I picked up a Fathom 25N and thought I would leave a little report on what I found after opening it up to do a prefishing service.
(http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/9/marks146.jpg)
I did not tear down the reel fully and I think you can see why. After removing the side plates this is what I found.
(http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/3391/marks143.jpg)
After checking out the drag stack it seemed that the HT 100 drags had a bit too much grease on them for my liking.
(http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/3162/marks144.jpg)
A quick wipe down of the excess grease on the stack and all seems fine.
(http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/5092/marks145.jpg)
I was curious about the silent dual dog system which works in conjunction with a anti reverse bearing. Here is a picture of it in it's open state.
(http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/498/marks141.jpg)
Here it is engaged
(http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/1180/marks142.jpg)
The design of the dogs seem to be a bit like Daiwa reels in that the dogs will only come into play if there is a failure in the ARB.
I did not include pictures of the clicker side of the reel but it was greased just like the handle side of the reel right from the factory. The only part of the reel that did not have grease on it that I did grease was sides of the spool which are inside the side plates. The reel came with very good freespool but I did oil up all of the bearings and that increased the reels freespool a bit.
Looks very beefy! Nice! How much lb of drag can she hammer out?
I have not spooled up the reel yet to test the drag but Penn says it gets 25 lbs, we'll see.
I took mine part way apart but did not see the need to go any further than you. I have mine spooled with 60lb spectra and it casts good. The factory drag numbers are a bit over optimistic.
nice looking reel!
Quote from: Keta on August 20, 2012, 04:35:01 PM
I took mine part way apart but did not see the need to go any further than you. I have mine spooled with 60lb spectra and it casts good. The factory drag numbers are a bit over optimistic.
I buttoned down the drag all the way to "stupid tight", did not dare to turn the star any further and I got 28 lbs of drag. 25 lbs may be a fishable drag pressure but I would not fish this reel anywhere close to that. This reel will be used to fish the surface iron with 25-30 lb long topshots. I spooled the reel with 340 yards of 50 lb Izorline spectra and got around 80 yards of 25 lb Izorline XXX on top.
Mine is set up for 25/30.
For extra safety I would recommend adding a pair of springs to the antireverse dogs in conjunction with the factory ones and make it a "clicking" reel. The Ambassadeur style springs keep the pawls aligned with the ratchet and the secondary ones keep them engaged at all time.
I like the Fathom series due to their no-nonsense design and construction.
Thank's for the report SoCalAngler. Looks a well engineered belt and braces reel. Could start fishing it without a pre check after reading your report.
Nice reel! Is the body metal or graphite?
The frame and sideplates on the Fathom series is cast aluminium. Penn did their homework well with Fathom series of reels.
the fathom is graphite. So what I liked about it was the lightness as compared to the torium but still had the strength of a single frame system. Plus one of the higher drag power of all the same reels in it class.
Nope. The Fathom series reels are all metal...
Quote from: makana59 on September 06, 2012, 08:50:59 PM
the fathom is graphite. So what I liked about it was the lightness as compared to the torium but still had the strength of a single frame system. Plus one of the higher drag power of all the same reels in it class.
I'm not so sure about that :-\.
Quote from: akfish on September 06, 2012, 09:01:55 PM
Nope. The Fathom series reels are all metal...
Hmm! I'm going to have to check them out, sounds good.
Thanks Bill!
Btw, do you own one?
Quote from: akfish on September 06, 2012, 09:01:55 PM
Nope. The Fathom series reels are all metal...
I'm beginning to get interested, could be my first Chinese reel. :-\
SoCal, Thanks for the show and tell.
Sal, Let us know for sure... graphite or Aluminum. I'm sure you'll have one by the weekend 8)
Jigger, I was thinkin' the same thing ;)
Dom
You might be right Dom, I've been checking it out this evening
https://www.mysticparts.com/Assets/images/pennparts/schematics/fthsd25n.pdf (https://www.mysticparts.com/Assets/images/pennparts/schematics/fthsd25n.pdf)
That's a nice package for the money.
