Ross vs. Lamson

I’m going to splurge and purchase a Lamson Litespeed or Ross Evolution (for 5 weight line), and I would like to have any input and insight concerning durability, dependibility, quality of drag, etc. I’d appreciate hearing what my fellow FAOLers think. By the way, are both of these made in the U.S.A.?
Thanks,
ggh

Ross is the one i know–the Evolution is really good. when i do get a fish on the reel (not often), there is a wonderful quality of smooth strength to it. i don’t feel this on the newer, less expensive Ross reels made overseas, but it’s sure there on the domestic ones.

i also really appreciate the easy, one-handed way the reel can be removed and replaced when i need to get sand and shtuff out after dropping it.

I think Ross has more capacity, which you will appreciate with bigger, more powerfull fish.

Another Ross Evolution fan here!

I don’t know if your decision will be based on which reel is “better” since I think they are both excellent reels. I picked Ross because the place I bought mine at recommended them and I have had such great luck with mine that I never looked back.

I own both models i like the Ross rhythm and Evolutions for my 3-5 wt rods. I really like the litespeed for 6wt-8wts hope this helps but i will mention Galvan reels are my favorite might consider one.

I would go with the Lamson myself.
The conical drag on the Lamson is top-shelf.
The last Ross reel I had I sold it and bought another Lamson Velocity.

When I was considering a new reel, I too was considering the Ross vs. the Lamson. I felt that there was a big hole in the Ross line up in the 5/6 wt at the time so I went with the Lamson and have not been disappointed!

The conical drag has already been mentioned but deserves a second recommendation. While the Ross drag is very good, there is, like all disk drags, a noticeable startup force. The conical drag, on the other hand is smoothe as silk!

I also agree with the post regarding those Ross that are made in the US vs. the imported. All of the Waterworks Lamson are made in the US.

I have the Lamson Litespeed on a 6 wt. and have more than enough line and backing to tangle with the trophy Kenai River rainbows and even sockeye salmon (however I feel greatly undergunned with a 6 wt).

Happy Trails

Do yourself a favor and get the Lamson. The drag will not be outdone by anything Ross. The Ross drags when compared side by side with the Lamson, are not near as smooth as the Lamson. The Lamson drag can withstand any fish you want to throw at it, and, better yet, you cannot scratch the surface on a Lamson without really trying to.

I find all this discussion of the merits of the Lamson drag somewhat amusing considering we are talking about a reel for a 5 weight. What exactly do you think he’s going to be going after? Dorado?

While I do not have a Litespeed, I do have a Velocity and while they are indeed first rate reels, I really don’t like how long it takes to pick up line with a Lamson. I quite often find myself with a lot of slack line that I need to pick up quickly, typically when fishing from a drift boat, but not exclusively. To pick up line when you have a fish on, you need a reel that will “free” spool quickly such that you can maintain tension on the fish while spinning the reel to pick up the slack line at your feet. The Lamsons do not spin anywhere near as quickly as the Ross reels.

The only downside of the Evolution is that it looks so dainty/fragile with all that porting. I always thought the Rhythm was a better choice but they’ve stopped making them and I don’t know anything about the replacements. For a general purpose trout reel, I think the Evolution is the best choice. If we were talking about larger game, I might lean more towards the Lamson but for the size you are thinking of, I think the Evolution is a hard act to beat.

I can’t compare because I’ve never used a Lampson. I have 3 Ross Rhythm reels (1.5, and 2 3 size). Rhythm was recently discontinued and can be found for a very good price out there. This series has the same drag as the Evolution.

So far, they have been bullet proof for me.

Jeff

Have you ever fished for carp? If you do so in rivers, a 5wt is PERFECT for 20 pound fish. The drag is amazing. Also, if you fish for BIG trout, your drag will come in handy. You can use a 5wt for steelhead and salmon in smaller rivers, and guess what, drag is needed…

That is why this discussion turned to the merits of the drags.

This discussion is the same as who makes a better pickup…Ford or Chevy. (I prefer the Honda). They are all good as long as you don’t have any problems. My only experience is with the Ross reels and I have no problem recommending them. I have a Ross Evolution 3.5 that I have been using for steelhead on my 11’ 7 wt. I’ve had it over 5 years now. Never had a problem with it.

Both of the drags on these reels will do a fine job at handling any trout you’ll likely encounter - when they work.

