Was doing some surfing and found a few sites selling the new SSM reels.Its the
old 6500-8500SS reels with all the same improvements as the SSG reels with the exception of having a metal body hence the M in SSM.

With the improvements the 650 might very well make a very decent plugging reel.Curious as to whether the 6500SS manual pickup kit would work with the new reel.

The Penn site has zilch on these new reels yet they're already being sold.Hmm.

Saw them at the show in CT earlier this month.
The rep Dan said most of the bail features will be the same.

That's good news Mike.A bailess 650SSM would make for a great surf reel.

The best feature is that they now have instant anti-reverse instead of the failure-prone friction collar the old SS reels had. I wonder if it could be retrofitted to my old 750 and 850?

I assume they're now made in China, tho :(

As Mikecc posted, I also saw them at the CT show. As I recall the rear body shape is a bit different than the original SS models. Don't know if older versions can be retrofitted. We will have the new reels in January or February, at that time will strip on down and check it out. Yes made in China.

The reels appear to be quite good and the rep said they will remain at their current price structure.

Was getting a smile on my face until I saw the "made in China" part. Not gonna be making that purchase. Guess I'll go rebuild one of my old "Greenies."

Valentine

At this point there isn't much choice when it comes to where spinning reels are made.If you want a new one other than a VS you're getting one made in another country.

It saddens me that Penn never gave the 704/706 reels some basic improvements like a sealed drag,infinite anti-reverse and a ball bearing line roller
(on the 704) and get rid of the plastic sideplate.It would make for as close to a
perfect surf reel without breaking the bank.

The improvements in the larger SS reels(SSM) are welcomed provided they are durable and can stand the test of time as the 700 series has.And if the manual pickup kits fit the newer SSM reels then all the much better.

It saddens me that Penn never gave the 704/706 reels some basic improvements like a sealed drag,infinite anti-reverse and a ball bearing line roller
(on the 704) and get rid of the plastic sideplate.It would make for as close to a
perfect surf reel without breaking the bank.



The 704/706 reels were their own worst enemy. Very little profit margain and by and large, only surfcasters buy them. That's the only market there is for old style cupped spool reels. In the overall fishing picture, it's a miniscule market. Plus, unlike most other reels, they're not cash cows when it comes to replacement parts--they're just built too damn simply and too damn good. You can almost bet that when new ownership whose biggest concern is the bottom line acquires a company, the first reels to go will be the ones that are cheap and durable. No company is going to spend the money to re-engineer, and re-tool to produce, a 45 year old design that has limited market appeal. The bail post on the 704 is too small to accept a ball bearing, and people who are a lot smarter than me have thought for about 15 years whether there's any way to jerry-rig an infinite anti-reverse into the existing reel body, without finding one. So you have to redesign the bail post, the bail itself, and re-design the body to accept a one way roller bearing somewhere. What you would end up with is a old-fashioned cupped spool reel with limited marketability, at probably double the existing price. It wasn't going to happen, unfortunately.

Hey, I like 4x4 trucks with solid front axles, manual locking hubs, and a durable gear-driven transfer case instead of a chain-driven "shift-on-the-fly" one. A lot of serious 4x4 buyers feel the same way. Auto makers don't build trucks for us any longer--they build them the way most people are going to buy them. You can get a Ford 250 or 350 with manual hubs but without a solid axle. You can get a Dodge or a Jeep Wrangler with a solid axle, but you can't get hubs. You can't get a GM truck with either. If you want to make money, you have to market what the majority of your customers want, and let the niche market fend for themselves.

Mike of course everything you said is absolutely true.

I imagine if the 704/706 were re-engineered to except the improvements it would increase the price way beyond Penns' ability to sell it to enough people to make it profitable.It WAS a nice thought though.

I may acquire a 6500SSM in the offseason and we'll see how it works out next season.

I have a 89 f-350 with a straight front axle an locking hubs.was the worst ride i ever had.Can U say toss my salad.

Mike i think u might be on to someting if Penn where to make those simple upgrades to the Z line an sell em for under 300$ there would be no reason to own a van stahl.A similar type reel I can still break down an fix myself.Van stahl has got to have just crushed the meager sales of the depleted Z line.I'm surprised its not scrapped already for good...

I recently heard from a good source that Penn was testing a reel to be in the $200 range that would be a sealed waterproof upgrade along the lines of the "Z" series. A factory "Penn Stall" was the way it was described to me. I am intersted to see if this is true, but it would be nice.

I asked the rep and he denied all rumors.

I have a couple of 704z's. I once thought that I'd like instant reverse..until I used reels with that feature. The reels with anti-R were both very fine top of the line reels, just not for me. I like to back pedal sometimes, like when the surf pulls your lure back out. With anti reverse you can't keep the plug swimming without walking up and down the shingle. One of the Z's has a black painted spool , the other an anodized one. The black spool won't turn by hand, like when you stow the end of your leader and give the spool a little twist to take up the slack. The gold one will. Anyway, in my hands, there's no need to "improve" them.

I love my 704z very strong and reliable and serves as a good winch when you need it to be.