Looks like my Penn days are over

[CapeFish]

This is an interesting dilemma and one I have wondered about it as well. The saltwater star drag seems to be potentially on the way out in all sizes now thanks to braid and the new generation of spinning reels.

I'm not sure what braid has to do with this and honestly, I don't know what the facination with leverdrags are at all.  When you have 300 pounds of pressure on your rod, and the drag is being let out, who wants to essentially let go of the reel to reach up and adjust a lever drag with an upward motion of the palm of your hand, arm and wrist, when a good star drag, like the Torques star drag, up can simply adjust with a flip of your thumb, the drag of the star.  The knob is right there with the crank.  The Torque drag is so smooth to adjust, you can completely control it under any pressure.  Penn is saying that the Star Drag sales dried out.  Penn really should be looking at that and try to figure out where there marketing went wrong. 

On the website and in there marketing, they never outlined how superior the drag mechanism is over that one had come to expect from say a Senator or a Fathom, etc al.  That drag is cream of the crop.  I could tow a volkswagon with that drag and then with mininal effort, adjust the setting without any slipage.  It was a monster  peice of technology, probably the best ever seen on any other reel ever produced, and they never promoted it as the go to option instead of the lever drag.... if you want to catch fish.

If you want to play with your gear all day, then go for the 2 speed lever drag.  Pull out a slide ruler and do your calculations on a spread sheet, and mark those lever spots ...

• Mako - 1.2 CM
• Porgies - 2.3 CM
• Blue Fin - 2.1 CM
• Striped Bass - 2.8 CM

Or you just get on the boats and WHOO - I hit something huge, and gently adjust your pressure up before your real runs out of spooled line.
Enjoy..

It would have helped, also, if the gear ratios on the Torques were smaller so you don't rip the hook out of the mouth of a 30 inch Pollock.

The fact that ***everyone*** with experience on the east coast is still fishing with hopped up Newells might indicate where a market might be... low rations, spin like hell, smooth star drags in a light weight frame work (ina variety of colors )

Just a theory. Spinning reels now easily take enough line so are taking the place of smaller  star drag reels that were traditionally used for casting. New spinning reeels also do fine in the salt and are more affordeable than they used to be. You can get away with a much smaller reel as well. A small powerful lever drag can easily take 600m or more of 80lb line so most people will then not use an enormous heavy old star drag for heavier fishing.  Hence my thinking star drags are no longer so popular thanks to super thin braid.

[oc1]

I seem to wear them out every season   Every season I pack them up and send them to Penn for repair and restoration. 

With all due respect, the reel is not worn out, it just needs maintenance. 

Star drag reels are not going to be replaced by either spinners or lever drag.  Lever drag will not cast as well because the spool is never completely disengaged.  Spinners have been trying to replace the conventional reel for seventy years but they're still just uncomfortable grinders with little to no advantage.

You're certainly not the first to become disillusioned with Penn.  Penn may continue to decline and loose market share, but there are other brands willing and able to fill that star drag niche.
-steve

[redsetta]

...there are other brands willing and able to fill that star drag niche.

Speaking of which, a friend just bought himself an Accurate Tern 500N.
It really is a beautiful-looking and nicely balanced design.
Looking forward to seeing how it performs over the remainder of the summer...

[steelfish]

there is a star drag reel I would like to test, the okuma tesoro, the little one

suposedly it has some features taken from the makaira LD reels like the SS gears materail, eliptical cut, etc.

[MarkT]

Torque star drag vs Fathom star drag:
Machined aluminum frame/sideplate vs. diecast aluminum frame/sideplate
All stainless gears vs. bronze main/stainless pinion
7 BB vs. 5 BB
3 position clicker vs. 1 position
No casting brake vs. centrifuge casting brake

The main difference (accounts for most of the price difference) is the cast frame on the Fathom and the machined frame on the Torque.  I've never had an issue with the frame on the Fathom 12 (little cutie) and I've caught plenty of fish a lot bigger than a 20" bluefish that pulls a lot harder.

Torque lever drag vs. Fathom lever drag:
Machined frame vs. diecast
6 BB vs. 5 BB
Both have all-stainless gears
Not to mention the thrust bearing!

My Fathom 25nld2 has caught both YFT and Wahoo over 50# and numerous YT between 20 and 30# without issue.

