Ok gentlemen I have been keeping my eye on an older penn international II 50 SW. it looks to be in decent condition and seems to operate smoothly but it does appear to have some age to it. I guess my question is for the $200 asking price would it be easy to upgrade and repair any minor issues with it?
Thanks in advance.
Quote from: Ejohns107 on February 04, 2016, 03:07:46 AM
Ok gentlemen I have been keeping my eye on an older penn international II 50 SW. it looks to be in decent condition and seems to operate smoothly but it does appear to have some age to it. I guess my question is for the $200 asking price would it be easy to upgrade and repair any minor issues with it?
Thanks in advance.
Always a gamble buying used.. sight unseen. They are great solid reels and can be restored to great working order in nearly any condition. Though you can estimate needing/wanting an upgraded CF drag, pinion, ratchet plate, and athe least 1-4 bearings will likely need replacing.. maybe a few shims and washers... Likely be into it for $120-$220 more in parts. Then again if the bearings are good, and your happy with the drag, and clicker it may only need a good cleaning, and relube. Always a gamble. If I can pick the reel up, and check a few things, I can estimate parts cost pretty good on these guys w/o even cracking them.
They are bulletproof reels, though a bit heavy, and roughish.
Yeah that's what I am worried about don't really want to drop 200 on it the have to put 200 more into. But it is always a gamble buying used but I am trying to mitigate some of the odds by doing my homework and being patient.
Remember...
"It's what's inside that counts."
Ejohns,
Do you need a wide reel? I have a Penn 50 that I'm selling for a friend. This reel was two speeded by Cal of Cal's Two Speed, it has Carbon fiber drags and is definitely ready to fish.
My asking price is more than your looking to spend on the other reel but I have been inside this reel and everything is in tip top shape.
I can share my experience with buying used big game reels. As Tightlines said, buying used is always going to be a gamble. Gambles can be worth taking if you make educated decisions.
For the most part I have been successful. If buying online, read the description carefully. Factor in anticipated costs. Ask the buyer as many questions as you need to before pulling the trigger. Get more pictures if you need them. If buying a Penn, look at the serial number to determine the age of the reel. Look at what other reels in similar condition have been going for. I usually look at it from a worst case scenario point of view. Basically, I want to be content with a reel even with all the replacement parts factored in. This is obviously tricky because you could buy something with damage that is not repairable or too expensive to fix. One benefit of buying on Ebay is that if the reel was grossly misrepresented, you could return it if you have to.
Obviously buying in person is the smartest way to do it. You can test out the reel. You can feel the gears. You can look for stripped screws, corrosion, missing parts. Frame damage. Loose reel stand. You can get a better feel if the guy isn't telling you everything. You don't have to pay for shipping.
The way I see it is, you could buy new or you could buy used. Might as well buy used. If you buy new you are going to pay full price no matter what. If you buy used, you will most likely save a bunch of money. Even if you have to dump money into it, it's still going to be cheaper than new. Unless you pick the goose egg..... Even if I do get the goose egg one of these days, the amount of money saved total will surpass the one mistake. You can always just strip it and sell off the parts.
I'd say $200 for a two speed Penn is a pretty good deal. This is assuming the condition isn't too beat up. Usually they go for around $250-$375.
The only thing with those Penn 50s is if the gears are trashed you are going to pay an arm and a leg. The Tiagra has affordable gears. Tiagra drag washers are expensive though.
The last set of rod/reels I bought were in the worst condition out of all the reels I own. Even with the parts factored in, I will have saved a ton of money. No regrets.
So cal yes sir it needs to be a wide plan on doing some beach sharking with it so I need the line capacity. And thank you gentlemen I have been looking at as a worst case scenario hence the questions. I do appreciate the info.
I picked up my 50SW for a bit more, $250, but when it arrived a receipt from Cal's was in the box. But I also bought a INT 70 that looked good in the photos but was full of sand and the bearings were shot. I made up for this sting by getting a NIB 70 for $300 a few weeks later.
If you are going to fish it on the beach I would get a big senator. Sand inside an International would be ugly and a real pain. Inevitably some would likely makes its way inside.
Keta, did you buy the 70 on Ebay? That's an amazing price on that.
Quote from: FatTuna on February 04, 2016, 04:54:27 PM
Keta, did you buy the 70 on Ebay? That's an amazing price on that.
Yup, I watched it for a week with no bids trying to figure a value on them. At the last minute I decided to buy it, and no one sniped me.
Those usually sell between $500-700. I'd say you scored big time.
Eventually, I may want to sell my 50s and trade up to 70s. Not ready to do it now but I will keep my eyes open future. Those are really sweet reels.
I'm with Fat tuna. Definitely go with a Senator
Originally I was looking at senators. But was wanting a good stand up combo as well I might just be asking to much from one rod and reel. Hey what's the worst that could happen I buy another rod and reel. My wife would have to act shocked.
Senators on the beach are definitely the way to go. Depending on the size shark you are targeting you can go with 6/0 up to 16/0. Plenty of mods to beef them up too. Easy to work on and maintain. Fish the hell out of them and then pass them on to your grand kids.