Looking for a new baitfeeder!?

[Socal399]

Hey guys I'm looking for a new baitfeeder for surf fishing. I currently have a okuma abf50. And recently the handle will not stay tighten down.
So I am looking to purchase something a little stronger design. With less flex while retrieving under load. And maybe more durable.
I've been looking at the penn live liner and the fin-nor fst baitfeeders. Which I just found out that  fin-nor recently discontinued making them. Which makes me a little worried buying one due to it might be hard to find parts!

So basically I was wondering what u guys thought or if u have any recommendations. I want something with a little larger capacity.
Or if any of you guys have either the fin nor fst or the penn live liner.

[Porthos]

Same reply that I last gave you at SCSF:

Despair not so quickly. Call or email Fin Nor, and see if you can get an answer for how long they typically stock parts for discontinued reels.

I bought my Okumas CD's the year before they were discontinued; I was able to order parts from Okuma 4? 5? years after the fact. Manufacturers don't always drop EVERYTHING once they stop production of a model.

Here's a recommendation:
1. Get a Fin Nor to examine in person if possible
2. If you like it, and the price is right, get it. (eBay can be your friend here)
3. Do a "pre-service" maintenance on the reel before ever fishing it. Peruse www.alantani.com and www.alanhawk.com for examples of what and where to grease and lube.
4. Rinse your reels after each session with due diligence, and maintain periodically.
5. If need be, down the road, buy a second unit as a parts source.

#3 and #4 will significantly extend the life of a reel. In regards to #5, I have extra units of Penn reels (27 and 970) last produced in the '70's and '80 to maintain the reels that I fish with, so it's not that unusual.

[Three se7ens]

I have had a few Okume Coronado baitfeeder reels, and been pretty happy with them, when fished within their limits.  But if I was to purchase a similar reel again, it would not be a coronado.  My current favorite "cheap" reel is my Fin Nor sportfisher 60.  They have a baitfeeder version, but mine is the regular version.  Its easy to service, dead reliable, and all aluminum construction.  My fs60 gets used offshore mainly, and I have it spooled with 55 lb braid and have the drag set to 17-18 lbs normally.  3 years and it hasnt missed a beat, which I cant say about some of my other reels.

The okuma trio baitfeeder is pretty nice, and I still have a trio, but servicing is not easy(mainly the ARB).  The shimano baitfeeder is also a solid choice.