the penn 113h versus the shimano tld 20 single speed

[alantani]

i have a chance to get 4 TLD 25,s(3 still in box) and reel covers and 2 tallus rods for $400.00 total...i think thats a fair price...second i was talking to "Welder" and he said i should shoot you a PM and ask you what should i do to these reels???change handle, or do anything to the drag system...ive read somewhere about the bases cracking so is there anything i can do to prevent that....also with the tld 25 what is the biggest fish you would try to target..here we have the kings,ocassional wahoo,mahi and smaller tunas....thanks for any input ....Stephen

hi, stephen! here's the problem with the the single speed tld 25. it's no bargain to upgrade. the handle is $37, the drag washer is $19, the bearing sleeve is $10, and service to go through this reel is $40. you're into this reel for $106 for a full upgrade, and THEN i have to ship it back to you. it is not cheap. you get a great reel when you're done. you save a ton of money if you can do the work yourself. it's not my favorite reel. alan

so not being your "favorite" reel would you buy them if you were in my shoes?

no. for a good deal, i'd recommend a daiwa 400h standard width or a 450h wide. another option would be a penn 113hl or 113hlw. personally, i have the shimano tld 20 two speeds with handle upgrades. we're talking about straight 40# mono for the standard width and straight 50# mono for the wide spool reels and a 30% drag setting. how much line capacity and drag do you need? alan

Alan, I dont know what i need, thats why im asking you and others.  i would have thought the tld 25,s with 3-400 yds of 40# of line would be enuff....i dont think ill need more than 15# drag at strike...im not going after BFT or anything....just the wahoo mahi and smaller YFT is what i would be after....

ok, let's start with this. we are looking at 300 yards of straight 40# mono and a 30% drag setting 12 pounds. standard rig. for this line capacity and drag range we have several reels to choose from. we are talking about standard 4/0 sized reels, including the $120 penn 113h, the $130 daiwa 400h, the $150 shimano tld 20 single and $280 two speed reels.

the shimano tld two speed needs a $40 handle and $40 of service for a total of $360. the shimano tld single speed needs a $19 drag washer, a $37 handle and $40 of service for a total of $384. the daiwa 400h needs a $10 drag set, a optional $27 handle grip and $20 in service for a total of $160-187. the penn 113h needs $20 in service and an optional $27 handle grip for a total of $140-167.

once they are upgraded, all four reels will perform equally well, with an obvious advantage to the two speed reel for the low gear. the stock handle arms on the shimanos are so short they border on criminal. i prefer the grips on all four reels should be upgraded to a larger offset grip. i have a full set that dramatically improve the performance of the reel. i also have a full set of tld 20 two speeds. great reels! clear as mud, huh! alan

yes that clears it right up......now i need to figure out which route i want to go with....thanks for the advice...Stephen