I need an opinion on the strongest level wind reel

[alantani]

the the 350 uses the tiny #6-155 drags.  it would never hold up......

[Shellbelly]

Sailfisher would do the job.  Sorry, I couldn't resist.

[Lingwendil]

Love my 350, but it should'a had 4-1 jigmaster gears and drags from the factory I think. Would have been a much more versatile reel.

[Porthos]

the the 350 uses the tiny #6-155 drags.  it would never hold up......

40lb setup max...that is with at least with a steel 5-155 and the hobbed 13-200; highly recommend these two upgrades to max out the 350M's capability. Lee no longer has stainless 5-155's, so the brass one will have to do...unsure if there's a possibility of a double dog. The replacement 5C-209 will not survive long at 12lbs drag with the unhobbed 13-209LC. The frame posts and screws will need to be spot on to minimize frame twist. The unknown is if line leveling will function properly at 12+lbs drag...

With the original 300/30 mono rating, there's capacity for at least 400+ yds of 50lb braid and 40lb top shots. If the panga assists by chasing the fish, then that would be the compensating factor mitigating the lack of a heavier rated reel.

Dominick doesn't want to buy any more reels, however, a Daiwa 47H (with its lower 4.7:1 gearing and not the higher 5.1:1 gearing of the 47SH) can function at least up to a 50lb setup with its one-piece aluminum frame and aluminum side plates. Will also recommend a modified Penn Type A power handle upgrade as well.

YMMV.

[steelfish]

.....  I am not going to spend more money on reels.  I have the 320 LD and a 330 star drag that I will end up using.  Thanks for all the suggestions.  Dominick

so, you were asking just for keep the conversation on the forum active ?   

[Gfish]

the the 350 uses the tiny #6-155 drags.  it would never hold up......

40lb setup max...that is with at least with a steel 5-155 and the hobbed 13-200; highly recommend these two upgrades to max out the 350M's capability. Lee no longer has stainless 5-155's, so the brass one will have to do...unsure if there's a possibility of a double dog. The replacement 5C-209 will not survive long at 12lbs drag with the unhobbed 13-209LC. The frame posts and screws will need to be spot on to minimize frame twist. The unknown is if line leveling will function properly at 12+lbs drag...

With the original 300/30 mono rating, there's capacity for at least 400+ yds of 50lb braid and 40lb top shots. If the panga assists by chasing the fish, then that would be the compensating factor mitigating the lack of a heavier rated reel.

Dominick doesn't want to buy any more reels, however, a Daiwa 47H (with its lower 4.7:1 gearing and not the higher 5.1:1 gearing of the 47SH) can function at least up to a 50lb setup with its one-piece aluminum frame and aluminum side plates. Will also recommend a modified Penn Type A power handle upgrade as well.

YMMV.

What'sa drag system on the 47H like?

[Gfish]

Have the 27H and the levelwinder seems stronger than a typical Penn LW.
Dominick, great thread that's generated lot's a info.

[JasonGotaProblem]

I happen to still have the stock cardboard I took outta one if you wanna see them. But the drag is actually pretty decent once upgraded to carbon.

I bet the levelwind assembly on it could handle every bit of the published max drag. Was working on it for a friend so I never did any torture testing.

An interesting upgrade for those capable of keeping fingers clear would be a machined aluminum or zinc gear to replace the typical nylon of a levelwind gear. That way it would fail before it took the drivetrain with it, but probably handle a lot more load.

[Porthos]

What'sa drag system on the 47H like?

Same as the 30H. If using HT-100's, got do this:
https://alantani.com/index.php?topic=13484.0

Dawn at Smoothdrag has a drop-in kit.

The HT-100 route got me at least 16lbs when star was tightened by hand only.

[Dominick]

.....  I am not going to spend more money on reels.  I have the 320 LD and a 330 star drag that I will end up using.  Thanks for all the suggestions.  Dominick

so, you were asking just for keep the conversation on the forum active ?   

No Alex, I wanted to end the conversation. While all the info was great that was my final conclusion.  Dominick