# ex penn 525 owners



## NJbruce (Mar 30, 2018)

Hi Folk,

I keep having people ask what they switched to after they gave up the 525 mag. I don't know the answer. Any help appreciated.

Bruce


----------



## dsurf (Aug 5, 2003)

525 Mag 3....


----------



## Adam (Feb 19, 2001)

Still have all three of my originals, they still fish and cast well. There was an aftermarket magnet carrier that allowed the range of adjustment to be more true, but the man that made them went out of business. Still great reels.


----------



## Catch This (Nov 19, 2005)

At one time, I had five 525's. I went to the Diawa STTBG 30 H and 20h. I have sice migrated to the Penn Fathom 15. I still have the Diawa's but they have become back ups.


----------



## DaBig2na (Aug 7, 2011)

I still have two of my 525s left .. the 525s drags sucked just as the rest of their star drag reels did until they came up with their most recent HT100 drag system in the Fathoms. They were very jerky IMO. Unless it was a Knobby and you didn't always check your slide you had a higher probability of blowing up. Penn came out with the Mag3 for the UK market but in reality it's a Squall 15.... It never really caught on like the US made 525s..When set properly a 525 mag is a dream to cast and bombs a bait out there.

What did I switch to ? Fathoms, Silver Saltist 20s and one Shimano Trinidad TN14 That's has caught quite a few citations as well. Right now my fav is the Fathom 12 first gen. Although I've cast some of the new 2nd gens with mag brakes I still like the first gens with the centrifugal brakes using only one of the six.


----------



## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

The drags in 525's sucked,the squall that replaced them had a terrible drag also,as well as durability issues... New fathom as well as diawas with centrifugal brakes are the most consistent reels out there.. jmho.


----------



## DeltaSpike (Jul 14, 2015)

My 525 is still my go to reel, but recently purchased a Fathom and tried it with all brakes off. Bad move...now use with 2 brakes activated and it casts like a dream!


----------



## dsurf (Aug 5, 2003)

DaBig2na said:


> I still have two of my 525s left .. the 525s drags sucked just as the rest of their star drag reels did until they came up with their most recent HT100 drag system in the Fathoms. They were very jerky IMO. Unless it was a Knobby and you didn't always check your slide you had a higher probability of blowing up. *Penn came out with the Mag3 for the UK market but in reality it's a Squall 15*.... It never really caught on like the US made 525s..When set properly a 525 mag is a dream to cast and bombs a bait out there.
> 
> What did I switch to ? Fathoms, Silver Saltist 20s and one Shimano Trinidad TN14 That's has caught quite a few citations as well. Right now my fav is the Fathom 12 first gen. Although I've cast some of the new 2nd gens with mag brakes I still like the first gens with the centrifugal brakes using only one of the six.


The Mag 3 15 is definitely not a Squall......has full stainless steel gearing, improved strengthen graphite cage, and vastly improved drag.....the squall was junk..


----------



## DaBig2na (Aug 7, 2011)

dsurf said:


> The Mag 3 15 is definitely not a Squall......has full stainless steel gearing, improved strengthen graphite cage, and vastly improved drag.....the squall was junk..


Dsurf, with all due respect
Well that's partially right.. the 525 Mag 3 was a takeoff from the 525 Mag 2 (UK market) which is still a Squall in the US Market. The small subtle changes were yes the Stainless Main Drive and Pinion and a shade tighter tolerances of the two smoothing it out a bit. Red anodization of the exposed metal parts as opposed to the Gold. After you get past the Stainless main drive offered in the Mag 3 ....Everything else is basically the same after that. Same drag system in both same retrieve and capacities, same profile. I only wonder if Penn will continue to produce this Mag braked reel after coming out with the new Fathoms with Mag brakes. 
And wait for it........ Made In China! 
but so is the Fathom 

You might can put a little little lipstick and nail polish on a pig but it Its still still a pig. 
Dude if you're happy with it that's all that counts ... Fish on man!


----------



## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

DeltaSpike said:


> My 525 is still my go to reel, but recently purchased a Fathom and tried it with all brakes off. Bad move...now use with 2 brakes activated and it casts like a dream!


 Most are telling me the same about the two brakes.. I only know the issues with those reels from folks that have used them,only one I actually owned was the mag,and it was junk first year... From what I have seen and heard about the squall is the drag is junk and they last "peanutbutter time".. I use a black and gold saltist,was using a silver one for years.. My son still has a silver one and a black and gold for back up.. As bad as Tater and I are at tearing up tackle,it is a wonder anything last more than a year with us....... lol


----------



## Garboman (Jul 22, 2010)

Adam said:


> Still have all three of my originals, they still fish and cast well. There was an aftermarket magnet carrier that allowed the range of adjustment to be more true, but the man that made them went out of business. Still great reels.


