Avail Custom Parts from Japan

The World-Renowned BFS Specialist from Japan

Avail is a Japanese tuning brand that focuses on a very specific area: Bait Finesse Style Casting, or BFS for short. While other brands cover the entire tuning spectrum, Avail has dedicated years of effort to perfecting a single component: ultra-light Spools that make casting lures under 5 grams possible in the first place.

The result is a position that is unrivaled in the international tuning scene. Anyone seriously involved in BFS fishing in the USA, Scandinavia, or Asia knows Avail. The Microcast Spool line is considered the benchmark for lightweight Spool design and is the solution when original Spools are simply too heavy for ultra-light lures.

Microcast Spools: The Heart of the Brand

Microcast Spools are ultra-light aluminum Spools made from Extra Super Duralumin, an aluminum alloy used in aircraft construction. The Spools are CNC-machined and reduced to the physical minimum. Concrete examples from the range:

• 16ALD15R for 16 Aldebaran BFS: 4.9g Spool weight including Bearing. In comparison: the original Spool weighs two to three times as much.
• 17CNQ15R for 17 Calcutta Conquest BFS: 5.1g, ultra-shallow with only 1.5mm Spool Depth.
• 21SLX15R for SLX BFS / Curado BFS: 8.1g, about 10% lighter than the original Spool.
• 20MT24R for 20-23 Metanium: 7.5g, 2.4mm Spool Depth.

The effect of this weight reduction is physically simple to explain: the lighter the Spool, the less energy is needed to accelerate it. With a 30-gram lure, you hardly notice it; with a 2-gram lure, it’s the difference between "can I even cast it" and "flies cleanly 20 meters." BFS casting is simply limited by the mass inertia of the original Spool. With a Microcast Spool, the Spool starts to spin even with minimal lure weights.

How Microcast Spools Work

Avail Spools are generally designed to be ultra-shallow, meaning they have a very flat Spool winding. Standard Spool Depths range from 1.5mm to 4.2mm, compared to 6-8mm in most original Spools. This has two advantages:

Reduced moment of inertia: Less material at the outer edge of the Spool means the Spool starts and stops faster. Direct effect: better casting distance with light lures and finer stopping behavior at the end of the cast.

Lower line capacity: This is intentional. BFS fishing takes place at distances of 5-30 meters. You don’t need 100 meters of line capacity, but an optimized Spool for 40-50 meters of the finest mono or PE line.

Many Microcast Spools come with additional Brake Magnets included or available separately. These are necessary because the lower Spool mass reacts differently to the magnetic brake system than the original Spool. Avail supplies the appropriate magnets so the setup works immediately after installation.

Microcast Spool Models in the Range

The Microcast Spool family is model-specific. Avail develops a dedicated variant for every relevant BFS Reel model. Currently, Microcast Spools are available for:

Shimano Baitcasters: Aldebaran BFS (all generations), Calcutta Conquest BFS, SLX BFS, Curado BFS, Scorpion BFS, Bantam MGL, Metanium, Chronarch MGL, Calcutta Conquest 50/51 and 100/101, Core 50MG.

Daiwa Baitcasters: Zillion (various years), Steez, Alphas, Pixy, T3.

ABU Garcia Baitcasters: 2500C/2600C series (vintage), Morrum SX1600C ULTRAMAG.

Each Microcast Spool is precisely tailored to one model. A Spool for the Aldebaran BFS does not fit a Calcutta Conquest BFS, and vice versa. This is not a disadvantage but a concept: only through model-specific design can the weight and performance values be achieved for which Avail is known.

Microcast Brake Systems

In addition to the Spools, Avail develops matching brake systems. Microcast Brake is a proprietary magnetic brake system specially developed for Microcast Spools, often as a drop-in replacement for SVS Infinity or other original brake systems.

Important: In many BFS setups, the original brake is set too strong for a light Microcast Spool. With the appropriate Avail Brake System, you get the brake characteristics that match the light Spool and still work with 1g lures.

Additionally, there is the SVS Infinity Puller tool to transfer the original SVS brake system from the original Spool to the Microcast Spool without damage.

Knobs and Cardinal Tuning

Besides the Spool focus, Avail offers a small but very refined range of Knobs and ABU Cardinal tuning parts:

EVA Knobs: The A-Type Knobs in 27mm diameter or the narrower 21mm variants, both with compatible holes for Daiwa S and Shimano A Knob systems. Known for good workmanship and durable EVA material.

POM Knobs: Made from POM (polyoxymethylene), an extremely tough engineering plastic normally used in gear manufacturing. Very robust, low friction, also suitable for saltwater use.

GM Knob Caps: The end caps for Avail Knobs, available in over a dozen colors (Black, Red, Blue, Gunmetal, Light Chrome, Navy, Purple, Orange, Green, Gold, Champagne Gold, Pink, Skyblue). Visual tuning for individually assembled Reels.

ABU Cardinal Custom Parts: Avail has also built a reputation as a specialist for tuning classic ABU Cardinal spinning Reels. With the TOUGH BOX Handle HDT-CD line, there are complete crank sets made from Extra Super Duralumin with Titanium 64 axles for the Cardinal 3/4 series. Made in Japan, with the aim of preserving the ABU original look while increasing mechanical performance.

Made in Japan and Craftsmanship Commitment

All Avail products are made in Japan. The Microcast Spools are CNC-machined from Extra Super Duralumin, and the Knob components are produced in handcrafted manufacturing. Avail is not a large industrial brand with mass production but a specialist manufacturer whose range is regularly expanded when new relevant BFS Reels come to market.

The material Extra Super Duralumin is an aluminum alloy originally from aircraft construction. It has the hardness of a steel alloy at one-third the weight, making it the first choice for ultra-light Spool construction.

Consultation

Which Microcast Spool fits your Reel model or whether a specific Avail Knob is compatible with your original crank: if you have questions, use the Reel Finder or contact us briefly via the Contact page.