I recently purchased this reel to delve into 2 speeds. I've noticed that the effort to turn the handle is much different in high speed as opposed to low. This is with very low drag. (just enough to turn the spool) It's almost effortless in low but stiffer and noisier in high. Is this normal? I have a cheap Ocean Master OM 10 that's the same ratio 6.2:1 (but single speed) that is as easy to turn and as quiet as the Penn in low.
Yeah that's normal for the Fathoms.
Maybe because with that two-speed, you are still spinning the non-used gear, it is just slipping on the main shaft. So every time that you turn the handle once in high gear, you re also spinning the low main gear about twice, and that low main gear usually has some big teeth. This will add a bit or resistance and noise.
-J
Thanks for the replies. I'm no longer seeing the allure of a 2 speed of this size.
How much drag do you have at strike?
I haven't used the Fathom yet. I'm talking right out of the box with minimum drag.
Most likely the phenomenon you are feeling is called "sideload".
Small, powerful 2-speeds all experience it to a degree, with higher-priced models having less of it.
I picked up my 10XNLD2 briefly, and cranked it in both gears just to refresh my memory, since its nothing you really think about when fishing.
Correct that there is a slight increase in sideload in "high" than in "low" on all of the Fathoms.
Your call if the major fishing advantages of a 2-speed outweigh that.
One other consideration to keep in mind, many lower priced reels have brass gears, which are softer and therefore "smoother" than the stainless steel gears present in Fathoms.
I finally got a chance to use the little Fathom and it's a keeper. Although the increased cranking resistance without load seems concerning, it turns out that it pulls very well in high so I can definitely see the trade off.
Now I am confused.
I thought that "side load" referred to the axial load on the bearings on the spool shaft from tightening the drag. The stronger the drag, the stronger the side load. Too much side load can cause resistance when turning the spool. Side load resistance is a function of drag setting vs bearing size, and not whether the reel is a two speed or not, or which gear it is in.
I guess it is easier to turn against some side load in low gear vs high gear, but you should feel it in both. And if side load is causing the perceived problem, switching to a very low drag setting will make this symptom of added resistance in high gear disappear.
-J