Thanks to ALL who responded!

New notes:
1. There was no sign of this reel being repackaged. It comes in a
heat-sealed plastic-topped bubble-kind-of-a-thing and needed to be cut
open with a utility knife - no traces of packaging tape whatsoever.
2. The "jerkiness" occurs exactly SIX times for every crank of the
handle. This is why I thought it was related to the magnets (I opened
the reel to check for problems and saw what looked like a six-pointed
star that seemed to be part of a magnetic anti-backlash system.)
3. When opened, I saw no line wrapped anywhere but the spool and no
visible sign of gear problems.

Something else I just remembered - when I looked at the six-pointed
magnet star, there were what seemed to be tiny pieces of plastic
tubing stuck on the ends of each of the "star" points. Am I supposed
to remove these? The "manual" doesn't mention them.

Thanks again!

Dave

(Dave) wrote in message . com...
Hi,
I just found a Shimano Calyx on closeout at WallyWorld for $62...
brought it home and opened up the package. Pulled out some of the
pre-spooled line and went to crank it back in (waiting to feel that
silky smooth action I found with my Shimano Spirex spinning reel) and
was appalled to feel a jerk-jerk-jerk as I cranked in the line.
Is this normal for this reel? Or is it defective?
If I crank in fast, I don't really feel it, but at anything less than
a fast retrieve, it feels like it's pulsating. Is it a magnetic
anti-backlash? I don't get it.

Thanks,

Dave