980 and super 12 handle options

[alantani]

i will move this later, but wanted to post it here.  a customer had two old penns and i wanted to post some handle options for him.  the first is an old penn 980 mag.  it has a 4/0 gear sleeve (drive shaft) and will accept any of the 4/0 penn senator or penn international 30/50 handles.

the handle that you see on the reel now is from aftco.  the grip is small and made of molded plastic.  the star rotation is actually limited.  you can't go more than a full circle because of a knob that limits the rotation of the star.  the advantage is that you can move the star back and forth to known preset drag weights.  adjustments may require removal of the handle arm first.  to upgrade this grip, you could bolt on one of my kolekar 2/0, 4/0 or 6/0 grips. 



the other option that is most popular is the original star (with full range) and a stock handle arm from the penn international 30.  i have a few of these used handle arms left.  it gives the reel more of an "international" look. 





the cal sheets "super 12" is another old gem.  the size of the grip is deceptive in this photo, but it is very small.  it is also bent at the rivet and cannot be straightened back up.



the original handle has been removed and the same international handle has now been installed.  you can see the size difference more easily. 



if you were going to fish both of these reel for big fish, i would go back to the kolekar series with a stainless steel aftermarket arm.  the one you see here is the 6/0 kolekar.  this would normally be my choice.  bottom line, it's all a matter of personal choice. 

[Gaujo]

Mr. Tani, is the right plate on the super 12 custom, or does Cal fit all of the upgrades in the factory shell?

[alantani]

it's a super 12!  very nice reel.  the penn internation arm fits all of these reels.