When is a Penn No Longer a Penn?

[SoCalAngler]

With all the non Penn mod's out there like, frames, gears, gear sleeve, sideplates, bridge, yoke, dogs, handles and handle arms.... ect., when should you stop calling your reel a Penn? Not trying to knock the upgrades, as a matter of fact I like and use some, but where do you draw the line in saying you fish Penn reels or do you even draw a line? I mean if I dropped Porche engine into a VW or the other way around a VW motor into a Porche could/should I say I drive a Porche?

Like I said I'm not trying to bash anyone or anything just wondering.

[BMITCH]

No a Vorche or a VWorche

[Porthos]

Modded-Penn, upgraded-Penn, Accuratized-Penn, Tiburonized-Penn, etc.,...

In the grand scheme of the universe, does it really matter?

[Mandelstam]

I guess maybe you could call them Hot Rods. Like the heavy customized cars. Always based on something but sometimes customized beyond recognition.

[Alto Mare]

With all the non Penn mod's out there like, frames, gears, gear sleeve, sideplates, bridge, yoke, dogs, handles and handle arms.... ect., when should you stop calling your reel a Penn? Not trying to knock the upgrades, as a matter of fact I like and use some, but where do you draw the line in saying you fish Penn reels or do you even draw a line? I mean if I dropped Porche engine into a VW or the other way around a VW motor into a Porche could/should I say I drive a Porche?

Like I said I'm not trying to bash anyone or anything just wondering.

If it wasn't for Penn there wouldn't be no upgrades, Penn is the foundation .
Without Penn you wouldn't have had  Newell, Tiburon and Accurate upgrades.
The main design is always there, I could upgrade as far I  could go, but at the same time I could put it back as original within 10 minutes. To me it will always be a Penn.
On another note, as Porthos mentioned, does it really matter? Lets just keep having some harmless fun ....Ok, a little costly, but still fun

[surfcaster]

Yep Still always a penn, I agree with the hot rod car analogy , I had a custom jeep for mudding with different motor suspension drivetrain axles etc.
It was still a jeep. Love to play with cars trucks bikes but  as a family guy Reels are a much less expensive hobby.

[BMITCH]

 Love to play with cars trucks bikes but  as a family guy Reels are a much less expensive hobby.

Less expensive have you seen some of these collection 

[johndtuttle]

If you look inside every star drag reel in existence that I have ever seen all I see is a Penn.

Now, I honestly do not know if I am laying credit where credit is due, but I am pretty sure the original design is Penn.

Everything else is just a tiny modification of the particulars usually by throwing money at it but I am amazed at how little different a Shimano or a Daiwa (or a Newell or a Pro Gear) is from the basic original design. The Senator was designed in like 1938 I think.

Frames, sideplates, bearing here, bearing there it is all just window dressing on Penn design foundation as far as I know.


best regards

[Shark Hunter]

Grouper, Marlin, Yellowtail, Bluefin, Baja special. Super 6, Tank, Mad Dog, Beast from the East!, Narrowed, Widened, Keta Kranked, double dogged, stainless sleeved, magged, dragged, spooled and framed. Its always a Penn to Me!

[BMITCH]

Grouper, Marlin, Yellowtail, Bluefin, Baja special. Super 6, Tank, Mad Dog, Beast from the East!, Narrowed, Widened, Keta Kranked, double dogged, stainless sleeved, magged, dragged, spooled and framed. Its always a Penn to Me!

X2

[floating doc]

it's definitely hot rodding; how I describe it.

[Eric Hensel]

My grandfather had a couple Ocean-City 110 reels that looked remarkably like Penns --I believe they had star-drags before Penn. Otto Henze worked for Ocean-City before leaving to start Penn Reels in 1932, and there appears to have been much cross-pollination between these two companies (and others). Penn was the one that put it all together a bit better, and in a way that assured a solid bottom-line for the company.
It was the Great Depression that really drove the success of these two reel companies, and was the reason my grandfather took my dad on endless fishing trips in southern California. My dad (who passed 8 months ago at 93) hated fish for the rest of his life. Penn certainly perfected much of reel design, but many of the earlier innovations Star-drag, anti-reverse) are probably best attributed to forgotten others. This is my first post --great wealth of info here

[Shark Hunter]

Welcome Eric!
Glad to have you Here.
You are in good Company.

[BMITCH]

Welcome Eric.

[Dr. Jekyll - AKA MeL B]

Eric welcome to the neighborhood...