There is a lot of confusion among fishermen and collectors about the differences between these reels. I once thought I knew these differences, but I am now not so sure. It is more complicated than I first realized and there are several contributing reason for these questions. First, the inventors and manufacturers of Johnson Spin-cast reels apparently faced enourmous pressure to get their reels patented and into production. I wish I knew the stories behind these events. They have to be intriguing.
There are even hints of industrial espionage and inter-brand negotiations to share designs that spanned those earliest years and several continents. The designers were talented engineers and inventors by trade. The biggest names in the fishing reel industry were involved as were others unknown. A lot was at stake--million--ultimately billions of dollars were to be spent in a growing time of post-war leisure and dispensable money. Although not merely a difference in the design of the drag as there are other differences, the drag is indeed the big difference.
There had to be enormous pressure to both file the patents and have them patents issued and to get the products out. The first Johnson models were reasonably successful, although they were quickly eclipsed by the new models. The side-mounted design of the Johnson Models 10 through 80 got Johnson reels in production and got their advertising and promotional machine wound up and their products on the map.These models got the notice of fishermen. they had attractive--no beautiful--shiny emerald-green metal bells and solid but light construction. It was essential to follow-up the last of these models--the Johnson Model 80--with a true deal-breaker. And they had to beat competitors who were nipping at their heels to the market in order to capture the burgeoning market of sport-fishermen who were ready and waiting for such a product. The Johnson Century 100 may have not undergone a great deal of field testing in the rush. The drag was so simple, that it was very easy to produce. But it was also so simple that during heavy use it was not as useful as it could be. These deficiencies became apparent quickly and several attempts to make it better were tried.
Some of these changes were seamless and took place during production. They involved simple changes in clips and retainers and springs. They may have involved more major changes that were later to be used on the new models. I am not sure of this, but I have observed these changes in the construction and assembly of these old reels as they have come to me years later. Several possibilities exist for these differences. The first is that they may have indeed been made during production of the Model 100. Or they may have been retrofitted after the fact by either fishermen obtaining the parts or upgrade kits offered by Johnson for free or for as small fee. Or they may have been made at the factory when consumers sent them back in to be fixed. I have no documentation in my possession declaring this, but I am of the understanding that any reel could be sent back to the Johnson factory to have it fixed, for a fixed three bucks. It is possible that many of these variant reels may be the result of these trips back to the factory.
Yet another possible explanation for these old Model 100's winding up in my hands in different configurations years after their production may be the result of the inevitable tinkering and combining of later models that fishermen, antiquers, and reclaimers are prone to do on their own. I have no doubt that at least some of these changes happened just so. But not all.
The image of a Johnson Century 100A above shows a typical drag adjustment screw head that has been buggered by someone using the wrong-sized screwdriver, unnecessarily I might add, in an effort to adjust the simple drag. The relative range of the drag can be adjusted by simply using an index and forefinger to lift the entire drag dial and indicator/adjustment knob straight up with one hand, while using another finger--most easily from the other hand--to turn the adjustment knob either counter-clockwise or clockwise to make the drag heavier or lighter, respectively. The dial and knob is then released, making sure that the spring tension pulls the dial face and knob back into the screw hole. (A bump sideways until the screw seats properly may be required.)
The photo below shows both the metal dial face and indicator of a Johnson Century 100 as well as the drag mechanism inside--with the green bell removed. Only on the earliy Johnson Century 100 and the Johnson Century Citation 110 (without any additional "A" or "B" designation) is this inside mechansim visible. Unlike the updated models, A or B, the relative tension is not adjustable.
The drag mechanism is moved ever so slightly by the linkage between the dial knob/indicator (not visible in this photograph) when it is rotated one way or the other, thereby creating greater friction against the inner line spool must overcome to create more or less drag when fish pulls against the line. Of course, the purpose for this adjustment we call drag is to keep the tug of a fish or hang-up to keep from snapping the line if it excedes the strngth of the line. This scheme quickly proved inadequate which led to several subsequent changes.
Below, the inner drag mechanism was changed on the Johnson Century 100A and the Citation 110A. The change created a more sure tension by expanding the inner nylon yoke so that it would crease more friction resistance against the spool. Johnson changed the outer dial and knob from metal to hard black rubber (or plastic), and increased the range from 1-6, to 1-8. The relative tension of the drag was also made user adjustable. One other change was to make the spool easily user-changeable from right to left side crank. Both of these upgraded features were explained in the operator instructions as shown.
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