[Benni3]

Very good read,,,,, not a big fan of lever drag,,,,, don't know why they have numbers there it's not pounds,,,, They could just put some Egyptian symbols there for good luck,,,,, when fighting a fish the last thing I want to do is play with the drag,,,,,,,,,

[sabaman1]

I agree its sad to see the Penn torque SD go away, it is a very finely built reel. Probably the best out there. But with proper care and maintenance the new Penn Fathom SD should hold up to many good years of use. Daiwa Saltiga star drag or Shimano Trinidad A is a very good choice also, as long as you give them the proper care and maintenance which this site is all about. Just my opinion!

[Keta]

Look what I found.

[Alto Mare]

There are a bunch in fleabay, but not many on the Penn official site.



https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=penn+torque+star+reels&_trksid=p2380057.m4084.l1313.TR1.TRC0.A0.H0.Xpenn+torque+star+reel.TRS0

[Jim Fujitani]

WOW!! 

And not a single black Torque SD!

If Penn felt that the line of Torque SD sales was decreasing, perhaps a re-issue of the black models would have created a bump in sales...

[Gfish]

Alright Mrbrklyn, sounds like you are rougher on your reels than I am. I'd love to see how the Accurate Tern would fare after you fished one for a season. Seems like it might be a good test, and I've been wondering if they are worth the asking price, for awhile now.
I liked the Chevy/Mercedes comparison, but the Mercedes vehicles are supposed to be high-maintenance and high cost for said maintenance. If I could eaisly afford one, I still wouldn't buy one.
How's that Senator-lookin levelwinder from your arsenal hold-up?

[Alto Mare]

That top reel I'm showing appears to be a very good deal with free shipping.
I do not own the torque yet, but when I visited Penn one of the worker was assembling one and made me take a close look.
I also played with one that was assembled for a while
They're put together nicely, if you fish that reel  within specs it  shouldn't fail you.


Sal

[Rivverrat]

The Shimano Trinidad will work for a lot of people. Unless they have changed the alloy, metal & or heat treat in the gears I will personally stay away from them unless a bargain shows. I have worn the out gears on one Torque 12. That reel had caught a lot of fish with 6 - 8oz. sinkers being used.

 The Torque in my opinion is a noticeably more spit polished with better performance than the Fathoms. The gears unless the new Fathom has changed are not stainless like the Torque.

Push the drag on a Fathom 25 star much past 15 lbs. & the frame begins to twist. Not so with the Torque.  This isn't a problem unless someone like myself fishes these reels at their upper end. The Torque just has a better stronger frame & gearing.

 Something else I dont hear much about is the benchmark quality of Penn's stainless gears sets. They seem to stand well against all other makes of gears. At least in the reels I've used.  

Penn's gear sets in "ALL"  Torque models come out of the box smooth, with out any break in period & the gears stay smooth for a long time.

Unlike reels made to catch unknowing fisherman at the tackle counter. Simply because Penn's Torque gear sets break with what has been the accepted norm for gears in other reels.

Penn gave us the best made star drag reel ever made. The reel buying public did not support it... Jeff

[Rivverrat]

   What gear ratio are you looking for ?

 Mystic has the 4.8:1 ratio. This ratio grabs 23" of line in the 12 & 15. The 30 & 40 Torque grab 36" with same ratio & each turn of the handle.
You will have to order the pinion & main gear separately. The main gear is in the link the matching pinion is found at the bottom of page.h

Have a hard time understanding the need for a lower gear than this in the 12 & 15.  I can easily turn the handle on both of my 12's with drag at 20 lbs. Doing this with 6.0:1 while grabbing 28" of line with each turn of the handle.  
The Tiburon handle & knob upgrade helps a great deal with doing this. The Tiburon handle makes for very tight fit that doesnt wobble or move. This is the only upgrade the Torqes need

                https://www.tiburonfishingreels.com/t-bar-lite

I have had catfish & carp put slack in my line because the lowest ratio after a long cast could not keep up with them when they turn & run towards me. Same has happened to me with fish up close when using  the 4.8:1 gears in the smaller Torques... Jeff

[MarkT]

I've learned, especially with smaller reels, to ignore the gear ratio and pay attention to the inches per crank. The diameter of the spool counts for a lot!