Penn or Shimano Reels

[thetackletrap]

EX, 20# at strike with the incredible avet freespool.
Pro EX, 50# at strike with freespool
T-RX, 100# at strike with freespool

I think the ex only goes to 25# or so when you push it to full.

Think you are man enough to fight a giant, Standup, with that T-RX??

No TRX for me. Better go back to gym.
EX 4/02 you looking at is 35lbs but will show more on scale. They all have the drag at the full size of spool. Like an Abel.

How bout that open face reel for live bait?! Not to mention the break control to reel in slack line at free spool!

[Mike Chick]

One really good thing about Penn is that they are in PHIA. and if you really need stuff you can get it. +++++ they don`t change the parts year after year and when you send stuff to them they never say "WE DON`T MAKE THAT REEL ANYMORE"

[John Rogers]

All my were shimano but I just bought 5 avet exw 4/0 and 1 exw 50. They are sweet reels for a great price.

[CanyonRunnerMate]

penn 50VSW = 68oz
shimano 50W= 82oz

Makes a big difference when handling the rod while fighting a fish. I like penn, and will always continue to use them, customer service is good, and a monkey can be trained to repair and maintain their reels.
If you want to talk about beefy drags meant for spectra lines and top shots, you are talking about a whole different class of reel, and neither one of these reels could compare to Accurate in that area... We fish our 50W's with 80lb test and 18lbs of drag, but when the bluefins are around we get 25lbs at strike with good free spool...they always perform flawlessly. Maintence is a snap and parts are cheap...made USA, can't beat that!
Justin

[Graceland]

I have both and like both for different reasons. the Shimano drags are the smoothest period. The Penn's are easier to work on and I don;t have to worry about parts in 10 years. By the way comparing 50 class Penns and Tiagras weights, the Penns are much lighter.
TI50WLRS 82 oz
50VSW 68 oz

[MakoMike]

Im 100% Penn. I've played with a couple of Avets, they seem nice, but there have already been some problems, like a bad batch of bearings. Accurates? I can buy two penns for the price of one accurate, and the accurates need more maintinence that the penns. For the time being I'm sticking with the penns.

[pitch bait]

I am hands down a Shimano guy. I have fished with Penn and Shimano Accurate. Accurate is unbelievably smooth but very very expensive. My Penns were very nice but I had a problem with the inconsistancy in the drag. To me the drag is very inportant, I can get over the little bit of a weight differance for smooth operation. I have never had any problem with a Shimano untill last year when we were fighting a blue marlin in the Ocean City tournament and as soon as I grabbed the leader the reel froze up. When I sent the reel back to Shimano they said that the line was packed so tight on the spool that it seperated in the center. The reel was under alot of pressure for six hours. They replaced the spool and a bunch of other components and didnt charge me. I was pleased but as for me I like the smooth drag the shimano gives me. As for the tld series there is no better reel for white marlin fishing that the tld 25. It is light and has a great freespool and very easy to handle. Remember only my opnion.

[MakoMike]

Pitch,
re:"as soon as I grabbed the leader the reel froze up. When I sent the reel back to Shimano they said that the line was packed so tight on the spool that it seperated in the center"

That would be it for me with that reel company. I give them one strike and their out.

[ReelCatch]

PENN

[Tunaman]

Just finished outfitting a NEW boat for Offshore so I went Shimano for the Mid Atlantic 4/TLD 25's,2 30 TLD 2 speeds and 3 50 TLD 50 2 speeds.Should be all I need except a Stout PLANER rod. Concensus from Seasoned friend anglers wasThat Shimano has a 48 hr. turnaround from their factory which pushed me their way. Still have Mostly Penn Gear on the Bay boat and it also works flawlessly.Either would be a good choice just a matter of preference.Tight lines.