Bulldog's Exalta photo sparked a question : don't know if it's just my bad luck, or if Hardy just didn't see reason to include the information on their reel labels, but is there a way to readily identify an Exalta No.1 from a No.2 ? I would think spool size would be obvious provided you have a photo of each to compare, but when you only have a stand alone photo, is there an obvious way to decide which it is ?

Same for Ambidexes and Fellton Crosswinds

and Many Thanks

I was afraid that would be the answer, but Many Thanks for taking time to reply … nunc

thanks - it makes a really neat package with the Phillipson patent sliding seat
It also moves part of the weight back and makes for great balance.
Would also work great on a fly rod, like Sandman posted, in place of his Mitchell.

actually, I think the gears on later 308 are nylon and prone to brinnelling (mashing) under load - I know my 300 did, in about 4 years of hard inshore use.

My 300 was bought in 1971. My dad wanted to arm us for inshore, took me to Best Products, and told me to pick it out. I came home with a 7' Berkley Tri-Sport rod and the 300, 14-lb Berkley mono. From an aluminum semi-vee, we fished many of the same sloughs along Aransas Causeway where I kayak now, and of course the jetties for Spanish mackerel (smacks).

The Mitchell landed several 24-26" redfish, brought in a sow trout one day that had to be 30", but she spit the hook right at the boat. Certainly where the reel took the most abuse was large numbers of smacks at the jetties - somewhere along the way the gears became as loud as a train.
There were no limits on seatrout then, and redfish was 14" min, but still don't think there was a bag limit. Those little reds are a perfect size to blacken, but what the state has done with newer regs is great.
Also pretty early with the reel, I gave it the power handle from a 400 (looking for photos, but can't remember where)

Also used the reel for reservoir bass fishing - when I went to college, my dad joined a local bass club - it was never really my thing, mostly because the Texas sun makes it unbearable by 9 am.
Though I've always been one for pushing tackle - home from college at 19, I landed an 8-lb reservoir bass on a Daiwa Minicast.
Also had my first Daiwa Millionaire 6H about this time (and would kill it in the surf 10 years later).

Still have my Mitchell 300 stashed - wish I had the Heddon I picked out a few years before that, but don't know what happened to it.
The 410 is a big step up from the 300, and people I've recommended 408's for UL have thanked me later.
But the response to a Penn Spinfisher remains, what was I thinking when I was using a Mitchell.

Interesting about Hardy's flip bail patent, which because of wartime extension didn't officially expire until 1954 - though by 1952 pretty much everybody had their versions on the market. And back on topic - when Hardy introduced the Exalta, they copied Mitchell's bail.
I still like the function of Penn' s bail best, and their gears are forever smooth and durable.

Another reel I'm going to bring up because it's a close second to Hardy Altex all-time-smoothest spinning reel kudo, and especially great for its prewar origin - Luxor - don't confuse the Airex license reels with the French-made Luxors, and even the 1970s Crack reels have a salt fan-club today.
And my all-time favorite glass light-spinning rod, H-I Star

my BIL's late father fished half-bail 300s inshore, and he has a couple of those treasures.

his does not have this knob - it has the normal flat black plastic grasp, and the 90-degree anti-reverse lever (sounds like boomerang)



of course the treasure is in the family connection

I've definitely never seen that grasp, nor the round anti-reverse selector in person before.
My 1937 Luxor, which became my older daughter's favorite reel to fish, has a nice wood grasp
4-1/2' Airex glass rod

though the Hardy Altex was awarded its patent in 1932 - the space shuttle of fishing reels, and remained the benchmark of smooth performance until Van Staal.



I had a spinning reel collection going for awhile - the half-bails that had to compete against Hardy's patent.
I still have the CAP and Luxor, and sold all the others mostly because of their degree of clunky.
Did keep the clunky 1937 Hardex because of its cool royal warrant marking.
The other English reel I like from that period is the simple Young-made SuperB.
Never had a Cargem and Alcedo collection, but I'm pretty impressed with their smooth function.
I'm blazee about Zangi and Quick. There are enough collectors who will jump on those and Thommen, making them not a huge junk-pile risk.
Even the worst of all-time, the Helical, also will get snagged up, but will certainly never get fished again....



btw, there is still one half-bail reel in production, the Spanish-made offshore Sagarra, which was also the first skirted spool reel, c. late '40s

Hardy's all-time worst reel was the Hardex, 1937, throwing a bone to the masses.
But the coolest Royal Warrant ever:

By appointment to HRH the Late King George V
Edward had abdicated, Bertie was king, and the politics were against him.
Bertie, King George VI was expected by all to fail, and Edward restored to the throne, which would probably have also decided WWII differently.