which one

[ecoli]

Iam on the look out for a new reel it will mainly be for fishing in the rough with 100lb braid straight through in the past I have had the penn 535 gs and both the slosh 20/30 but I can get a new penn 525/535 mag2 for a good price so which one would you recommend and why

[Raptor1]

Iam on the look out for a new reel it will mainly be for fishing in the rough with 100lb braid straight through in the past I have had the penn 535 gs and both the slosh 20/30 but I can get a new penn 525/535 mag2 for a good price so which one would you recommend and why

Theres a reason their probably cheap.They can't get rid of them,they don't sell well as there's lots of known issues now with the quality and reliability of the new China made produced models.

[ecoli]

I had read that they are not as good as the older ones I thought they might have sorted them out by now but it seems they have not
Think I will stick with the slosh 30 and just buy the mono mag kit better the devil you know

[kelpy kid]

I've used my pair of 525 mag 2's for well over a year now with absolutely no issues whatsoever. Personally, I'd recommend the SL30SHA (gold spool and handle) for the heavier ground as I love mine, strong and casts really well.

[Phil83]

If your budget can stretch to it, go for a saltist. 525 / 535 don't even come close.

Phil

[g-force]

If putting heavy braid on a multi, I'd avoid anything with a plastic spool (so Sloshes etc.) as there's a real risk they'll go bang under the pressure. As said above, the new 525's have real issues these days with poor manufacturing - the earlier ones weren't quite so bad.

The metal-spooled Sloshes (SHVs SHAs) have real issues with shafts bending under pressure - I had six of them and got rid of them all due to this problem recurring - otherwise they would have been really nice reels.

As said above, my choice would be the Saltist - way better than any of the others and you should be able to pick up a second hand one for the price of a new 525mag. I'm not sure of the diameter of 100lb or so braid but suspect it's about the same as 15lb or so mono (0.35mm) in which case I reckon the 20 size would be best - casting 0.35 on the larger 30 might be an issue unless you really underfill the spool, which will cause you to lose a fair bit of speed on the retrieve.

Gary

[MickMcC]

Been using my 525 super mag for 11 years and had a 525 mag2 for 2 years. Brilliant reels, never had any issue with either of them. The super is made in USA and the mag2 China, if anything the Mag2 is smoother when casting.
I fish the rocks 90% of the time and both reels have had plenty of hammer pulling through snags, getting blown over onto rocks and blasted by sea and sand. I would very happily buy them again.

[regpude]

great reply.

If putting heavy braid on a multi, I'd avoid anything with a plastic spool (so Sloshes etc.) as there's a real risk they'll go bang under the pressure. As said above, the new 525's have real issues these days with poor manufacturing - the earlier ones weren't quite so bad.

The metal-spooled Sloshes (SHVs SHAs) have real issues with shafts bending under pressure - I had six of them and got rid of them all due to this problem recurring - otherwise they would have been really nice reels.

As said above, my choice would be the Saltist - way better than any of the others and you should be able to pick up a second hand one for the price of a new 525mag. I'm not sure of the diameter of 100lb or so braid but suspect it's about the same as 15lb or so mono (0.35mm) in which case I reckon the 20 size would be best - casting 0.35 on the larger 30 might be an issue unless you really underfill the spool, which will cause you to lose a fair bit of speed on the retrieve.

Gary

.nice one gary,very informative reply.got to agree 100% re plastic spools.had 1 years ago @ it burst under pressure.

[Raptor1]

Penns

Original 525mags built and manufactured in USA are solid quality two mine are first batch into UK 20 odd years ago, no magor issues ever, replaced handles after 15years battering handles, knobs wobbled too many hits on rocks, but worked fine still ,couple new bearings between three l have left.
New Sloshes made in Korea is it or Maylasia cant remember,anyway made with cheap poor quality metals, hence the shafts bend winding under pressure.Original pre 1988 models are solid but they came out the Daiwa Japan factory.

MAG2 a made in China total carp,poor machine tolerances,gaps between spool and cage trapping line,handles snapping clean in half while winding under pressure,bearings collapsing.List is endless,the very reason second hand original USA 525mags are still sought after even now by users.
Get a desent multiplier, Saltist, Torium etc. Better still if you want use and take up the advantages of braid, get a decent all metal body fixed spool.

[IANG]

reel

There is a shimano aerlex xsa 8000 fixed spool on ebay at the moment for £59.99 its perfect for the rough and last years absolutely bomb proof for that price.

[Juliogeordio]

Absolutely no issue at all with my Mag2's. Got an original 525 as well so well placed to comment. I wouldn't be deterred about buyin a mag2 mate if that's what your budget goes too. It is probably worth stretching to a fathom or saltist though if you can afford it.

[ecoli]

I got a slosh 30 today for £30 it is as new and unused the receipt in the box is from April 07
the braid was bought to go on a fixed spool but I just could not get away with it so never put in on
I think I will just go back to 30lb daiwa sensor staight through for the rough
would the braid (whiplash) be ok for using as a shock leader over clean/mixed ground