Had 3 525 Mags all with aftermarket mags either Tre's or Ryan's method. Never could bring myself to glue the slide adjustment, so every time I cast I had to check it. I liked the low spool, they cast really far at times especially in the daytime. Slide adjustment became annoying because reel would over-fluff with too little mag every time.

Sold them off. Never did try the Squall and the Squall fell out of favor by the time I returned to the game after my Hiatus.

Have Fathom 15's and Shimano Speedmaster TSM ll reels. Both reels have good drags and cast well and gearbox is well forward out of the way of my Paws. 

The fellas I see with Fathom 12's are just begging to get stripped One Pirates Cove Mate DrumPro dumps his on every cast and somehow he hooks up and gets the fish to swim in instead of away from the pier or beach

The reel I like that I do not own is the Seigler. Was able to borrow them on the Island, when I was down so I did not need to part with the additional $$$$. Is one Seigler worth two Fathom 15's? No but that is only because I need extra ammo ready to go when I drum fish


----------



## Garboman (Jul 22, 2010)

dsurf said:


> The Mag 3 15 is definitely not a Squall......has full stainless steel gearing, improved strengthen graphite cage, and vastly improved drag.....the squall was junk..


Pretty reel, or Pretty pig with red lipstick who knows until you try one. If I come across one a bargain price I would try it out for sure. The slide adjustment was the most troublesome thing about the 525 Mag for me. Cal's drag grease does wonders for reel drags if they are prone to grab.

I do not see Mag 3 on the beach or pier for Drum anyway, most are using Fathom's now, which only seem to have a clicker issue once you have them dialed in for your individual cast.

If you are not open to new things, you are stuck in the past.


----------



## ifishhatteras (Jul 15, 2018)

Garboman said:


> Pretty reel, or Pretty pig with red lipstick who knows until you try one. If I come across one a bargain price I would try it out for sure. The slide adjustment was the most troublesome thing about the 525 Mag for me. Cal's drag grease does wonders for reel drags if they are prone to grab.
> 
> I do not see Mag 3 on the beach or pier for Drum anyway, most are using Fathom's now, which only seem to have a clicker issue once you have them dialed in for your individual cast.
> 
> If you are not open to new things, you are stuck in the past.


I see Akios(Nitron F-15) came out with a Siegler clone but with the clicker in a more sane location. I hope Santa brings me one instead of coal.


----------



## DaBig2na (Aug 7, 2011)

Garboman said:


> I do not see Mag 3 on the beach or pier for Drum anyway, most are using Fathom's now, which only seem to have a clicker issue once you have them dialed in for your individual cast.
> 
> If you are not open to new things, you are stuck in the past.


That older feller (you know him as Longcaster or Jim) who comes fishing with me when he can, bought on at the end of the 2017 from the U.K. . I've cast it quite a bit. It's pretty with the red trim for sure but no ways as smooth as a Fathom. It casts like a Squall 

One thing Penn did get right is the dial set up that they have carried over to the new Fathoms. The fashion in the way the magnetic field is controlled is not the same though, and very fascinating in how the new ones are engineered. The Knobby tournament model has the knob in the wrong place on the reel especially for those who choke down and hold their rod at the reel seat. That's what happens when you allow a predominantly Tournament caster provide input on the design. 


I will eventually buy one of the Tournament Knobby reels and one of the new Daiwa Saltist 20H black and blue models. Both are Superior reels for the fishery we fish. Ask DD how long a Seigler held up for him. Again a great casting reel with a sound all its own. You just know when one is being cast you don't have to look. They run on the ragged edge and are really fast and blow up often. I'm always trying new things just slow to buy when they first come out.



ifishhatteras said:


> I see Akios(Nitron F-15) came out with a Siegler clone but with the clicker in a more sane location. I hope Santa brings me one instead of coal.


Ive seen pics that Joe Moore posted I really like the looks of that reel and hope to see and test one out... I'm not a fan of Akios but that F15 peaks my interest. Also interested to see what Tommy Farmer says about it too


----------



## Benji (Nov 19, 2014)

ifishhatteras;1227675 said:


> I see Akios(Nitron F-15) came out with a Siegler clone but with the clicker in a more sane location. I hope Santa brings me one instead of coal.


 I wouldn't call it a clone.


Tuna, I have seigler's. Living close to Va beach where they are made is a plus. Any issue I've ever had with, no matter what, has been solved in a matter of a few day. Being able to drop reels off and pick them up from the factory is nice. I really can't speak higher of Will and they're service department. The only issue I have with the star mags is line likes to get behind the spool if you blow up bad enough. Then there's a tiny spring that will get stuck in grease on the end of the spindle that you have to be careful not to lose. The first time it happened I spent 20 minutes on my hand and knees looking for it after it "escaped".


----------



## dsurf (Aug 5, 2003)

ifishhatteras said:


> I see Akios(Nitron F-15) came out with a Siegler clone but with the clicker in a more sane location. I hope Santa brings me one instead of coal.


