Hardex II MK II INFORMATION

[Dave F]

I purchased a Hardy Hardex II Mk II while at Redditch today. This reel has a full bale arm. All models that I have seen appear to have the half bale arm. I can’t find any info on the forum regarding this reel. Anyone out there know anything about them? Which came first, the Altex or the Hardex?
Any idea of dates…

[Dave F]

From the book, “The House the Hardy Brothers Built,” written by the late James Leighton Hardy, I have the answers to the questions that I asked:-
The reels Altex and Hardex were developed side by side. The Altex first appeared in 1932. The Hardex in 1937 as a cheaper version of a fixed spool reel. The Hardex had the half bale for most of the production, but in 1959, the full bale was introduced. There is no mention regarding the differences/improvements each “mark” involved, but my speculation is that the Hardex No.2 (II) was a larger reel than the No.1 and Mark I referring to the half bale and the Mark 2 the full bale.
By 1966, the production of Altex and Hardex reels had ceased.

I hope this is of interest to others.