Penn Spinfisher V

[Sevric]

Hi All,
I was considering the purchase of one of the smaller models of the SpinfisherV series of reels. Other than one sided bias reviews from Penn them selves i have been unable to find any real world reviews. To be fair they are only a recent addition to their line up but (according to them) are not only water proof but bullet proof.
If any of you have used or have had experience with these reels i would sure appreciate the input.

[spears]

The reviews from other U.S. forums has said they are water resistant and not water proof as Penns video shows they get submersed.

Being the 5th generation they are a spinfisher with seals and without brass gears.
Many had hoped they could be used like a Van Staal or Zeebass but they worked out you can’t submerse them and turn the handle.If doing a lot of beach fishing where the reel gets a good splash then it will stop water from getting in.

It’s still too early to judge them as users still need time for a verdict and many are waiting to see if they'll buy one.
But as they sell for around $250 it’s not a high investment compared to what else is around.I think they will be alright.
Penn likes being number one in the world and relies heavily on spinfisher sales to keep them on top.

[diabolical]

Have you read this one. 29pages, pre and post release of the reel.


http://www.stripersonline.com/t/852898/penn-spinfisher-v/420

[Sevric]

Have you read this one. 29pages, pre and post release of the reel.


http://www.stripersonline.com/t/852898/penn-spinfisher-v/420

Thanks for the link daibolical; quite a read at 29 pages. The reel appears to have a few minor problems being built to a price point and a recent release; a few bugs to iron out.
I am on the look out for a small spin reel for light beach work and thought the Penn may have been up to the task being resistant to water. I am a bit loathed to head down the Daiwa path of Mag Seal being as it is only servicable via Daiwa them selves.
Does any one have any ideas for a light spin reel for the beach?

[spears]

Pflueger salt

[MudRiverDan]

Van Staal
So far I am pleased with mine.

Dan

[Daintreeboy]

I just checked fleabay and some are going for about $150 or less posted. That changes a few things I reckon.
Penn have really got their act into gear in recent years and the release of the Penn Torque Spinner is one example of that. If you wanted to spend a little more that reel would be good although the smallest is the Torque 5 which is around a 6000 sized Shimano.
The link to a review on the Torque is below. Alan Hawk will be putting a review out on the Spinfisher early this year I believe if you are happy to wait a few more months but I reckon they will come up as a pretty decent reel based on Penn's recent performances.

http://www.alanhawk.com/reviews/trqs.html

[MudRiverDan]

I just checked fleabay and some are going for about $150 or less posted. That changes a few things I reckon.
Penn have really got their act into gear in recent years and the release of the Penn Torque Spinner is one example of that. If you wanted to spend a little more that reel would be good although the smallest is the Torque 5 which is around a 6000 sized Shimano.
The link to a review on the Torque is below. Alan Hawk will be putting a review out on the Spinfisher early this year I believe if you are happy to wait a few more months but I reckon they will come up as a pretty decent reel based on Penn's recent performances.

http://www.alanhawk.com/reviews/trqs.html

Yeah but Australian beach fishing?

VS will handle it, Penn will die in time.

Dan

[Daintreeboy]

Yeah but Australian beach fishing?

VS will handle it, Penn will die in time.

Dan

Yeah I reckon it will in time. But at that price it becomes an interesting dilemma to decide on reels like the Torque and VS if you are not going to fish all that often. I wouldn't pay $250 for one but at $150, that's a lot of Van Staals!

[Sevric]

The main application for the reel i need is light beach fishing. You have no arguments from me the the Van Staal would probably suit the purpose but a bit heavy and a bit out of my price range to catch a few whiting and flathead. The reel is actually for my wife to use as she has yet to master an Alvey. Some thing that is water proof or nearly water proof as the PennV would be ideal. After reading a link of 29 pages on the Penn it is apparent that they have teething problems; on the other hand they are not that expensive either. It is a pity that the Penn is not water tight; it is also a pity that other manufactures have not tried to water proof their reels. In 2013 with all that is available you would have to think it is not that difficult with out going to the extreme of the mag seal idea which to me does not seem to be as reliable as they would have you believe.

[spears]

The V is the only affordable reel out there right now comparing to anything else that’s $350 plus.
If you think about it the V is the only one at this stage that will work better for you than the standard reel by having some seals

[Sevric]

I have to agree with you Spears so despite a few short comings of the Penn V i have decided to go that way. For the intended purpose i see nothing better. In my indecision over this i considered some of the Diawa reels with their different Oil seal types. I had rejected this initially as they have to go back to Daiwa for service but reasoned that a cheap reel with Oil Seal could almost be viewed as expendable should it fail. I wrote and asked the Daiwa Service Dept the difference between Oil Seal and Mag seal and which one will exclude water the best and their answer was surprising; see below.

Hi Richard,

Mag seal users Magnetic grease, while the oil seal users an oiled washers.

The Oil seal dose stop penetration to a certain degree, but regardless of the technology in the reel you will still have to maintain and wash your reel after each use.

There is no reel on the market that is 100% water proof.

Kind Regards


Josh Courts
Service Department
Daiwa Australia Pty Ltd
Tel: (02) 8644 8644
Fax: (02) 8644 8666
service@daiwaaustralia.com.au

It is very clear that their Oil Seal / Mag seal are no more water Proof than a Penn V which is easy for any one to service and cheaper by miles to boot.

[Daintreeboy]

Just to clarify, the mag seal is not a waterproof seal of the reel. It's just one small part of it.

http://www.alanhawk.com/reviews/salt10.html

This review explains the mag seal and also the overall sealing of the Saltiga that is so much more than the mag seal section alone.
The same applies with the cheaper oil seal they have on some cheaper Daiwa models. Those reels do not have body seals etc for waterproofing so you will not be getting. Waterproof reel at all. Not sure if that was what you were referring too?

[Sevric]

Sure was Daintreeboy. I guess you get what you pay for in most circumstances but so many of the manufactures have not been telling the whole story with their waterproofing and how effective it really is. Shimano have not gone down the water proof road as far as i am aware but i think at some point they will i just hope they learn lessons from from other attemps of manufactures to offer water proof reels to the middle / bottom of the market