New fathom 2 handle upgrade recommendations

[Paul O]

I have purchased a fathom 2 60nld 2 speed reel. I recently went on a 3 day trip on the searcher out of San Diego, and loned it to a friend, and used it myself on the trip. It landed 5 blue fin tuna ranging from 40 to 80 pounds without a problem. There is a little play in the reel handle before it engages. The deck hand mentioned he has seen two handles on this model "fall off". In the heat of the battle he was pretty busy, so I didn't ask him for details, and forgot to ask him when things weren't crazy. I watched a few videos that recommended handle upgrade. My question is what recommendation for a handle upgrade for this reel, and if the recommendation would be the same or different for a the new fathom 2 40nld 2 speed?
Thanks
Paul Ongaro

[jzman]

Tiburon makes a handle with a t-bar handle (similar to Okuma's t-bar).  T-bar lite model: TB-FATHOM II .   $55.  The photo is the exact arm but not the handle.  The photo is from another forum I believe from Cal Sheet's table in one of the fishing conventions (PCS??).

[Paul O]

Thanks Jzman,
I've ordered several tiburon aftermarket products in the past, I should have known the would have one.
Thanks again

[MarkT]

If it doesn't have an anti reverse bearing there will be a little play. It has what Penn calls a multi-stop antireverse meaning a dog and a cog. The number of teeth on the cog will determine how many degrees of play it has.  A different handle won't have an effect on this play.

[Paul O]

Thanks MarkT for the explanation. It helps with the confidence in the reel to understand the mechanisms and reason for the play. I'm happy with the performance of the reel. I will be upgrading to a more sturdy aftermarket handle to boost my confidence, especially after hearing about the rumored handle failures. The factory handle does flex under pressure. I had the reel spooled with 100 pound 8 strand metered braid topped with a 100' of 100 pound mono. I set pre set the drag at strike to 25 pound of a straight fast pull on a spring scale. I never felt the need to go to full strike with the 50 to 80 pound grade of fish I caught. It was nice to know I had more drag if a bigger model happened to bite. The biggest plus for this reel for night fishing blu fin is the light weight. The fish were between 400 to 200 feet deep in a current and a stiff breeze which required Jigging a 500 gram jig to prevent too much scope. Jigging all night long that deep with a heavy jig is a chore, and at my age every ounce of weight counted. I don't think there is a reel with that line and drag capacity that is lighter. When the fish were in there death spiral, low gear was a dream. I plan on doing a long range trip a couple times a year, so I couldn't justify spending hundreds more for a higher quality, and undoubtedly smoother operating reel.
Thanks
Paul O