Yup, I know the problem. I've tried shaving a bit of plastic out of the ball bearing grooves, to make the bearings slide around more easily, with some success. Nonetheless, sometimes they still stick. Another trick is to free them up with a toothpick before you go into the changing bag, or else you'll be in their sweating on the reels and then you'll have a real problem -- they don't load well when wet.(posted 9686 days ago)Still, I prefer plastic for the following reasons:
1. When the bearings are free, the spools are easier FOR ME to load than metal. 2. Because they don't conduct heat as much as metal, temperature remains constant despite my hot hands holding the tank for inversions, fixer shaking, the temperature of the room, etc. 3. They're lighter than metal which is important for me, because I take my tank on the road and every little bit of weight saved helps. 4. A hair dryer or a/c vent makes the wet loading problem moot. Bruce Feldman Bangkok