The Mystery of Penn's First Reel... taken from catalog

Started by Tightlines667, February 28, 2017, 07:12:19 PM

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Maxed Out

Quote from: sdlehr on March 29, 2017, 12:55:28 PM
So we have the model F and model K as the first reels. This has been well-established. But what happened to models A->E, G, H, I and J? What did Otto Henze have in mind before he settled on these two designs? We'll probably never know, but I'm sure he didn't start naming his prototypes in the middle of the alphabet.

Sid

  I understand how you came to that conclusion Sid, but it doesn't jive with how Otto did things. the first senator was a 9/0. Why not start with a 1/0 ?? .....
.....besides that, Henry ford already had "Model A" imprinted into everyone's head during that time frame.

Assumptions or hunches are Mike's calling. Anyone else caught bending those rules may be burned at the stake  ;D ;D
We Must Never Forget Our Veterans....God Bless Them All !!

oc1

The size (e.g. 1/0, 9/0) nomenclature was somewhat established by other reel makers before Penn came along.  Assumptions are always hazardous, but hunches are fair game for anyone.  My hunch is he had a bunch of prototypes and thought F and K had the best chance of making it as production models.
-steve

Penn Chronology

Assumptions are all we have at times. Think about why Otto named his first reel the Model F. More than likely it was the sixth version of that particular prototype. Models "A", "B", "C", "D" & "E" are probably sitting on the Cutting Room Floor. The Model K probably follows the same formula. Think about WD-40. The WD is for Water Displacement, the number "40" was the 40th experimental result and the one they were finally happy with.

But, then we think of logic. Ted brought up the Model A Ford. Why would Henry Ford name his first car the Model T and his second car the Model A? ??? ??? Don't really know, so I have to assume he wanted to confuse the world for all eternity..................... ;D

sdlehr

Quote from: oc1 on March 29, 2017, 08:14:03 PM
The size (e.g. 1/0, 9/0) nomenclature was somewhat established by other reel makers before Penn came along.  Assumptions are always hazardous, but hunches are fair game for anyone.  My hunch is he had a bunch of prototypes and thought F and K had the best chance of making it as production models.
-steve
Exactly. I would bet my collection that there was a series of prototypes named alphabetically, and F and K turned out to be the designs Otto thought the most of.

Sid
Sid Lehr
Veterinarian, fishing enthusiast, custom rod builder, reel collector