In the last few years I have purchase a few custom rods with down-locking sliding band reel seats that were manufactured by REC and possibly Bellinger?

On all three of these rods I can barely get the sliding band over the reel foot or even in the end cap which ain't a good thing. The funny thing is that on some of my old Leonard rods that have sliding bands I never had an issue. I realize that some newer reels today have a fatter reel foot but the reels I have tried are older reels.

Is there something I am missing here or do the modern reel seat makers have a different idea of where the bands are supposed to fit on the reel foot.