AI had a charter Captain out of Ocean City MD who is fishing the OBX now complain in a seminar about "Penn grease" in cold weather applications "making the reels break," and consequently swapping the reels out for Shimanos. (They're still trolling for bluefin as we speak). I'm guessing these were 130s or 80s.
Is anyone aware of a cold weather viscosity issue with Penn reels generally or the Penn grease specifically? Could grease "make a reel break?"
How about degreasing and applying Cal's Purple as a solution?
I would bet he is full of shat.
I put regular Cal's and purple Cal's on the dragvwashers of 2 reels. After being in the freezer overnight I did not notice any difference.
QuoteIs anyone aware of a cold weather viscosity issue with Penn reels generally or the Penn grease specifically? Could grease "make a reel break?"
Cold can make grease stiff but it was more than likely just old dried out grease in reels that had been service neglected. ;)
Quote from: Keta on February 26, 2025, 04:01:20 AMI would bet he is full of shat.
Agreed 100%. Funny thing a friend of a friend in Miami returned his 2 brand new 130 Tiagra's to the place he bought them and purchased 130 Penn's. Said the Tiagras were junk. Everyone has a preference, not everyone is right.
This sounds like he heard a marketing rumor and acted on it.
In other news I'm selling my Ferrari on the cheap. The stupid mechanic put Valvoline in it, I'm more a mobil1 guy. And we all know oil changes are permanent.
I got 2 words SuperLube :fish
Superlube, Yamaha Marine, Penn Blue, Cal's Tan, and Cal's Purple greases are all excellent for these larger reels that are used in a lot of heavy stress situations.
Cal's Purple is primarily for the drags on reels where cold is a factor.
However, Cal's can readily be used on all parts of the reel, not just drags.
All of these greases are made for salt water.
However, there is more going on here than blaming the "lube grease".
Charter Outfits get special discounts and other deals for switching to and promoting another product brand.
Whether it is a Shimano, Penn, or Okuma —- it is like comparing baseball teams, or religions, BBQ recipes, or Chevy vs. Ford. Everyone has an opinion —- and all are personal preferences. Nothing wrong with that —- just the way it has always been.
When an outfit is buying a dozen large offshore reels maybe every other year —- they get special deals offered to them.
And manufacturers want the successful charter captains of good reputation and results to be using their products. It sells a lot more reels and is good for business. Just like sponsor promotions on NASCAR race cars.
So there is likely a lot more going on here than an AI account perhaps 2nd or 3rd hand...
Remember, the folks on our site are near the top of global experts when it comes to setting up any type of reel for successful angling —- starting with our Boss, Alan.
Don't believe all you hear, keep track of what works, and listen to the experts —-
Penn, Shimano, and Okuma are all terrific products in this HD Salt league. And good quality greases will work well in any of them without "breaking the reel".
Best, Fred
Fred I had the same idea about a rep's offer to swap out gear.
A bit of the back story is that this particular charter captain is part of a network led by a charter operation that offers coaching and intel services, to which the first guy contributes. He seems like he knows what he's doing. But the guys who run the network and intel service are big Penn people and it's pretty much all there is on their boats, in fact one of their guys was part of the R&D for the VISXs and swears by them (and I took his advice on that score).
Perhaps next time I talk to the guy I'll ask for more detail and report back.
Edit: My other thought, echoing Jason, was why get rid of reels instead of stripping the grease and putting different stuff in? Even the most expensive grease is cheap relative to the cost of new tackle (unless given away to "pro staff").