I’ve owned both of these reels, and you can put me on the Ross side of the ledger. The Ross has a sealed drag that is not user serviceable, and I’ve never had so much as a hiccup on a Ross drag’s operation.

The Lamson drag is also sealed - sort of, and therein lies my disdain for the Litespeed. The Lamson relies on a “one way bearing” to enable the drag to function. That bearing failed on my Litespeed. Twice. The spool on the Litespeed, more specifically the shaft attached to the spool, is held in place with a rubber “O” ring. That “O” ring wears, especially if you swap spools frequently. When it wears, the seal becomes ineffective, and contamination can enter the one way bearing. This is not a good thing! The process of changing spools on the Lamson is also akward, compared to the Ross (just push a button). Much easier to swap spools on the Ross with one hand, and it just doesn’t matter if you get water in the bearing surface, as it’s an oilite bushing, not a ball or roller bearing. It’s also self lubricating, so it’s maintenance free. The Lamson bearing is supposed to be maintenance free, but once that little “O” ring wears, it’ll eventually fail - maybe right when you need it most. I’ll take the Ross over the Lamson for this reason.

This might be a bit nit-picky, as there are thousands of Litespeeds out there that have never let their owners down, but mine has. After the last bearing (one of the good stainless ones made in Germany) was installed, mine went on ebay.

I’ve owned both and fished both, HARD, so I’ll keep this short:

The only reels I still have are the Lamsons.

Everyone has different experiences don’t they!

I would definitely say Ross Evolution the greatest reel of all time as far as I am concerned!

Hope I get this right. Years ago I had a Lamson and really liked it. It seemed to feel good, smooth, look nice and worked fine on salmon.Then it broke. Drove me nuts. Could not figure out what was going on. The one-way clutch had failed and gone into ‘free-wheeling’. The company sent me two of them for free.
Later on I worked at a fly shop and sold Lamson reels. I would include a spare clutch with each new reel at no charge. I also had quite a few guys come in who had bought theirs earlier and had the clutch break and get a new clutch for them. I am sorry to say that, at this time, I have no idea if they ever got a ‘handle’ on that problem. I hope so. :slight_smile:

Yes JC they did. If you have an older model, they will send you stainless roller clutches for free. The new ones are stainless and don’t fail. As a matter of fact, you were the one who first put me on to this and caused me to write to Lamson.

I am not big into using much drag on smaller fish (less than 20 #) for reasons I have stated in other threads. But for big fish, I like the sealed roller clutch drag on the Lamson better. But for fish up and including steelhead, either drag is just fine. I worry a little about the 3 little delron plastic teeth that the Ross has for it’s one way feature but I have never had mine fail. The Lamson drag is completely sealed and the Ross nearly so. The Lamson clutch serves as a roller bearing when not locked. The Ross has an impregnated bushing. Both are stainless and do not require lubrication. I have told the Lamson reel foot story before on the screws letting go on salt on a big fish. Fresh water rinse them well on when using them on salt and check those little screws occasionally.

I have both and both are fine reels. I really like my Evolution because it is such a light pretty thing. And it clicks nice and just feels good. There is no greater beauty than that in the eyes of the beholder. No a logical reason but thats my reason none-the-less.

You will not be unhappy with either reel. Go down and feel them both, wind them, smell them, and buy the one you love.

Bob

I think both Ross and Lamson reels are excellent products. When purchasing a new reel, I usually have a look at the schematics and maintenance info for the reels. You can find this information on both the Ross and Lamson websites. I personally am not keen on some of the maintenance requirements for the Lamson reel, though not complicated, which is why I do not own any. My primary issue here is with their caution to only rinse the reel with the spool attached to the reel, which I feel complicates maintenance if the reel is used much in saltwater. On the other hand, there are many, many happy owners of Lamson reels who use them in the salt.

ggh -

Another vote for Lamson, because I really like the one I have on my 7 wt. Haven’t used Ross and certainly wouldn’t knock them. I did look at several Ross models very closely several years ago and ended up with something else at the time - an Abel TR which I got on closeout for a great price. Otherwise, I might be recommending Ross ??

Lamson is U.S. born and bred - in Idaho.

http://www.waterworks-lamson.com/salt_spey.html

Ross is also U.S. born and bred - in Colorado.

http://www.rossreels.com/

Love the Montrose CO area, but I live a lot closer to Ketchum !!

John

You didn’t read the manual did you? If you change spools often, you are to apply some oil to the o-ring often to maintain the seal. That solves the solution of the o-ring failing.