"Edited as per Moderators to correct Scott's Bait & Tackle over to their new store name Mystic Reel Parts / www.mysticparts.com"
My 25N is metal.
http://www.pennreels.com/products/reels/conventional-reels/star-drag-reels (http://www.pennreels.com/products/reels/conventional-reels/star-drag-reels)
"Featuring a full metal body for superior durability, the Fathom star drag includes a live spindle design along with an internally adjustable centrifugal break for exceptional castability. A true work horse built for the rigors of saltwater fishing"
Here's a pic from my brothers new fathom 15 that I gave a pre-fishing service to. I can confirm it is all metal ;)
(http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m44/stevebrown81/Fathom4.jpg)
I've serviced 4 of my friends fathom 15's so far within months of the reels being launched. All 4 reels have had Penn's blue
grease contaminated throughout the drag stacks. The drags have had a good clean and the Cal's treatment.
With the shields removed from 4 pinion bearings (#55), I found 2 with no sign of grease inside (oiled). The other 2 bearings
were as expected from a factory; poorly greased. Pic of a pinion bearing from my brothers new reel.
(http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m44/stevebrown81/Fathom112.jpg)
With shields removed from 4 drive shaft bearings (#42), again 2 were found with no sign of grease inside (oiled), while the
other 2 bearings were as also as expected; poorly greased. Drive shaft bearing from my brothers reel.
(http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m44/stevebrown81/Fathom117.jpg)
It's been 50/50 with regard to those bearings being oiled that are needing greasing.
Have noticed the side plates are partially coated with grease, though, the right side plates have been bare of a coat.
(http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m44/stevebrown81/Fathom79.jpg)
In one reel I found the silent ambassadeur style dog had the wings widespread, so if the reel didn't have a service, the reel was
reliant soley on the anti reverse bearing :o
Other than recommending giving the fathoms a thorough service, the reels are very well priced for what you get.
(http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m44/stevebrown81/Fathom120.jpg)
Fishaholic,
Thanks for the solid confirmation... it's definitely all metal ;)
I'm just curious... how does much drag will hold with the blue grease on them? Is there a reason why the fathoms shown in this post from all posters have had blue grease on the drags. Is this Penn starting to grease their drags or is this grease over usage?
Nice break down, thanks
Dom
PS- Hey Sal, I'll buy you a fathom in trade for that purdy lil' 16/0 ya had up till the wifey pulled the plug ;D
Quote from: broadway on September 07, 2012, 04:07:46 AM
PS- Hey Sal, I'll buy you a fathom in trade for that purdy lil' 16/0 ya had up till the wifey pulled the plug ;D
Ahem ::)
Why the throat clearing? ... it's a good deal! :P
Penn has some really nice reel designs, but why do they make them is wide spools?
steve carson would probably say that it's an east coast mind set. ;D
Quote from: broadway on September 07, 2012, 04:07:46 AM
Fishaholic,
Thanks for the solid confirmation... it's definitely all metal ;)
I'm just curious... how does much drag will hold with the blue grease on them? Is there a reason why the fathoms shown in this post from all posters have had blue grease on the drags. Is this Penn starting to grease their drags or is this grease over usage?
Nice break down, thanks
Dom
PS- Hey Sal, I'll buy you a fathom in trade for that purdy lil' 16/0 ya had up till the wifey pulled the plug ;D
Hi Dom,
The drag washers are not purposely greased. I think what is happening is the drag stack is being handled/installed with greasy mitts :-\ The main gear also has over usage of grease in the teeth, and as you know, this soon gets thrown out when entwined with the pinion gear ;)
Quote from: Bryan Young on September 07, 2012, 07:54:59 AM
Penn has some really nice reel designs, but why do they make them is wide spools?
Hi Bryan,
I can only speak for the smaller fathom 15 sized reels here, where the wide spool design is far better for long range distance casting (beachcasting). I'm talking putting a baited trace upto 100+ yards. The wide spool helps to keep the spool sitting lower/closer to the rod for better spool grip. A deeper narrower spool will sit too high for beachcasters to execute powerful casts without getting spool slip. Unfortunately, I can't comment on larger spec reels with a wide spool design :-X
Hope to have been of help,
Steve
Fish,
The assembly line should have a drag wiper added on ;D
Also, thanks for the wide vs. not wide reel explanation... makes good sense to me.
