[Striper_Haven_03]

I know I might take a ribbing for this,and maybe some of you may never talk to me again, but I think I am going to buy a Penn Torque.

I have an 7 year old 560 that has never failed me and has alot of sentimental value. This thing has taken an absolute beating the last seven years and this morning a fall on the rocks busted the bail (yes,I fish a bail) and the handle got completely severed from the reel housing/main gear it screws into. I am going to fix it and pass this down to my little bro who just "discovered" surfcasting this year. I could fix it and fish it but want something with a smoother drag,more line capacity...this is a major issue with the 560 when fishing 25 or 30lb hybrid line as Ive been down to the "gold" many times after making a long cast and having a large fish take it at the top of the cast. Having something sealed cant hurt either and will reduce maintenance time, which isnt a big deal but will save me time. I completely broke down the 560 15 times this year at 20 min. a whack. I know some of you will point me too a VS or ZB but I like Penn and have had very good luck fishing the 560 in places that VSs and ZBs are commonly seen. Also I hear this model is made in the USA again which makes me more comfortable buying one....I hate buying sh*t thats made in china. Although I think my TICA 10'er is....which is argument for another time.

Before I do I was wondering if anyone has fished one and what size would be comparable to the 560. I know this Penn was originally designed as a boat jigging reel but redesigned for the surf. Is there separate models for surf and one for jigging? Also, who sells this? I get most of my line,reels and rods from Mike/M+Ds and like to give him business rather than bass-pro or somewhere online.

Thanks in advance.

-Aaron