Top selling reel of all time

[Robert Janssen]

Y'know, I'm still thinking about this from time to time.

I was stricken by a thought just yesterday, that perhaps there is a stone unturned- that we may be focusing on the wrong era.

What about the small levelwind baitcasters made by the likes of Pflueger and Shakespeare for forty or fifty years in the first half of the twentieth century, the ones that made these companies into two of the largest and most long-lived of all?

And, also worthy of thought, is that they, and another manufacturer of their time, were huge OEM manufacturers, supplying essentially the same reel with a dozen brand names.

How do we feel about that? Does that still qualify? As in, the world's most sold reel may not be an ABU or a Penn, but rather a maker seldom heard of but perhaps selling many many more?

I think I'll mosey on over to the collector's forum soon, and pose this question to some of the tremendously knowledgeable gentlemen and scholars there. This is very interesting.

.

[Jerseymic]

Y'know, I'm still thinking about this from time to time.

I was stricken by a thought just yesterday, that perhaps there is a stone unturned- that we may be focusing on the wrong era.

What about the small levelwind baitcasters made by the likes of Pflueger and Shakespeare for forty or fifty years in the first half of the twentieth century, the ones that made these companies into two of the largest and most long-lived of all?

And, also worthy of thought, is that they, and another manufacturer of their time, were huge OEM manufacturers, supplying essentially the same reel with a dozen brand names.

How do we feel about that? Does that still qualify? As in, the world's most sold reel may not be an ABU or a Penn, but rather a maker seldom heard of but perhaps selling many many more?

I think I'll mosey on over to the collector's forum soon, and pose this question to some of the tremendously knowledgeable gentlemen and scholars there. This is very interesting.

.

Hi Robert,

You mean like these, I have quite a few more that need a clean and polish to add to the display.



Mike.

[erikpowell]

Hi Robert,
By all means I think the new angle would qualify. That's an interesting take on the question at hand.

Could a comparatively somewhat obscure wallflower overthrow one of the obvious choices?  Hmmmm

Maybe between all you gentlemen and scholars, that collector forum could shed some real numbers... the kind guys with extra times on their hands can dig up!

And Mike, those are some gorgeous reels... I'd like to see more!

[Jerseymic]

Hi Robert,
By all means I think the new angle would qualify. That's an interesting take on the question at hand.

Could a comparatively somewhat obscure wallflower overthrow one of the obvious choices?  Hmmmm

Maybe between all you gentlemen and scholars, that collector forum could shed some real numbers... the kind guys with extra times on their hands can dig up!

And Mike, those are some gorgeous reels... I'd like to see more!

Hi erikpowell,


I have about another dozen or so to clean up, when they are done I will post a photo of them all together.

Mike.

[erikpowell]

And, also worthy of thought, is that they, and another manufacturer of their time, were huge OEM manufacturers, supplying essentially the same reel with a dozen brand names.

Robert, who would that other manufacturer be? Zebco?

Nice Mike, look forward to seeing the full collection!
Thanks !

[Robert Janssen]

No, not Zebco- even if they had a couple of tremendously successful spincast reels, as mentioned earlier in the thread. I was thinking of Montague and the Kalamazoo Tackle Co, who made reels similar to the ones in Jerseymic pic above.

Not sure if they come anywhere close to the numbers required to be considered as the top selling reel, but still worthy of thought.

.

[AndrewC]

Penn is a us company mainly it seems to me. The Australian shark guys seem to like tiagras

That would probably be because Penn stopped bringing Senators into the country a long time ago and we've been stuck with Diawa's and Shimano's made in Malaysia, Korea or Thailand.

Its very hard to find Large Capacity Penn's in Australia. Even the International are hard to find.

Even Everolls are easier to find over here.

[MFB]

The Shimano Triton series in all it's forms, models & sizes from the TT to TLD also 6500B is listed as Triton baitrunner so collectively the numbers would have to be huge.

Rgds

Mark

[philaroman]

No, not Zebco- even if they had a couple of tremendously successful spincast reels, as mentioned earlier in the thread. I was thinking of Montague and the Kalamazoo Tackle Co, who made reels similar to the ones in Jerseymic pic above.

Not sure if they come anywhere close to the numbers required to be considered as the top selling reel, but still worthy of thought.

.

hmmm...  

1) didn't Zebco start out as just one subdivision of Bronson, who sold under a slew of other brands for half a century;

2) in its heyday (actually, heyDECADES) Montague was the OEM for a ridiculous number of brands:
http://www.oldreels.com/generic.htm
...'til they were bought out by Ocean City -- that's almost a century of reel-making, in total;

3) wasn't a Shakespeare-Kalamazoo Service reel stuffed into every GI's kit-n-caboodle, for a while?

...oh, just EXCLUDE the knuckle-busters from this discussion -- it's a can of worms 

[erikpowell]

Fascinating discussion you guys. I 've never been much of a reel historian, but this conversation is drumming up a lot
of interesting information I never knew... or even thought to think about 

Mike, I only recognize one Ocean City on your shelf so I am really looking forward to seeing and reading more about those reels you've got there..

Fascinating stuff... a guy in my hometown of Cincinnati even produced a reel!.... then he moved over to KY.....
where believe it or not, there were other guys making "Kentucky" style reels.... 
never even knew.... 

wow... thanks ya'll !

[Shark Hunter]

I live 5 minutes from Cincy Erik! How did you end up in Fiji?

[Robert Janssen]

didn't Zebco start out as just one subdivision of Bronson?

No. It is an acronym for Zero Hour Bomb Company, until a guy named R.D. Hull suggested they try reels instead.

.

[philaroman]

Fascinating discussion you guys. I 've never been much of a reel historian, but this conversation is drumming up a lot of interesting information I never knew... or even thought to think about 

check out http://www.oldreels.com/ -- VOLUMES of info w/ photos, from a very serious collector

[erikpowell]

I live 5 minutes from Cincy Erik! How did you end up in Fiji?

haha, yeah I figured you were right across the river Daron... in a post awhile back I planted a skyline chili reference JUST to see if you'd
pick up on it 

a random 2 year job contract landed me here in 05. I spent the first year counting the days till my contract was up (no one had ever lasted their full contract here  )... Year two something clicked, and I spent the second year figuring a way to stay in Fiji after my time was up...and here I still am almost 9 years later!..... whew, what a ride 

[erikpowell]

check out http://www.oldreels.com/ -- VOLUMES of info w/ photos, from a very serious collector

Yep, i've been reading here most of the morning!... I should be getting back to work, but like you said... VOLUMES !