Dom
Quote from: broadway on September 07, 2012, 03:42:56 PM
Fish,
The assembly line should have a drag wiper added on ;D
Also, thanks for the wide vs. not wide reel explanation... makes good sense to me.
Dom
Wide spools are better for distance, but narrow spools are better for retrieving lures and fish. Beach Casters in the east do not deal with hard fighting fish nor typically fish lures with wide reels but use them for fishing cut bait.
When cranking on a heavy fish wide reels cause lots of 'wobble' that make handling the rod hard under heavy cranking pressure. This is why narrow framed reels are preferred for live bait fishing (lighter spool that the bait can turn over easily) and artificial lure fishing (easier to lay line and less effort required to do so) and for cranking. The small differences in casting are easily tolerated due to the other handling characteristics that make narrow frames ideal for anything other than beach casting.
I don't know about you guys, but when I used to surf cast, I could cast my Penn 113HL just as far as my Penn 113HLW. No difference, but the 113HL was much easier to handle casting and retrieving.
On Penn greasing drag washers: Penn uses its own blue grease to grease the drag washers on the new SS spinning reels, at least that's what they say in the intro video.
Someone should start making a set of security springs for this reel because it lends itself pretty well to this modification :) .
The blue grease on the drag washers was something I questioned a few months ago. Not a issue at light to medium drag settings but jerky at lockdown. It took a couple of applications of Cals and warming the drag up to get it all out and smooth. Drag grease or misplaced marine grease it may leave some people who buy this reel(and dont do their own maintenance) with the wrong impression of its drag.
Quote from: broadway on September 07, 2012, 04:17:15 AM
Why the throat clearing? ... it's a good deal! :P
The throat clearing was for the wifey part. Sal cannot live it down. Dominick
Quote from: Fish-aholic on September 08, 2012, 05:56:30 PM
The fathom 15 reels are all marked up badly. If your a tackle tart, then I think you need to be aware of how easily the reels can mark up :-\
These are painted reels on cast aluminum similar to the Daiwa Saltists I believe? It's to be expected if you don't anodize like Shimano does with the Toriums.
I believe the spool on a Torium is anodized but the frame is painted. I know it's done that way on the Tekota reels.
Sorry guys I stopped looking at this thread after a couple of weeks with no response. I'll add a few thoughts and comments.
The grease on the drags is factory installed.
The drags may get jerky at the upper end of the settings but who in the world is going to fish these reels close to that with the 6:1 gearing they have? I wouldn't even fish this reel with 40 lb topshots unless Penn makes a change. (See below)
All cast aluminum reel parts are painted, only machined aluminum can be anodized no matter who makes the reel.
Last but not least Penn NEEDS to come out with a versa drag system for these reels or come out with a gearing around 4.8:1 to make these really sweet reels. The drag pressure the reel puts out is way too much for the 6:1 gears IMO and something around a 5, 4.9 or 4.8 to 1 would make a much better reel for bigger fish or heavier drag settings.
Aren't the bodies and rotors on the Daiwa BG series hard anodized? They've been saying that for years, and the ones I looked at seem to be anodized.
I don't own any spinning reels but from their pics on Daiwa's site its hard for me to tell but their info does say " hard anodized". Are you sure the reel is not machined aluminum? I do own a Saltist BG 20H and it seems painted how else would you get a flat black frame?. Someone correct if I'm wrong but I have always thought cast aluminum could not be anodized. I only fish conventional reels so those are all I look at and every cast aluminum reel I have seen looks painted no matter who makes it.
The BG series doesn't look machined and I can't imagine them doing it on a $100 reel, even if it's a carryover line, like the Sealine conventionals, that have been in production for around 30 years now and still sell for close to what they did when introduced. The Sealines are advertised as hard anodized and paraffined. I remember the older BG's used to have a paraffin wax coating also, but current production does not. It doesn't look or feel like paint, but who knows?
Quote from: johndtuttle on September 07, 2012, 07:31:09 PMBeach Casters in the east do not deal with hard fighting fish
Being an east coast fisherman myself, i digress considering biters, carhoods, and big drum