LEVER DRAG REELS
I know similar threads have been started in the past on this subject, but I thought it would be useful to many who are looking to buy a reel of considerable cost for the purpose of land-based shark fishing to have a definitive buyers guide created on the forum.
A comparison of as many brands/models as members collectively have knowledge of would help all of us make an informed decision. It would be great for those who know to help weigh up the pros and cons of each brand and offer their experiences. I've trawled the internet and cannot find group tests or any similar comparison articles, so I think this would be a first of its kind resource if everyone contributes.
Hope you can share your experiences!
Avet, Penn, Everol, Finn Nor, Shimano, Alutecnos, Tiburon, Accurate (Any others I've missed?)
Pros & Cons: line capacity, drag numbers, weight, reliability, ease of servicing, cost etc
This wold be nice. Duel is another high end leverdrag.
Not much interest so far! Anyway, I will be adding a review of whatever I decide to buy when I get it. I've looked at a Penn 70vsw and thought it was a great balance between line capacity / drag pressure and still not so big it's unpleasant to fish with. Having said tha I'm beginning to think that a 50w might be all the reel I'll ever realistically need and even lighter to handle.
I would like to do a side by side with a Penn and an Avet to really compare them but haven't found a store with both in stock so far. If I do I'll post up my first impressions. Fishing with them may be another story though.
i would go with avet 50w i have seen a bunch of probs with internationals and avet is good on service and they are 100% made in america. also its only 35 bucks t service a avet and they will replace bearings and every thing if needed.
OK, so I now have a Penn International V 70VS and thought I'd share a 'review' of my impressions so far for anyone considering a lever drag reel. I haven't had chance to fish with it yet, so these are just my initial views after handling and testing it out. I can't speak for it's durability over time, though I have read a lot of good things about the gears and Dura Drag system which leads me to believe that with the correct maintenance and care it will be very reliable. Only time will tell.
So straight out of the box my overall impression was that the reel was very solidly built to tight tolerances and all machined parts were accurately made and fitted together tight and true. It is one heavy beast though! One of the reasons I wanted a 70 rather than an 80 was for the reduction in weight and easier handling, but it's still a lump. The anodised finish is flawless and beautiful. The gear change, drag mechanisms and feel when turning the handle are all solid and smooth. However, having seen and played with Avet Reels, there are definitely areas that are not up to par on the Penn when compared side by side. First of all, all the components on the Avets appear to be machined, whereas the Penn has a number of cast parts and a lot more plastic than I would like. The handle could do with a bit more finesse for a start, it's just a cast rubber lump, not what you expect on a $700 reel. The gear change button is also plastic and doesn't look or feel especially strong. I will be taking care when changing gears as this struck me as a possible weak area at first inspection. There are other small plastic parts including the clicker switch cover and drag dial surround as well as the ratchet under the drag lever handle. The reel clamp is a solid cast lump of stainless steel - functional I'm sure, but not pretty. This and the plastic bits smacks of cost-cutting to me and has no place on reels at this price in my opinion. Avets have all machined metal exterior parts, as I would expect on this class of reel and as older Penn Internationals also have. The older Penns also had machined clamps - what happened? Profit margin squeezing I suspect.
OK, so not completely impressed so far. And I have other issues...
The clicker is pathetic! It's so quiet I can barely hear it in my living room with the A/C on. I'm not confident I'll be able to hear it at all over the sound of wind and crashing waves. This is something I will have to modify with a stronger spring.
I also find the shifting mechanism a bit awkward - sure the button push to go to low gear is simple enough, but trying to turn the knob to get back into high gear while fighting a fish could be a bit challenging. But I'll reserve judgment on that one until I try it in action. It's not the best shifting system I've seen, again the Avet system seems a little better.
This may just be personal preference, but I also prefer a slight angle to the reel handle, as seen on competitor reels. The Penn's is at right angles and puts your wrist and hand in a slightly unnatural position when cranking. I will most likely change out the handle at some point to an angled one.
One thing that is good out of the box is the drag. With a full spool and tightened all the way I managed 36lbs at strike and about 41 at full. Very smooth too. I'm sure this can probably be improved further with some tinkering, but that's plenty for me right now and plenty to stop most fish I'm likely to encounter. There was very slight resistance in free spool at this setting, but I can't see that as a disadvantage when shark fishing - it will help stop birds nests when running baits out.
Until I test the reel over a season in action, that's about all I can say about it for now. Despite my negative comments I'm really pleased with the reel overall, it's a great compromise between the capacity of an 80 and the easier handling characteristics of a 50 and is very well built, despite the plastic parts. I got this reel unused for considerably less than the retail price, and for me that made it great value. However, I think if I had the cash to buy new I would have gone with an Avet.
Hope this helps anyone looking to buy. I will try and update this post with my impressions of the reel in use after my next trip out.
