Paul,
The President should have come with all 6 of the brakes already in the out (on) position. If you look really closely at the light gray plastic piece behind the brake collars, you will see a little notch really close the the center of the spool. If you push the brake collars to the center of the spool, you will hear them click into place, locked down, and then they cannot move. That is the "off" position for them. If they are above that little notch, they are "on". The red plastic pieces keep the brakes from coming completely off the pins, but when the spool spins at too high of a rate of speed (such as right when you are backlashing), the spring loaded red pieces move up, allowing the brake collars to move out towards the brake race on the side cover of the reel. Shimano uses a system that is similar (Shimano's had this system a long time before Pflueger used it), but they do not use the spring loaded red pieces. I think Pflueger was trying to improve on the Shimano design. The Shimano's have another notch towards the top that keeps the brake from coming completely off. Pflueger uses a identical system on their 4 pin system Trion round reels. I wish they would use it on these reels too. The Pflueger system isn't bad at all, but I don't think the red spring loaded pieces are neccesary if you have the second notch at the top like Shimano does. On the Pfluegers, it's neccesary though - to keep the pins from coming off the spool when you remove the side cover. Do not glue anything down. That will ruin the reel. The reason they give you extra brake collars is for a few reasons - 1) in case you ever push one too far out (like if the red spring loaded clip allows it to come out and you lose it), and 2) in case the brake collars wear out. I havn't had them wear out yet, but the spares are nice to have in case they do. Brake collars are standard items, so they will always be available. They are pretty much identical to the ones Shimano uses on their reels, but they are lighter than most Shimano brakes. That is why I change 4 of my brakes out on my reels to the 2 red / 2 green setup that I posted about earlier this week - gives me move versitility. I wish I was at home right now. I'd take a picture and email it to you so that you could see what I am talking about. Hopefully, I've explained it in such a way that is comprehendable to most. Kind of difficult to explain without actually showing someone.
me! - Yes, there are several reasons why almost 1/2 of the people use Shimano reels. First and foremost, they make a top quality, excellent product. Secondly, they have been around for a long time. People like them. For the longest time, it was Shimano and Daiwa at the top of most polls, with some loyal Abu / Quantum / Browning / Lews sprinkled in. However, if you really think about it, whether you want to admit it or not, since Pflueger re-entered the bass fishing market a few years ago, they have made HUGE steps in the industry. They are giving the customers what they want. I've seen a lot of reel companies come out with a model of reel that sold well, and it would take them 4,5,6 years to make it in a different gear ratio or a left handed version, if they made it at all. I think Pflueger took ques from the big guys successes and failures, and took care of business in a timely fashion. The Trion low profile reels came out, people bought them like crazy, and within 2 years - different gear ratios and left handed versions were available. Same thing with the President. Excellent selling reel in their first year on the market, and then the very next year - Left handed version. They are gaining market share because they make top quality equipment for a lower price than some of the companies that have been around for a while. I fished with Daiwa for years, and I really liked the magnetic anti-backlash. Problem with Daiwa is that they changed their product line ALL THE TIME, whether it wa