Thanks. I am also not a fan of mixing grease with springs. A great dirt trap it there ever was one. I am planning on cleaning and oiling this week.
Due to warmer than normal weather and water temperature, my club is stocking this Wed and our opening day is Saturday.

I am looking forward using it with my FF75 and my newest acquisition, my FF855.

Might not see as much water as some of my other reels but this one will still get used.

Thinking a light coating of Boeshield gently buffed with a chamois or microfiber cloth would also be a good idea.

Edit.
This might be ironic, but some say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
On a whim, I discovered that the spool of my Cortina is an exact replacement for the 1494.
The Japanese demonstrated in the late 60s thru 80s that they could replicate and improve on just about any American or British product. And I am not starting an argument. They also went with the pillar screw upgrade, anodized finish and what is either high end chrome or polished stainless steel for the trim and pillars. And no hint of the plastic spool cap disintegrating, so they obviously had good chemical engineers on board. And I am also willing to debate the subject of a push vs pull drag design and how it relates to static vs dynamic friction and the pros and cons of nylon vs phenolics.
Yes the Medalist is iconic. But Pflueger went to a steel bushing to save money. The Japanese retained the bronze bushing 40 years later and machined at additional cost a grease retaining pocket at the midpoint of the spindle and solved the need for the external cast boss for the drag adjuster by using a shoulder screw. Also a much finer, almost twice the TPI screw for the adjuster. Actually probably metric.
The only thing that I don’t like are the flats on the knob. I prefer smooth round knobs on reels. The only issue that I have with my Beaudex which really like.

Medalist was the best production US reel from 1930 to 1980.
If it wasn't, it wouldn't have run that long, no one would be interested in OnePfoot parts, and Olympic-Seiko wouldn't have knocked out cheap, worthless, poor imitations.
To this audience, this thing will never be on.

But 1930 to 1980 Medalists still have a lot to say, and there are good things to say about Medalists made up to 2005.

Everyone else who has posted about both reels on this thread have Also critically evaluated both reels side by side.

The market put Medalist at the top for 50 years, not any one's opinion or brand loyalty - the difference is not Medalist fanboys.
The following resale market has kept it at the top for another 40 years, right up to today.

When you flip your light switch and it works, it's white metal babbits that are sending you that power, not yellow metal.

That’s a good point. Didn’t think about that. I remember drilling, tapping and adding Zerks to a lot of stuff and tearing out grease seals on bearings that should have just gotten splash oiled on 70s transition era bikes.

Still prefer the looks of the early Pflueger but want to do some schoolie Striper fishing with my 9wt Fenwicks and figure that the 1495 might have enough capacity for a 7-8 WF intermediate and enough backing to keep keep me from getting spooled if I accidentally hook into a slot. In Massachusetts thats 28”-35”. Different but close in other states. I wouldn’t want to taint the experience with my modern Lamsons. Lol.

Reaching a point where I have enough versions and variations of reels and rods to keep me occupied for the rest of my natural lifetime.

But I also believe that the Pflueger patents would have been long expired by the time the knock offs were made. Some are definitely cheaper imitations but others I believe were actual attempts at improvements.
After losing the patent infringement lawsuits to Shakespeare on their level wind worm screw design on baitcasters , actually Shakespeare just delayed until it wasn’t worth suing, I wouldn’t think Pflueger had any interest in pursuing copyright infringement. It is usually a net loss unless the infringer makes large profits anyway.
But I see the validity in your assessments. Their had always been a market for lower priced copies when the purchaser doesn’t understand the technology.

Good excuse to get the "Pflueger on steroids" Valentine, that's for sure. The 1495 1/2 has ample backing capacity with a WF 8 for Atlantic salmon fishing. A thinner intermediate line would leave room for still more. I think I had about 150 yards green spot 18" dacron on mine--with a Cortland 333 WF floating line. But a search here would turn up a ballpark backing chart to judge if the capacity suits the conditions. Unless on a river where you can scramble downstream, I always found anything more than 100 yards pretty useless. The fish go farther sometimes, but if they do, they are going to get off one way or another anyhow. In open water, from a boat--well, let's have a report when you select and hook a fish that gets to the last wraps around the arbor.

Thanks for all the great suggestions. In another month or so depending on a lot of variables, Striper fishing will be happening. Sooner if you are a south of New Jersey. Meanwhile, due to a warmer than expected spring, Brookies, Browns and Rainbows are steadily being introduced into Massachusetts rivers and lakes. And many lakes, ponds and rivers stocked in the fall have a large population of holdovers. This year is looking much better than the drought of last summer.
Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and experience.