So the Drag washers in the Sedona are felt washers, they should be oiled, not greased. They aren't designed for grease, which might make them a bit snatchy.
First off... Strangely enough my drag washers are completely different from what you shared in the photos above. Not only are there a different number of drag washers, they are a different shape and size, have different locking styles, and different materials. Mine are carbontex material and there are 4 of them..... I assume this means Shimano changed the spool at some point during the years they offered this model.
I have run into this with Zebco 808's. I found a box of Zebco's in my Dad's garage, and rebuilt all of them for fun (quarantine project). Some of them have plastic drag washers and measure around 5-6 lb of jerky drag, some are felt and measure 8-10 lb of smoother drag, and some are carbontex-like matieral and measure 15-18 lb of really nice smooth drag with the same exact mechanical pieces otherwise. There is no mention of a different model series on the reels, nor an obvious generational difference, nor difference of country of manufacture. Just different parts and no explanation!
Secondly, I am not adding enough resistance to engage the drag. Sooooo.... It's not the drag washers. This is the basic spin mechanics at work, mechanically isolated from the drag. The drag on this tiny little reel works awesome. It's the best drag in a small package I have available at this time.
I have some more data to consider..... I did the same "test" with a Penn Pursuit II 3000 and got similar results. I know a lot of people consider the Pursuit to be a throw-away reel.... But I've liked using it. It's been good to me, and I enjoy using it. Caught a few big fish with it and it performed well.... And while the spin wonky-ness isn't as exaggerated as the Sedona, it DOES do the same type of thing under load. I have come to believe it is a characteristic of this spinning torque conversion. Some gears and bail arm combos turn more nicely than others under load.
I am just going to fish it and take care of it and accept the issue for what it is.
Thanks for your time and thoughts.
