Need help on deciding which Surf Casting reel to get

[GonePostal]

^^^ Im with you 100% as far as the old school reels. Especially Penn.

Heck, my go to surf reels are Squidder 140's... Ive just been thinking of trying some of the newer reels just because I hear they are supposedly much better. I believe that depends on who you ask tho...

Im with you too on the China/US made issue as well. I have an old 9/0 senator and a new chinese made 9/0 too. The US is my favorite, hands down. But, I couldnt exactly tell you why. The newer IS a good reel and Ive had no trouble. I just prefer the older stuff I suppose.

Plus those old Penn Senators, Squidders, etc.... man, theyve been around forever and have caught tons of huge fish. But Im sorry to sidetrack your thread haha

[Rancanfish]

I'm a Penn fan.  I love the Squidders casting ability (which is partly whoever is holding it) but the gearing is pretty low.

In the review posted at one point magging is mentioned,  which is why I would go with the Penn Mag 525. 

I realize OP already bought something but I have to mention the Mag anyway. (I have 3 now).

[handi2]

Here in the Pensacola area we only have to cast right off the beach. No more than 25 feet to catch Pompano. You will like the Avet. No worries on the pinion bearing with your light drag. Just keep it cleaned well. They are so easy to take apart.

Keith

[Breadfan]

Here in the Pensacola area we only have to cast right off the beach. No more than 25 feet to catch Pompano. You will like the Avet. No worries on the pinion bearing with your light drag. Just keep it cleaned well. They are so easy to take apart.

Keith

Thank you Keith and everyone else. It would certainly be nice if we only had to cast 25 feet over here on the east coast. I'm sure once I clean the grease out of the bearings and put some light oil in them, the reel will perform. I'll definitely give an update on how I feel about it next weekend. 

[Breadfan]

So, I cleaned the grease out of the bearings with lighter fluid, blew them out and added Rem oil, which is a very light oil. My youngest daughter and I (she is now 21) went out to the beach, it was chilly, 50 degrees with a light wind from the northeast, 5-10. Just enough wind to let you know it's there. My first cast (3oz sputnik, double dropper loop rig and bait) with the mag setting full on, about 50 yards. Clearly too much mag so I came down to setting "1", and it went about 75 yards on the second cast. Not too bad but I knew I could do better. On both cast I noticed zero fluff coming off on the spool, the magnets were really keeping this spool in check. So I on the third cast I absolutely let it rip, all I had, harder than I have ever thrown, 110 yards into a 5-10 headwind. Wow. I know it was dead on 110 because when I spooled the reel up, I spliced in my favorite line on top of some not so favorite line and ran off exactly 110 yards. On the last cast, the knot was just on the tip off my rod. So, that was a very good start for a reel that I had no idea of how it was going to perform. Even with all that, I really feel like the magnets are too strong and it's holding back on distance. Of course there is a flip side top that. I cast that rod 25 times and never once did it even hint at backlash. Maybe just a bearing upgrade, can't hurt, right? We didn't catch anything, the water was a little cold and about the only thing out this time of year is whiting and sharks, but nine today. I'd like to do a full on review of this reel on how it preforms to just pompano with the light settings of the drag I use. They will be back in the spring, in the meantime, I will keep tweaking this reel to see if I can get anymore out of it. So far, I am very happy with it. It was a lot of money I had to fork out for something that I was unsure of. On a funnier note, I handed the rod to my daughter, who has a nice conventional set up herself, but she is not and never has been the smoothest of casters, and I have her reel magged to the max so she can get away with it. I thought even she could throw this a mile! Wrong. Huge birds nest and a I'm sorry not sorry smile came from her face. We had a good laugh on that one.

[Breadfan]

Hybrid ceramic spool bearings have been ordered from Boca Bearings. Lets see what this reel can do!