Dan
If i would had $700 to spend on a reel, i would definitely purchase Okuma Makaira MK-50WII or for an $160 more the MK-80WII. Unless you fully understand fishing reels from inside-and-out it's near to impossible to explain why these two reels, but when you look at PEI videos catching over 1000lb tunas using these reels, it may make you wonder - Why Makaira?
The clicker is pathetic! It's so quiet I can barely hear it in my living room with the A/C on. I'm not confident I'll be able to hear it at all over the sound of wind and crashing waves. This is something I will have to modify with a stronger spring.
i have the 50w and it is slightly on the quiet side but it is meant to be used on a boat so a slow pull is extremely quiet so when the waves and current dont make u turn at every click that goes out but you will hear it easily from a distance away on the beach when a shark takes off running fast you can hear it fine and thats from experience
Dude you'll hear that drag once it starts running with a shark, trust me. The more speed the louder itll be.
One way to test that out is, engage the clicker then reel in fast, see how that's gonna sound. Internationals are meant to work in that way, BUT you ca still make it louder by stretching the click spring part number 062 050 on the clicker. A 5 minute job. Make sure you won't stretch it too much. Will be a pain to put it back if you overdue it. Don't forget the grease.
Here is the schematics of your reel in case that you didn't got it with your reel.
http://www.pennreels.com/exp_views/conv ... Rev_17.pdf
Also, looking at the schematics, IF your reel comes in the same way set a the bellevilles, that means soft settings, which means you can really tune up the drag without loosing freespool.
Here are some settings that many people have no clue about it:
There are three types of bellevilles settings
1 - soft ()() - this is how in the schematics looks like - so you can truly add some serious drags to this reel.
2 - medium (())
3 - hard (((( - this is also what gives you the most drag at freespool -easy over 55-60lb at full
Play with that, and you'll be surprised how much drag you'll get. In some situation you'll need to actually add one or two extra bellevilles when you use the "hard" settings, which won't cost you more then $10 to buy thous parts from penn. The way how you would know this is, when you change to (((( and is you tie all the way the right knob and you won't get ANY drag, you need to buy more bellevilles. This is also the "catch" were people would freak out when they try to service the reel and the belleville would be mounted back in "hard" settings vs soft were they would not get the drag. Many don't understand the WAY how this works. But that's actually not a big deal to "fix" it.
This is also one of the reason why i like level drag reels over star drags. You can't do tuneups like this on a star drag.
Enjoy!
Dude you'll hear that drag once it starts running with a shark, trust me. The more speed the louder itll be.
Yes, you're right. I hooked it up to the back of the car earlier just for fun and it does scream pretty loud. 
I think it's the tone of it that threw me off to begin with - I'm used to the nice sharp clacking of a senator. It just sounds kind of 'loose' if you know what I mean. 
I'll try stretching the spring anyway and see if it gets a bit louder.
One way to test that out is, engage the clicker then reel in fast, see how that's gonna sound. Internationals are meant to work in that way, BUT you ca still make it louder by stretching the click spring part number 062 050 on the clicker. A 5 minute job. Make sure you won't stretch it too much. Will be a pain to put it back if you overdue it. Don't forget the grease.
Here is the schematics of your reel in case that you didn't got it with your reel.
http://www.pennreels.com/exp_views/conv ... Rev_17.pdf
Also, looking at the schematics, IF your reel comes in the same way set a the bellevilles, that means soft settings, which means you can really tune up the drag without loosing freespool.
Here are some settings that many people have no clue about it:
There are three types of bellevilles settings
1 - soft ()() - this is how in the schematics looks like - so you can truly add some serious drags to this reel.
2 - medium (())
3 - hard (((( - this is also what gives you the most drag at freespool -easy over 55-60lb at full
Play with that, and you'll be surprised how much drag you'll get. In some situation you'll need to actually add one or two extra bellevilles when you use the "hard" settings, which won't cost you more then $10 to buy thous parts from penn. The way how you would know this is, when you change to (((( and is you tie all the way the right knob and you won't get ANY drag, you need to buy more bellevilles. This is also the "catch" were people would freak out when they try to service the reel and the belleville would be mounted back in "hard" settings vs soft were they would not get the drag. Many don't understand the WAY how this works. But that's actually not a big deal to "fix" it.
This is also one of the reason why i like level drag reels over star drags. You can't do tuneups like this on a star drag.
Enjoy!
Yes, I'm aware of that mod and will probably do it some time in the future. I think I'll fish it stock for a while first though and get used to the feel of 40lbs before I start trying to fish with 60lbs of drag. I'm pretty new to this type of fishing so I don't want to end up waterskiiing behind a shark trying to fish too much drag. 
I've got a Tiagra 80W loaded with 1,000 yards of 250lb Tuf-Line XP and love it. Great drag, loud clicker, smooth switch from high to low gear, awesome power handle, and it's a winch. There is one thing I really don't like about it though, I haven't got to test it on a good shark yet! But, hopefully this weekend that all will change!
