PRO GEAR REELS vs TODAYS MARKET

[LTM]

Gentlemen (and I say that loosely),

Ive been reading your praises regarding the Pro Gear searies of reels and cant help but ask the questions:
1. How do the Pro Gears stack-up with the current evolution of "high-end" reels of today?
2. Are there any models/serial numbers I should stay away from?
3. What about replacement parts and their availability?
4. Do they cast well?
5. How durable are the reels?
6. Are they worth the price realistically? (I know this is subjective, but please give your thoughts).
7. Are they primarily collectables or "church reels" (occasional usage)?  (I have read that some use these reels)
8. Please list your favorite models and why?

Thanx,

Leo

[redsetta]

G'day Leo,
They're very rare in NZ.
I only have one PG, a 282 Albacore Special, and love it.
It's beautifully made and a pleasure to fish.
It's also the only reel I keep in the house, just in case something happens to the workshop.  
Bryan knows 'em well, so I look forward to his contribution.
If you can find a nice one, I reckon go for it
Cheers, Justin

[Alto Mare]

There are a lot of guys here that really like those reels, especially Bryan, I was never crazy about them. The main reason was #5 on your list, but that was before I joined this site. I'm sure they're better now with Alans treatment.

[doradoben]

    I have 3 Pro Gear reels.  Model 545, 541, & 454. All are based on the Penn 4/0. They are pretty simple & can be serviced easily. As with any equipment that has been discontinued, I would think that some parts availibility will become an issue going forward. Bearings & drag washers are not a problem, but a replacement gear set may be much more difficult to find. All of mine perform as expected with no issues. Freespool is good and all cast very well. My favorite is the 545 because it is the smallest of this group. You can easily fish 40# and if backed with spectra, has very good line capacity.
    The only star drag models that I would personally avoid is the series that has graphite side plates. They were early manufacture, high line capacity, low drag capability reels based on the Jigmaster. If I was considering in one of these, I'd rather just buy a Jigmaster.
    Model 255 & 251 are very nice smaller size reels that accept jigmaster parts and perform well. The 255 is about the size of a narrow Penn Squidder 146. I have no experience with the Albacore Special series, but have been told by owners that they liked the reels very much.   

[Bryan Young]

Where do I begin?

I can only speak of the full aluminum frame and bodies reels.  Although these reels were designed in the past, they were reels of the future and for today.  They were the only reels of the time that you could actually and easily switch from using mono to braid.

Tolerances - The tolerance gap between the frame and the spool is so small, that even a little glob of grease will slow down your free spool drastically  All you need is a micro-thin layer to protect the frame and sideplate.  The biggest problem of these reels were the nooks can cranies of the side plate, not the frame.  If one went in there when they purchased the reel and applied a light coat of grease to the internal sideplate, corrosion would be minimal.  I have seen a lot of PG reels with no corrosion because of how they took care of the reel.  Of course, the newer annodization methods are better on newer models and resist corrosion longer under severe conditions.  They all cast well.  I'm not sure if I'd mentioned it before.

PG 255/PG251 Series - One of my favorite series.  Imagine having a reel that casts as well as a Penn Squidder with the stopping and cranking power of a Penn 505HS/506HS.  That is what you have.  You can also use Penn 500/501 gears if you need replacements.  Penn Jigmasters are not going anywhere for a while, so I suspect that parts that take the most wear will be easy to get, at least in my lifetime.  You can also upgrade the gears to Accurates or Newells Stainless if you can find them or have them.  I also have SS Gear Sleeves and am waiting for Lee to make some SS dogs.  I am still looking into whether I can double dog this reel, alternating, of course to compete with the newer reels.  Reel does lack anti-reverse bearing, but I can live with it.  I'm sure I can find one that will fit if I really want this feature...that is I really want it.  Currently, my PG255 produced well over 20# of drag with a 5+1 Carbontex drag system, SS gears, SS Gear sleeve, and SS handle arm (and Pete's spinner handles) all in a squidder sized reel.  My PG251 has the same set-up, but can only get 12-14# of drag due to the flex in the spool shaft due to the increase width of the the reel.  I hope I can find some Jigmaster 4:1 steel gears for the PG251 so I can use it more like a bait casting reel.  Note that the gear ratios seem high, but it really isn't considering the overally diameter of the spool with line on it.  It's actually less than the Jigmaster when you consider the diameter of the spools.

