PENN

[Tuna Meltdown]

Ok, so I sent out my 2 Season old Penn 80VSW to Penn for the SECOND time for an ongoing Two speed issue back in November. Seems the gear for the low speed has stripped and failed for the second time. A check up call to Penn today revealed that they are still waiting for a part 2 MONTHS LATER. You've got to be $hitting me. I sent it to them so I would get a fast turn around? All I can say is that I'm glad it's the off season and I don't need it.

[ElMar2530]

Chinese parts will do that. I have been real reluctant to buy new Penn stuff. Inshore and offshore the reliability is not there like in the old stuff.

I still got Gold from the 80's that works great, not a fancy as the new stuff but works well.

[Big Jay]

I still got Gold from the 80's that works great, not a fancy as the new stuff but works well.

I stopped buying Penns prior to 1999. Last one's I bought were 50's used that were made in 1997. After like 2000-2001 the kids took over the company and outsourced.

Shimano all the way now.

[mzajac]

Dan I had the same issue with all of my 80vsw's. So didn't another guy I fish with.I don't have much faith in Penn or for that matter the reel under a heavy load from a bruiser fish.
Time will tell.

[AlloyToy]

Gotta love it.....customer service goes down the $hitter and their (Penns) profits go up 30 plus percent, all this while they eliminate jobs in the US.......WTF is wrong with this country!!!

Keep on them Dan so you at least have them fixed and fixed right for next season.....

[Tuna Meltdown]

Gotta love it.....customer service goes down the $hitter and their (Penns) profits go up 30 plus percent, all this while they eliminate jobs in the US.......WTF is wrong with this country!!!

Keep on them Dan so you at least have them fixed and fixed right for next season.....

I'm thinking the only probable way of fixing this is by dumping the reel and buying a Shimano. The only reason I bought the reel in the first place was because I couldn't find a Tiagra 80. I guess I should have waited for one.

Is it too much to ask that if I spend $800 on a reel that it wont have 2 major malfunctions in 2 seasons and take over 2 months to locate and fix the broken part?

[ElMar2530]

Is it too much to ask that if I spend $800 on a reel that it wont have 2 major malfunctions in 2 seasons and take over 2 months to locate and fix the broken part?

Absolutely not!!!!!

Where is that Penn rep that used to frequent the site?
Now would be a good time to speak up.

[striper swiper]

Like mzac said are you comfortable with a design flawed reel on something noteworthy?? The only people that swear by penn either A; get the pro deal or B; catch 100# fish and think they are big. This has happened to you with how many fish over the 400# mark. I'm guessing not a one because they fail well short of that more times than not

[Parapapam]

I solved this problem by only catching small fish....

Ha!!! Showed them didn't I????

BTW, that sucks Dan and Matt. Sorry to hear it.

Mike

[dunn6253]

While the older Penn 130's hold up fine on the boat I fish on, I am glad that I went Shimano on my 50's, 80's and soon to be 130's. Horror storys like these is what kept me away from Penn, unless they were the older 130's.......