from basil on the hull truth, reprinted without permission. (figured he would not mind......)
http://www.thehulltruth.com/sportfishing-charters-forum/324151-cal-sheets-custom-penn-50vsx-supercow-reel.html
Quote from: Basil;3445138Cal Sheets' latest wizardry is the Custom Penn 50VSX Supercow Reel. I've been hearing about the reel for a few months but today one came into my shop for spooling. I was very impressed with the work Cal's 2-Speed (http://www.cals2speed.com/) has put into this reel.
Most important for me is the increased spool capacity. Besides offering blueprinting for 25-30lb drag at strike, 50lb drag at full, 1:1 low gear and special free-spool bearings, Cal has re-machined the stock spool and frame. The gain is a 25% increase in spectra spool capacity over a stock 50VSX, and a 7oz weight reduction. This reel holds 750 yards 130lb JB hollow spectra with ample room for a typical long-range topshot, a 100-yard increase over the next largest 50 class narrow topless reel that I know of.
After milling out extra material in the spool and frame, the spool is re-anodized with a hard-black finish. Bearing bores are masked beforehand so the size remans the same after anodizing.
(http://www.allcoast.com/photos/data/500/100068P100035311183.JPG)
The frame is milled out to accommodate line moving on and off of the increased spool width.
(http://www.allcoast.com/photos/data/500/100068P100035411184.JPG)
Front-view of the reel after line-winding.
(http://www.allcoast.com/photos/data/500/100068P100035511185.JPG)
Top-view of the reel after line-winding.
(http://www.allcoast.com/photos/data/500/100068P100035611186.JPG)
There are many other excellent reels available from numerous manufacturers which can all get the job done, out of the box, and we're fortunate to have many choices. This post is not meant to start a debate over which reel is better; they're all good for a variety of reasons. But for long-time fans of Penn and Cal's 2-Speed, this reel caught my eye today so I thought you might like to see it.
I'm always surprised at the number of upgrades that are done to Penn reels.
Kind of like old Chevy muscle cars...but in this case taking an Escalade and going up from there.
"25-30lb drag at strike, 50lb drag at full....and 750 yards of JB Hollow"... my arms hurt just thinking of it.
Eric and Cal definitely are the masters of the game.
He is definitely the master, that's nice......
I would say the force is with him - Cal is the Jedi Master! ::)
VERY NICE, indeed!!
"After milling out extra material in the spool and frame, the spool is re-anodized with a hard-black finish."
I find this quote interesting. This reel is rated as a 50. Now someone wants to put 130lb Spectra on the reel and increase the drag. I understand the buildup of the drag system, but I am just wondering after milling out the spool, will the spool have enough strength to hold up to what is more than twice the original drag rating? I would expect that the spool would warp or even break under the strain. Is my thinking off? Dominick
cut away enough metal and that will certainly happen. i would guess that cal did a mock up of a spool and twisted it till it broke to see where it would break. i know that's what i would do.