[bull city]

Went to sports authority today to do some comparison shopping.
Shimano baitrunners were, like you guys have said ,built like tanks ! $119.
Okumas eb looks great and the spool design looks be the best when it comes to casting for distance but overall doesnt feel very sturdy ! $69
Penns livelinner took the cake. It looks great and feels like its built last ! $139
My pockets say $69.00 but my eyes say $139.


FISH (Finally In Saltwater Heaven)

 

[FL FISHERMAN]

Good luck

choosing. Them shimanos are great my friend. Can't bag on the penn either. EB's are looking better and better as they come out. Tough choice!

 

[catman]

I use the Shamano 4500 and 5500 baitrunners and really like them. I've never used the Penn baitrunners but wouldn't hesitate to buy one if they went on sale. I'd stay away from the cheaper ones.

Catman.

 

[Topsailbum]

shimanos are great, as are the penns....... i hear the eb's are good too. repair parts scarce on the eb's i understand. tough choice

 

[FLpierffisherman]

I have been a Penn man, still am. But I ordered the Okuma Epixor EB-65 from Sports Authority for $69.99 with no tax and no shipping. Best price I could find. Couldn't pass up the deal.

 

[catman]

Shark River has the Penn Live Liner #4600L for $124.99.www.srmo.com . Not a bad price and the people at Shark River are great to deal with. Everytime I've bought from them they always throw in a free goodie.

Catman.

 

[terpfan]

i've used both shimano baitrunner and okuma eb. from my experience, i like okuma better. it cast better, and in my opionion, it is smoother than shimano. (the line lay in shimano baitrunner is pretty bad, thus significantly reduces casting distance and more likely to have line trouble) only thing that i like about shimano is as you said it is built like a tank. but if i had to choose one, then i will pick the okuma anyday.

 

[Smoothbore54]

Buy the Penn, Keep an American employed.

The Penn will make you sad 1 time, when you pay for it.

A cheap reel will make you sad every time you use it, AND when you have to replace it.

When you buy your second cheap reel, you'll have spent the price of a Penn, and will still have a cheap reel.

Take it from a guy who's made ALL the WRONG choices, several times.

I've got a Penn 705 (yeah the ugly green ones) that was born the same year I was (1954) and , unlike myself, it's as good as it ever was.

 

[terpfan]

i guess penn reels has withstood the test of time. but i think when choosing a reel, there are many things that you should take into consideration. what type of fishing you're going to do. for myself, one of the most important thing that i consider is the castability, and smoothness of retrieve. i can cast up to 500' and from that distance, it takes a while to retrieve the fish. just in performance alone, i think okuma is better than most of the reels on it's price range and many other that are twice as expensive( including shimano) if your most of your fishing does not require a long cast, i'll go with shimano or penn (van staal, even better) for their reliability and longevity. as for rod, i would use ugly stick for it's amazing flexibility and durability. but for me the performance of the reel is more important than it's sturdyness. and one other thing, because the price of the equipment is inexpensive, does not make it cheap. i have two rod that is over 300 dollar, and one reel that is 400 dollars, they are worth the price but, i do not consider okuma eb, a cheap reel. i did not have any problems with them with over 100 fishing trips. also my okuma reel comes out from the case before my shimano baitrunner 6500b where shimano is the replacement reel for my old shakespeare 40 dollar combo set. (one thing i don't understand is how could line lay of shimano (around $120) can be lot worse than $19 bass pro reel.

 

[cocoflea]

I just picked up the okuma baitfeeder (as they call it) off of Ebay it comes in next week, but from what I've been reading I will be very happy I'll keep you posted on how I like it I only paid $66 so I think I got a good deal.

 

[SeaSalt]

Hold everything...

I just got my Okuma EB65 from sportsauthority.com for 59.99. They have free shipping and you can use this coupon code to get 10 dollars off!! TSACPN10

Can't beat this price anywhere... I thought about buying bunch of them so I can sell it on ebay...

 

[seafisher]

The Penn will last a long time and surpass all your needs.---A good place that has excellent service and much cheaper than retail prices on most any reel is James Tackle. Go to their website here-- www.jamestackle.com ---They have excellent service.

 

[wizardude]

Shimano Baitrunner .........

Hands Down..............

 

[SeaSalt]

I also had my reservations about Okumas because of its price. But when I saw the disntance guys endorse it, I'm pretty sold on it.

Yes, Penns and Shimanos are reliable and stood the test of time but I think Okumas will give those two manufacturers run for their money.

 

[markedwards]

i love shimano reels for those of you complaining about line lay i'm guessing they are 4500's or 6500's and not "B" models well here is a tip go to the hardware store and get some washers and that'll fix your line lay problem. i got an okuma eb-80 for my birthday and after the first time i used it its the first outfit i grab. 2 spools,10 bb,and 80 bucks?price doesn't mean its cheap i remember paying 5 bucks for a ryobi reel years ago now they're fin nor and you can't get fin nor toilet paper for 5 bucks! even diawa and penn has reels at 3 diferent price levels to try to cover all bases.

 

[Baran013]

Penns are assembled in the US

There is a distinct difference between made in the US and assembled in the US. I don't know how Penn gets away with made in the US labels on them. Somehow it might be how Walmart used to have the US made product push, but then you would see that half of what you purchased was made in China. With the ownership change with Penn, I was told by a regional sales wholesaler that the Penn might start looking into overseas for the entire unit. As I said this is what I was told and the person could have been BSing me. Personally, I own 2 6500 shimanos and can't say enough about them. Would I buy the Penn 5600L yes. But then I can get them at a good price. I don't know much about the Okuma.