PG545/PG541 Series - This is my second favorite of the series.  As doradoben mentioned, they are based on Penn's 113H reel with 4:1 gears.  These are also interchangable with Penn's 3.25:1 gears as well.  Like the PG255/PG251 Series, since the internals are based on the Penn 113H, I also do not believe that parts will be a problem.  Considering that you have a 1/0, 2/0, and 3/0 size reel, respectively, with the drags of a Penn113H, as Sal had mentioned in another post, capable of 40# of drag.  I haven't tried testing this yet though.  I still need to add the SS Gear sleeve, SS Gears (if I can find them), SS Dog, and SS arm with Pete's 4/0 handle.  I'm looking at having my brother mill out the side plate to add an alternating double dog.  I may purchase a PG541 (cheapest of the series due to it's wideness) to practice milling before moving to the PG545.  We will see.  Besides, I can always use the sideplate parts if it doesn't work out as expected.

PG540 Albacore Special Series -

PG454(including Yellow Tail Specials)/440/441 - Although I have these reels, they don't get used much as they are a bigger version of the PG545/PG540/PG541 series reels, and since I only fish with braid now, I haven't found a need yet, but if I do decide to fish with these, it will probably be loaded with 80# or 100# braid and fish for albacore as trolling reels.

PG280 Albacore Specials - Note that I don't own any of these, but wish I did.  I'm not sure of all the numbers in the series, but it's kinds of a blend between the Classic Series (CS) and the old series.  The main difference is that all Albacore reels have a both spool bearings right next to the spool which results in less spool shaft flex at higher drag settings, similar to the Trinidads.

PG461  Wahoo Special - Have two, and is essentially a 6/0 height, normal 4/0 width, with Albacore Special guts.  Reel has a larger 3+1 drag capability and 5:1 gear ratio.  If I do decide to keep these, I'll probably load them with 80# or 100# braid backing.

CS500/CS501/CS550/CS551 - Among my favorites as well.  Imagine a Abu 5500/6500 sized reel with 15# of drag with 5:1 gear ratio?  Sweet.  Has a similar drag stack as the Albacore Specials except slightly smaller.

CS600/CS625/CS650 - It's the larger of the CS Series reels with Albacore Speical Drives, with the simplicity of the CS series reels.


CS700 Series - I don't know if these were ever produced.  I have yet to see one available.

OC30/OC40 - I have one, and have yet to spool it or use it, nor service it.  This will be to be continued.

I'll finish later.  I'm getting tired with all of the excitement.

Bryan

[LTM]

Thank you guys for your comments.  Bryan, I appreciate the time and especially the details that you have presented. I look forward to your next installment.

Leo

[Dr. Jekyll - AKA MeL B]

Although these reels were designed in the past, they were reels of the future and for today.

i bought used ones, a CS 550 and a PG 541 and after dissecting these 2 reels i have to agree 100 1/2% with bryan.  used the CS last week and it functioned flawlessly. the only thing i didn't like is the handle, it's too small. i guess it's becuase i got used to the new ones which are a little larger and probably preference.i  have no regrets in buying these two reels. also take a look at this rebuild;

http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=253.0

[otownjoe]

great reels,I brought 4- cs 650's  several months ago on craigslist.I took them apart and found it well greased and i was impressed by the tight tolerances.the only thing i changed was the lube on the spool bearings, ts301.I fished one for the first time this weekend and i have a new favorite reel.casts like a dream and cranks like a winch.like mel b i found the handles too small.ordered new tbars from dawn today and won't go fishing without one any time soon.for the type of fishing i do a star drag is better some of the time and this is one of the best star drag reel's i've fished.good luck with your decision.
     Joe

[Bryan Young]

If anyone can add information on the Albacore Specials, would be much appreciated.  The main difference that I know of is that it has an additional bearing to support the spool shaft to reduce the spool shaft flexing.

[MarkT]

I've got a 255, 545, 501, 280, 540, 540 w/3.6:1 gears.  The 501 is blue and rest gunmetal.  I had a 251 but sold it.  I have a 251 frame/spool so I can convert the 255 to a 251 just by switching the sideplate (takes 10 seconds).  I also have a space 255 spool.   Great reels.  Rock solid!

[Bryan Young]

Mark, do you want to trade your blue 501 for a silver 501 to match your set?  I have a blue 551, and it's missing his 501 blue friend.

[Alto Mare]

Mark, do you want to trade your blue 501 for a silver 501 to match your set?  I have a blue 551, and it's missing his 501 blue friend.

I'm glad I'm not the only nut around here .

[redsetta]

I'm glad I'm not the only nut around here

Far from it Sal

[Bryan Young]

Its a fashion statement!  I don't have any statements at the moment, but when I do, I want to be prepared.

[Alto Mare]

You know, if us three get our reels together, we could almost make the US flag.