Saltigas have arrived

[Pete_G]

Originally Posted by PurpelNoon

Over a year ago, I viewed and read a total breakdown of a Saltiga and VS by a mechanically inclined person(an engineer). There were step by step photos with the critique. I wont get into the details of the VS breakdown because I dont want to rekindle Van Staal Wars.

Basically the Saltiga got good grades overall, not perfect, but very good. The breakdown was technically beyond my scope of understanding so some of it made sense and some of it had no significance to me. Nevertheless, a good read!

I wonder if the engineer was a surfcaster. I'd love to read that article.

I've always felt part of the reason the Penn Z series work so well in the surf is because they aren't as perfectly engineered as many of the various imports. If a little corrosion or wear through lots of use changes the tolerances inside a bit the reel couldn't care less. A few grains of sand inside? No big deal. Built in tolerance for abuse in the suds.

If the same thing happens to most other reels all hell breaks loose. Plus all those vulnerable bearings. Number one corrosion spot I see in both spin reels and fly reels that come into the shop are the ball bearings. Either hide them deep inside your reel (VS) or don't use many of them (Penn). Anything else is just asking for bearing failure in a reel used by surfcasters.