Need a new reel....

[sonny.barile]

Blew the main gear on a Tsunami Shield 3000 (Bimini Bay brand). They were the hot discussion on some salty sites a couple of years ago. Anyhow, although it was sealed well, everything else about it turned out to be a flop. The main gear was pot metal (aka chineesium) and it didn’t last. It was 1-1/2 years old on a 1 year warranty. Nuff bout dat.....its in the past.

I’m looking to stay approximately around 100 bucks.
I would like something in the higher speed category with at least 34 inches of line retrieval per turn. I like the Penn Battle 2 in the 3000 size. It’s sealed up really good and is all metal. I have not been able to find info on the main gear material. (May be more pot metal) I know Penn makes parts available and their proprietary grease for maintenance.

I also like the newer Daiwa Fuego 2500 D XH. It has 35 inches line retrieval and weighs an astonishing 5 oz. less. The body isn’t metal but I am hearing it is still plenty strong. It’s not sealed as well as the Penn but has the famous Daiwa magseal and the main gear is a quality cast zinc.

So far I have heard comments that the Penns do not layup line on the spool so well which can equate to wind knots with braid and the Daiwa mag seal is not self maintainable????

Any personal experiences with these reels would be appreciated.



Edit: This is going to be fished on 7 ft Airwave in the salt for schoolie striper. (With the occasional keeper in the mix.) Primary bait is 1/2 to 3/4 oz lead heads and 4 inch paddle tails.

 

[fishwithchris]

Daiwa BG 2500 or 3000; and call it a day. It comes in right under $100.

An absolute work-horse of a reel and perfect for your application.

 

[FishingForSupper]

I’m not sure what Penn uses for materials, but I have two Penn Battle II for my surfrods and love them. The one has been dunked a few times and still works like new.

 

[Butthead]

I have (and had) numerous Penn reels; Fierce, Battle II, Conflict, Clash, Spinfisher.

I’ve never had an issue with corrosion and only suffered a crosswind block failure and a roller bearing issue on all my reels. Their blue grease definitely protects well, but I find it gets sticky as it ages and will feel thick when reeling, especially when it’s cold. Cleaning and regreasing will fix that. I don’t think the Penns are really sealed any better than the other big players, but they’ve held up well for me, are very easy to break down and clean, and replacement parts are easy to get.

I use my Conflict 2000 and 2500 with 20lb braid for Striped Bass/Blues/Spanish Mac. I’ve never had issues with wind knots but I do close the bail with my hand and not by reeling.

That Daiwa seems like a solid reel for the price. I’d certainly appreciate that low weight when tossing jigs for 8+ hours.