardinals (mostly fulcrum & black rear drags) and a hand full of others I've acquired in lots. Surprisingly, Olympic made quite a few worm gear driven spinners in the earlier years ('60s & '70s). It just takes some research to figure out which ones they are. :)
Ron Mc wrote: Mon Mar 01, 2021 9:08 am The first Daiwa spinning reels were the Daisy Heddons.
:?:
Paul Roberts wrote: Mon Mar 01, 2021 1:31 pm This is a wonderful thread. Got me looking back. Tom, you have a wonderful collection.

Ron, did Heddon make their own reels?
Thanks, Paul, that's about half of the herd. I took that photo 6 or 8 years ago and have been to lazy to pull the others out of the display case for an updated group shot. Too many to move around and reorganize. :wink:

Yes. The original Spin Pal, 200, 220, 230, 240, & 260. The earliest USA made Spin Pals were maroon, & later black or black crinkled/textured finish

The Daisy Heddons' parts were made in Japan and most were assembled in the US. The earliest parts were made by Olympic.
Love those Open Face Spinning Reels! (Especially ABU & ABU/Zebco)

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Ron Mc
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Re: Lightest spinning reel Hardy made

Post by Ron Mc »

all those Japan-marked Daisy Heddons were made by Daiwa (Olympic-Seiko) before Daiwa began marking reels with their own name c. 1975. Paul, of course Heddon made reels in Dowigiac back to the '20s.
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Re: Lightest spinning reel Hardy made

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Thanks, guys.
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Midway Tommy D
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Re: Lightest spinning reel Hardy made

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Ron Mc wrote: Mon Mar 01, 2021 3:19 pm all those Japan-marked Daisy Heddons were made by Daiwa (Olympic-Seiko) before Daiwa began marking reels with their own name c. 1975. Paul, of course Heddon made reels in Dowigiac back to the '20s.
Daiwa began marketing there own name/brand, even here in the US, long before 1975.
Love those Open Face Spinning Reels! (Especially ABU & ABU/Zebco)

Tom DeLong, NE
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