question of faith

[raider]

Hey,
Yesterday i discussed with another catfish angler about tackle. Every such discussion ends in the Fin Nor Offshore or Penn Spinnfisher argument. I believe  that more than 90% of the catfish anglers in Austria and Germany use only these reels. This reel question is very emotional. The Penn is about 30% cheaper, the Fin Nor is used by the most prominent catfish angler (sponsoring).
I know only one person who uses both, each other has a favorite. (My favorite is the Penn).

Because of the reason, that nobody argues objective, I ask here the same question... I hope i get here the answer...
What is the technical better reel? Penn Spinnfisher or Fin Nor Offshore?

Daniel

[Ron Jones]

I have no knowledge of the Fin Nor, but if you have upgraded a SS SpinFisher with all the stuff guys do around here you have a reel that is absolutly bullet proof.
Ron

[alantani]

among pistol shooters, there is a saying.  "God made man, Colonel Colt made them equal."  

if you go through and properly lube a fishing reel, then you will eliminate 99% of the associated corrosion problems.  if you then change out the drag washers and install new greased carbon fiber drags, then suddenly all reels are equal, at least to the fish.  some reels will certainly deliver more drag pressure then others, but that is more a matter of the size of the reel.  this is important.  install greased carbon fiber drag washers and the fish cannot tell the difference.  

but we are talking about fishermen as well.  your interface with the reel is the handle grip, but you will also note differences in the length of the handle arm and the gear ratio.  these are the only three things that you can objectively measure.  the rest of the reel may as well be a black box.  as long as the drags are smooth and you are fishing the reel within specs, it does not matter.  

many different companies make fishing reels.  greased carbon fiber drag washers make them all equal........

[Ron Jones]

  many different companies make fishing reels.  greased carbon fiber drag washers make them all equal........

That will go down in history at the same level as "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself!"

Truly fantastic words Alan. Puts it all to rest right there.
Ron

[broschro]

 True true 

[Newell Nut]

Just like the bullet speed arguments. The deer can't tell the speed when it hits. A bullet through the lungs at any speed puts meat on the table.

[Bunnlevel Sharker]

It's about what round kills them better........I use a 130 grain .270 cause it's blistering fast and furthest I've had a deer run withe the round was a 200lb buck went 20yds......
As for the reels, a jacked up jig master would beat both I bet

[erikpowell]

Well I'll chime in to help answer your question Daniel
I won't go into technical, but I'll give you a solid reel world evaluation 

I'll start by saying that I have faith in Penn, I love Penns, & many of my favorite and regularly used reels are Penns.

But I'll let my photos do the talking.... when it comes to my saltwater spinning reels which are used regularly:

Granted, these aren't the more desirable 3rd generations SS's, but represent what you currently have to buy off the shelf...
...that's IF after you've loaned out your old 6500's & 9500's...never to see them again 

My Penn collection on the counter.....

And let's see what the Ready Rack looks like:




Fishing steady since 2008 is the 8500 on the right w/100lb braid for popping
and last years' 5500 w/65lb for jigging on the left

The Fin-nors hold down the fort for me... and others around me
All I'd wish for are, and I should really dig into, would be double/ alternating dogs 

At least until I can afford to get my poor hands on a new Penn Torque!   

But seriously..in my experience, straight up, those very few extra bucks pay big dividends!
I haven't ever had to order a spare Fin nor part yet... and I service all my own reels.

Hope this helps,  Cheers !

[MFB]

All reels are equal, but some are more equal than others.

