Reviewing the 220 GTO

Started by mo65, August 16, 2019, 04:18:12 PM

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mo65

  Somehow this reel has flown under my radar for years. I'm guessing because it hasn't had much discussion here...and this is where I spend all my time. I do remember a few posts where the users liked the reel, and even the Boss commented " you know, they really aren't that bad", but that was about as far as it went.
  Fast forward a few years...I'm surfing fleabay...and I see a near mint 220 GTO for $35 shipped. These things usually bring at least $50 for just a half decent example, and they really are sharp looking reels, so I pounced. No intentions of fishing it, just figured it would look sweet in the collection.
  Then I started googling for info, and I'm seeing all these posts on catfishing forums praising the thing! It seems these 220s are very popular with catfishermen...no kiddin'?...reckon I need to get out more!! :D  Well, at least that explains why they sell so high and never last long on the auction sites.
  Now to look under the hood and see what I think about the reel. Opening it up, it's clear this reel has not been wet. Hardly any lube inside, and the drags were dry too.




  The GTi series has always been popular. They're a workhorse reel for the price, and from what I'm seeing, the GTO series may be even better. More steel...less plastic...Chinese manufactured...three things you don't see in the same sentence every day! The pic below shows all the stainless steel you get in this reel. The stand, handle blade, drag star, and rings are all stainless steel.



  Don't forget the bridge, yep, more stainless steel. The gear stud mounting looks very solid too. One of the things that annoys Penn users is the excessive play in the gear sleeve fitment. This reel addresses it, they've already shimmed the gear stud, bravo Penn. Not too tight...not sloppy...it's just right! The red arrow points to the shims, this reel used two.



  Also like the GTi series reels, the bridge bearing is "staked" in place. Rather than possibly damaging something I just removed the seal and blasted out the bearing and then relubed with CorrosionX. The non-handle side bearing got the same treatment.



  Here's another interesting little tidbit. The gear sleeve on the left is from a Senator 113H. The one on the right is from the 220 GTO. Notice how much more "meat" there is on the 220's gear sleeve tip. :o



  Combine that extra meat with the stainless steel handle blade and I don't think you're going to spin this handle on the sleeve. I'd say the main gear would shred first.



  These parts look great all shined up. They're nice quality parts too.



  Another nice surprise was the spool gear and bait clicker ratchet. They are metal, as the blue arrow indicates. These parts are plastic on the GTi and GT2 series reels.



  I like to grease these gear studs rather than oiling before installing the sleeve. The grease gives it a smoother feel, not to mention offering better corrosion protection.



  The pic below has 113H drags on the left, 220 drags on the right. The only difference being the 220's are a little thinner. Same surface area, same count, same 20+ pounds of power. I agree with the Boss on these reels...don't lock down that drag...you'll probably ruin your day. Keep these reels under 15 lb. max drag.



  Put a coat of Cal's on these drags before buttoning her up.



  Now that is a great looking reel! I may have to track down a few beaters to try fishing them...hate to scratch this purty one. 8)








~YOU CAN TUNA GEETAR...BUT YOU CAN'T TUNA FEESH~


Hardy Boy

Looks great Mo ! They seem like a capable reel. I posted that I had some good parts from one to trade as I was never going to complete the build and there was no takers. Not much interest in those reels as you stated. I have only ever seen the one 220 but see tons of the 320, 330, 340 and 345's.


Cheers:


Todd
Todd

akfish

The 220 was a cheap 320GTi. A couple things about them caused problems, at least of the ones that came through my shop. First, the side plate screws -- especially those holding the foot -- were tiny and too often stripped out. Second, like all Chinese Penns, the "stainless" steel really wasn't and tended to rust. Finally, it wasn't a tight reel -- meaning that even when new and freshly lubed, it felt sloppy. It is no longer made and already parts are getting hard to find. That said, the 220 works fine if you are careful to keep it clean and fish within its limits.
Taku Reel Repair
Juneau, Alaska
907.789.2448

Crow

There's nothing wrong with a few "F's" on your record....Food, Fun, Flowers, Fishing, Friends, and Fun....to name just a few !

oc1

#4
Nice write-up Mo.  I dropped out of the Penn club when they moved production overseas.... but am glad it has worked out for them.  The kids bought home some sort of GT reel.  I always suspected that under heavy load the weak link will be the worm pawl and levelwind carriage; just like on the Peerless line.
-steve

Porthos

#5
Cool beans, Mo!

Had deja vu while reading your tutorial because of a recent rebuild of a 320 GTI for a coworker--it also had a 113H-sized handle end on the gear sleeve AND the same drag system.

Recommended that he swapped the short balance handle out for the longer 24-349H from MysticParts. With 65 lb braid, 40-50 lb top shots, and 15 lbs of drag MAX (as the Boss recommended), he can fish it offshore here in SoCal for YT, and the lighter grade of YFT and BFT.

From what I'm seeing in your pics of the 220's internals and frame, I'd even stick to 25-30 lb mono...9 lbs drag max to be on the safe side. Total agree with your assessment that the 5+1 drag system in 220's has too much potential to transfer catastrophic pressure to other parts of the reel.

Tile

#6
On my 220 GTO I did this modification https://alantani.com/index.php?topic=5355.0

Since doing it I averted a lot of potential problems.
In solid fiberglass we trust

mo65

Quote from: akfish on August 16, 2019, 04:55:18 PM
Like all Chinese Penns, the "stainless" steel really wasn't and tended to rust. It wasn't a tight reel -- meaning that even when new and freshly lubed, it felt sloppy.

   The more I thought about this comment the more it bothered me. I went back to fleabay and scrolled through all the 220 GTO reels and parts for sale...and I didn't see one speck of rust. Then I scrolled through all the "sold" items...still no rust. My particular reel doesn't feel sloppy either. Matter of fact, I even commented on how "tight" the gear sleeve fit was, so I guess I have to disagree with these comments. 8)
~YOU CAN TUNA GEETAR...BUT YOU CAN'T TUNA FEESH~


akfish

I suspect that the 220 would be pretty much rust free in freshwater but most that come through my shop have been in saltwater. The rust shows up inside -- often the drag stack is rusted into a solid mess making it hard to get the drag washers out of the main gear -- and there is often rust on the handle. This reel has the same drag stack as a 320 and similar gears -- not interchangeable and apparently made of a different metal -- and works fine much of the time. But I suspect it means something that Penn made it for only 6 years, 2005 - 2011.
Taku Reel Repair
Juneau, Alaska
907.789.2448