Nitron has much better retrieve (inches) than either the Fathom or Mag 3.
View attachment 62263


----------



## NJbruce (Mar 30, 2018)

I build and rebuild 525's and part of the drag problem was cupped washers. I flatten them and polish them. Its amazing how cupped some are from the stamping process. I slide them over a diamond stone and the high spots are instant. If you can't flatten, just match the high centers and that makes a difference. stack them the same, shiny center up. 

I've been seeing Nitron vs fathom and they think the fathom 2 is a powerful mono mag. I haven't seen inside a nitro, I have two fathom 15's. I'm planning a 525 vs fathom test. When I took the fathom bearings and cleaned them, reoiled with speedX they were spinning like a court caster. Very nice bearings.


----------



## NJbruce (Mar 30, 2018)

I'm told the speedster has huge gears, can you confirm? Its a reel on my short list for trial.
Thanks


----------



## JHamberis (Nov 11, 2017)

I just purchased the Penn Fathom II 15 SDCS ( star drag casting special) to replace my 525. It holds 385 yds of 50 lb braid, 6.1:1 ratio, 6 + 1 bearings, 25 lbs of drag and knobby mag.


----------



## Garboman (Jul 22, 2010)

NJbruce said:


> I'm told the speedster has huge gears, can you confirm? Its a reel on my short list for trial.
> Thanks


If you are referring to the no longer in production Shimano Speedmaster, it does have large gears/high speed retrieve and gearbox is forward out of the way, which was ahead of its time.

The TSM ll FS (with Fighting Star) has the aluminum spool. Blackdog has an adjustable mono mag built just for this reel. The TSM was initially very desired in UK, not known much over here except by the distance casting community.

The reel was one of the forerunners to current distance reels. The TSM ll is the smallest of the series and the reel most favored for Drum Fishing and Distance casting. The TSM lll and TSM iV have much larger spools and line capacity. I have a TSM lll I mono magged for Cobia/Sharks/Talking Trash...

The reel will bomb it out there and is very smooth, I was able to buy two that were NIB and magged them. Spool is higher than a Fathom 15 but it a very smooth reel magged. TSM ll FS has no centrifugal brake so you have to mag it. 

The TSM ll has a graphite spool and centrifugal brakes.

Akios new reel does not look like a clone of the Seigler to me.


----------



## ifishhatteras (Jul 15, 2018)

You're both right, I saw the large gear box and thought Seigler but after sneaking in Santa's workshop, it looks close to a Daiwa BG. Below pics are for comparison. Spool width is between BG 20 and BG 30. No centrifugal brake on the spool but mag cranked all the way in slows it considerably.


----------



## dsurf (Aug 5, 2003)

JHamberis said:


> I just purchased the Penn Fathom II 15 SDCS ( star drag casting special) to replace my 525. It holds 385 yds of 50 lb braid, *6.1:1 ratio*, 6 + 1 bearings, 25 lbs of drag and knobby mag.


6.2:1 ratio


----------



## ifishhatteras (Jul 15, 2018)

26lb drag also


----------



## NJbruce (Mar 30, 2018)

yes, its the speedmaster but my mental note was from icast review but i'ts a LD, I don't like, holds a mile of line. tackle direct sells out as soon as they come in. next batch January. 

I just tried to order leftover fathom1 15 from UK but 65.00 shipping I said shove it. I buy UKeBay and its 28.00 shipping???

The finish on Nitron, is it cast carbon or faux? Akios superstore won't answer.

I need strong gears because here in NJ there's no fish but the seaweed nearly breaks rods and strips gears. I had a Stradic nearly pop the bail. A surfblaster7000 is about right and a strained back with a century Excalibur c curve makes me build jigs with floats and cast topwater lures.


----------



## ifishhatteras (Jul 15, 2018)

faux finish


----------



## Garboman (Jul 22, 2010)

NJbruce said:


> yes, its the speedmaster but my mental note was from icast review but i'ts a LD, I don't like, holds a mile of line. tackle direct sells out as soon as they come in. next batch January.
> 
> I just tried to order leftover fathom1 15 from UK but 65.00 shipping I said shove it. I buy UKeBay and its 28.00 shipping???
> 
> ...


The Speedmaster TSM ll was discontinued long ago. It has a graphite frame and side plates and star drag. It has bronze gears. They are relics, kind of like me.

I know nothing about the newer Speedmaster version, should be durable.

Santa drops a new Speedmaster off I will review it but style of fishing I do requires only a long cast and a decent drag, if the grass gets too thick we take a break. In NC it is Eel Grass from the Sounds or Animal grass from I believe Bermuda Triangle. Long cast is more important than drag, if you are short and do not get hooked up then no drag comes into play, if you have crappy drag, that is what your thumb is for. 26 pounds of Drag makes my crotch whince......

Nitron is a lot cheaper than the Speedmaster or the Seigler, it should start showing up where I fish, if it outcasts a Seigler then demand will grow and I will get one to test.


----------

