This may seem like an age old question, but I know a lot of you guys use Senators quite a bit, and I am looking at the Penn Senator 115L for a shark stand up set up for boat fishing, and I know the current production 115L is Chinese made. I am a Marine, and obviously prefer American made products, but how is the quality of the current 115L2 compared to the 115L. It is so hard to find an American 115L that isnt eaten up with corrosion. I see the new model is shown to have the half graphite frame, stainless side rings and a stainless stand, which seem to be improvements. I read Alan Tani said something to the effect that he thinks the American vs Chinese Senator debate is blown out of proportion. Just wondering what opinions you guys have on them. With care, will they hold up, handle big fish, etc? Im thinking if I was to break something, say a side plate, parts are more readily available for current models.Thanks
I have had the 115L2 for alittle over a year now and it has held up well. I was also concerned about them now being made in China. However, I have caught some nice 8ft lemon and 6ft blacktip sharks without a problem. I hope this helps.