New Penn spinners

[basswipe]

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

[Mike P]

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

[Don M]

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.

[valentine]

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

[basswipe]

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.

[Mike P]

Originally Posted by basswipe

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.

[basswipe]

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.