Is old better than new

[Gregory]

Hi
I have been watching various you tube videos on servicing reels
I watched one this morning were a Sienna was taken apart and explored
The quality of an older reel is better than a new reel I feel.
The amount of plastic in the Sienna although it had good bearings compared to a Shimano IX 2000 with bushings and a graphite body I would prefer the IX overall
just my opinion 
regards
Greg

[happyhooker]

It is a differing of philosophies in the case of fishing reels.

On a straight quality of materials basis, I, too, believe older is better.  If you acquire quality older reels in good condition and are willing to maintain them, they will last a long time and provide a very satisfactory service.

If your feeling is that you want the newest tech and don't feel comfortable with older stuff or are not willing to put in the time for maintenance, then you will go newer and be prepared to buy replacements often.  You will get decent service from your gear, at least at the outset.

In buying newer, if your budget only allows lower line stuff, get it, use it 'till it won't work right anymore, then chuck and repeat the process.  A lot of it is not built for ongoing maintenance ease (think screw holes in plastic that wear out after a couple of loosenings/tightenings, for one), and replacing an entire reel is often the only way to go.

From a dollars and cents standpoint, you can buy an older high quality reel for about what a low line or average newer reel costs, and for way less than a higher end newer reel.  With that older reel, plan on maintenance and maybe some effort to obtain replacement parts, and if you can't/won't do that stuff yourself, paying someone else to do it can change the economies significantly.

I've  taken the tack that I like older, am willing to learn to maintain and use older reels properly, and that is the way I want to go.  I can hardly tell you much about many newer reels for the simple fact that I am never in the market to get one.  I do try to monitor new tech, just to be able to say that I want to be at least a little current, but it is never because I am planning on buying a newer reel.

Not saying I am right and others are wrong-- its just what I like to do.

Frank

[Brewcrafter]

Frank has spoken - frankly  (like what I did there?).  The word that trips everyone up is "better".  And how that word is defined.  I'm not going to try that.
Older reels were built at a time when the concept of "planned obsolence" didn't really exist.  Cigarette lighters were Zippo.  Not gonna blame Bic for the disposable culture of lighters and pens (I am looking at a classic Bic Round Stick ballpoint on my workbench right now) but what was...is not anymore.  There are countless threads here that delve into the subject, and what a vintage DAM, Mitchell, or Penn would cost in today dollars. 
Overall (and this is only my opinion) is the vintage stuff was A: Built to last  B: Built to be serviced and maintained.  Much like the automobiles of the time.  Are great reels being built today?  Yes.  And technology is better.  But, as I have told countless folks, that old (Insert here Mitchell, Abu, DAM, Penn etc) is already old and will long outlive most of what you can purchase new today that you wont be able to get serviced in 3 years.  Yeah, I am kicking a well-worn hornets nest on the forum.  Not bagging on new stuff; we have great minds in this group and a lot of differing viewpoints that are all valid.  That is what makes this group great. - john

[JasonGotaProblem]

I think every reel has something to like about it. Buttttt... Sometimes it's just fast shipping.

For real though there's some great modern reels. And there's some crap old reels. And obviously vice versa.

[Keta]

Roller/ball bearings are often over rated and not only unnecessary but a major cause for failure, such as handle bearings,  and more often than not "new and improved" isn't.

[boon]

If durability is your sole metric of a fishing reel being "better" then yes, a lot of older reels will seem "better".

If trivial things like "performance when used for fishing" are important to you, then the modern reels are generally vastly superior.

[Maxed Out]

 Just to clarify....old school Penn reels hold more IGFA world records than all other brands combined

[thorhammer]

(1) each size Penn SS
(1) each size Penn Magpower
(2) Penn 30 SW
(2) Penn 50SW

Covers 99.9% of anything swimming, thirty years old, and outlive you.

[oc1]

I don't know about it being harder to find parts for an old reels.  This is where my gripe with Shimano comes in.  Parts for anything more than a few years old can be impossible to find.

I think a reasonable approach is to find what you like through trial and error, then buy a lifetime supply as they come up for cheap on the used market.

One thing about old reels and their materials is that they are HEAVY. Weight matters when you are going to hold it all day.

[jurelometer]

In addition to what the others have noted, the classic reels were designed for monofilament which needed much more volume for the same line capacity of the same strength when compared to modern braid. The larger the line rating, the more noticeable the difference in size between classic mono vs modern braid reels of equivalent class.

Fish haven't changed, and the basic design of reels hasn't changed much.  If you want to fish with 375 yards of  40 lb mono with 12 lbs of drag, there are classics that will do just fine.  But it will be on the large side if you load it with 40 lb  braid, and if you downsize to a smaller classic with 375 yards of 40 lb braid capacity, it probably won't be strong enough to fish 12 lbs of drag. I still fish  some classics with braid, but I am willing to fish the reel at a lower load than the line is capable of.

Agree with Steve;  Parts are sort of a tie.  The classic  reels were repairable, but older parts are becoming more scarce over time.  But with new reels, companies no longer are committed to a long window of parts availability.

-J

[Gfish]

The mostly "plastic" newer stuff has for me, 3 advantages: price, weight and no corrosion on said plastic parts. That's it.
 
More weight sucks, but not THAT bad, I'll take it. Corrosion just plain sucks, so I godda check the old stuff and maybe service more often. Price?, hopefully it's like Frank said a wash; old stuff price approximately same as new cheap stuff price, so maybe if you buy alota reels it evens-out.

[thorhammer]

Old is DEFINITELY better than new. If my wife trades me in for a new plastic fantastic and takes half my rods, reels, boats and guns, well, that will just suck. So, I stand by my statement.

[jgp12000]

I got 3 words "712" Penn.

[Gregory]

I got 3 words "712" Penn.

That is a classic

[Cuttyhunker]

Still fishing the old Penn 49's on stripers and blues, some prewar, updated carbon drags, big diameter body 3 1/2 ratio, and cheap and plentiful to buy.
For trolling they mostly live in the rod holders. I'd put in a 5 disk drag if it were available, but the 3's in carbon have been fine.
The new top shelf stuff is fine, but I can buy one Avet or a dozen or 2 of the 49's for the same cake.  Difference in landed fish for me. Zero.