Plagiarised from George Orwell

Rgds

MFB 

[Dr. Jekyll - AKA MeL B]

back in my days in NY, one of my colleagues wanted to go on a spin with my then not so original 1985 VW GTI. this guy makes more money than me. when i accelerated i scared the hell out of him and his first comment was quote "why not just buy a toyota supra and then you don't have to spend that much more money" end of quote (point taken) and to which i replied if i can afford a supra you think i'll stop after the purchase.

it seems there are people just like me with wild ideas and questions like "how can i make this thing perform better?" sometimes all you have to do is to perform preventive maintenance, use better lube and/or buy better parts for your toys (as per our GURU). or sometimes just modify the existing part eg removing weight on rotating parts will give an extra "UMPH" in your equipment.

here where i live most people would spend a ton of money on a reel and economize on the rest of the equation. and when people approach me after seeing me catch a 50 lb fish in < 2 mins they start asking questions. what i always tell them is buy the best rod, line and hook you can afford because i haven't seen a reel break during a fight(now guys i'm talking about the fishing here not anywhere else) but seen a lot of line breakages and sometimes a rod breaks so almost any reel can do the job even if you don't take care of it (freshwater), imagine if you give it an A.T. treatment.

daniel, have you heard of this one "beauty is in the eye of the beholder"? at the end of the day it's not what you have it's who you are as a fisherman.

in closing just like anything man-made it can always be improved, hence "STOCK SUCKS".  

[kmstorm64]

I think a lot of it is the person behind the reel.  I used to go to this lake in Germany and fish for trout with a 5 foot pole and 2lb test.  I saw guys out there with rods that were well over 10 feet in length.  Its a 10-12 inch fish, a little over kill wouldn't you say?  I think it gets down to your preference.  It is the classic Ford vs Chevy or in your case BMW vs Mercedes.

[Three se7ens]

I had an ofs8500 that I got rid of because I felt the internals were inadequate for saltwater fishing.  I may have had an earlier model, and I have heard the newer ones were less problematic.  But that being said, I still feel that the traverse block is woefully undersized for a reel of that size, and I had regular problems with mine bending at drag pressures as low as 8-10 lbs. 

It's really a shame, because the rest of the reel is a tank. 

But my fin nor Sportfisher fs60 has been completely reliable, and has brought in more big fish than any other spinning reel I have.

I have my eyes set on a fin nor lethal 100 when they hit the stores.  The specs look phenomenal, especially for the price.

[Shark Hunter]

You opened a can of worms here Raider!
and I Love the responses!
I think Mel put it best, Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Nuff said.

[erikpowell]

back in my days in NY, one of my colleagues wanted to go on a spin with my then not so original 1985 VW GTI. this guy makes more money than me. when i accelerated i scared the hell out of him and his first comment was quote "why not just buy a toyota supra and then you don't have to spend that much more money" end of quote (point taken) and to which i replied if i can afford a supra you think i'll stop after the purchase.

it seems there are people just like me with wild ideas and questions like "how can i make this thing perform better?" sometimes all you have to do is to perform preventive maintenance, use better lube and/or buy better parts for your toys (as per our GURU). or sometimes just modify the existing part eg removing weight on rotating parts will give an extra "UMPH" in your equipment.

here where i live most people would spend a ton of money on a reel and economize on the rest of the equation. and when people approach me after seeing me catch a 50 lb fish in < 2 mins they start asking questions. what i always tell them is buy the best rod, line and hook you can afford because i haven't seen a reel break during a fight(now guys i'm talking about the fishing here not anywhere else) but seen a lot of line breakages and sometimes a rod breaks so almost any reel can do the job even if you don't take care of it (freshwater), imagine if you give it an A.T. treatment.

daniel, have you heard of this one "beauty is in the eye of the beholder"? at the end of the day it's not what you have it's who you are as a fisherman.

in closing just like anything man-made it can always be improved, hence "STOCK SUCKS".  

Amen Mel ... I agree "Stock Sucks !!!     
Fix up what you have and make it special. There is no better .....  '82 Scirocco S , '84 GTI .. both not so original..... Oh were they fast 

Daniel, don't over think it buddy. If you already have a favorite, then Fish It man !
Just take care of your gear and add some AT special love to it...you'll probably stay happy!