[searchin]

Does anybody else get tired of hearing the discussions on VS vs. Penn vs.ZB. God it annoys me. If I could justify, or better yet could spare the $$ on the more expensive reels I would. They are the best out there. It is nice to be able to use the best equiptment whenever you can. For now my arsenal of Penns are more then acceptable, take a beating, and can be maintained by yours truly. When I can afford better I'll go for it. It's not like the $$$$ reels catch the fish for you. I mean come on. If you got it and want it get it. You know they are awesome reels. But the Penns catch, or don't catch just as good as the others. I wouldn't be upset if i never saw a new thread asking about VS's or ZB's again. Christ, just look through the threads. Why bother posting a new one. Is anything new going to be said????


Sorry about that. Just had to get it off my chest. Thanks for listening.

 

[654662]

I WONT CRY!!

It is just an ongoing thing... i will not touch anything but penns for inshore.. The only thing i believe VS are for is for PEN*# enlargement on the beach or inshore boats or for offshore fishing.. We have used them for swords and also for YFT and they work well but penn is just as nice!

BUT THERE SHOULD BE NO MORE DISCUSSION ON THIS TOpIC YOU RIGHT!

 

[likeitreallyis]

Penn's once great, have become chinese made garbage..

There is no comparision are you kidding me ?

 

[654662]

If chinese is junk....

Then do not watch TV, do not play video games, do not drive your care, and do not fish.. everything is made in china... you think no parts of VS are made in china? come on now.

 

[likeitreallyis]

Sportfishingusa wrote:
Then do not watch TV, do not play video games, do not drive your care, and do not fish.. everything is made in china... you think no parts of VS are made in china? come on now.

You got the wrong guy here.. I drive 4 old chevy's but buy what you want.. no none of the VS is made in China.. they don't know what Titanium is..

I don't play video games I fish. With 20 year old reels made in the USA and St.Croix made in the USA and drink the original coors with water from the Rocky Mountains and am part native American....

Immigrant I presume?

 

[654662]

not at all!

I only drink Yuenling! close enough to the old coors! hahah old pa brewery.

I am american!!

dont know about anyone else. hahahah

well i only drive chevys myself and i dont buy anything overseas so we are close match!!

got to come get some of them coors with you one day!

 

[likeitreallyis]

Big fan of the Black and Tan myself

The new penn's aren't built as well as they used to be and I won't buy anither one ever again, I own 14 of the Philadelphia specials and one I bought in August (wife's choice

) and it broke already.

But please I got to stay out of this Domestic/Imported argument as there are way too many immigrants who join the discussion and start talking about how good a global economy is for them woops I mean us..

Only 18,000 new jobs added to the payroll last month.

Domestic products create domestic jobs yet some have to argue the opposite. I gotta stay out of this one....

 

[searchin]

guess I should have mentioned my Penn arsenal are all from the made in USA stock!!!!!!

This post edited by searchin 02:50 PM 01/11/2008

 

[likeitreallyis]

searchin wrote:
guess I should have mentioned my Penn arsenal are all from the made in USA stock!!!!!!

selling any?

 

[MaxKatt1]

First, I'm sure we'll continue to get new guys asking basic rod and reel questions. The "search" feature doesn't stand out that prominently up there. Sad, because it really is the best way to pull up a bunch of relavant material. I've forgotten it myself a couple times.

Not sure where Van Staals are made now. I believe they were bought by Zebco who used to manufacture in Tulsa, OK, but moved production to China a while ago.

Don't laugh guys, but I actually own three Penn Silver Series (105's I believe) from when I got started with bait many years ago. The bail is broken on one, but I keep telling myself I'll fix it. It's also full of sand and grinds when you turn the handle. I still use the ones that work once a year when I go for big carp.

I also have an Okuma Coronado with the bait runner feature which I thought would be handy. In the end, I kinda like hearing the Penn's drag sing and have to quickly spin/tighten down the drag on the front.

For throwing lures I did get a VSB 150 figuring it was necessary to take the dunking, etc.

 

[likeitreallyis]

Are you seriuos the VS is not made here?

 

[likeitreallyis]

Answered my own question.. of course they are

Everybody loves them that's how I knew

In 2003, Van Staal was acquired by the W.C. Bradley Co., who assigned the product to its fishing tackle company, Zebco, of Tulsa, Okla. Van Staal operates independently at Zebco World Headquarters, serving as a separate and distinct business unit from Zebco and the company?s avid brands, Quantum and Fin-Nor.

Van Staal reels are assembled and serviced in a custom designed manufacturing area. While Tulsa might not seem a likely location to build and test the world?s finest saltwater reels, the company does have a state of the art test lab on its premises that includes a saltwater environment room for corrosion evaluations, a computerized drag machine capable of simulating any species of saltwater fish and fishing conditions, and accelerated life-expectancy testing equipment that can put ?fishing years? on a reel in just a matter of days.

 

[johnmlodynia]

likeitreallyis,
VS is made in China (if you don't believe email them or ask @ a show).

 

[MaxKatt1]

If it is made in China, we shouldn't automatically assume quality as been degraded. The only reason manufacturing moves to China is for the low cost labor assembling the goods. If the materials and production line is the same the reel should be the same. Zebco just makes a better margin cause the guy putting it together in China makes 1/10th of what the guy in CT would have made.

 

[johnmlodynia]

MaxKatt1 wrote:
If it is made in China, we shouldn't automatically assume quality as been degraded. The only reason manufacturing moves to China is for the low cost labor assembling the goods. If the materials and production line is the same the reel should be the same. Zebco just makes a better margin cause the guy putting it together in China makes 1/10th of what the guy in CT would have made.
The only one auto. assuming is you and VS hasn't been "put together" in CT for a while.

 

[rpbluett]

penn's are fine,dont care where they were assembled,the spinning reel's are a little "sloppy" though,i have to stick with shimano for the spinners,nice and smooth,for offshore bottom fishing [grouper,snapper etc] myself and thousands of others only use penn senators [113,114] they have stood the test of time,take a beating,dont require as much maintenance as the higher end stuff.
would i love to go out and spend $$$ on accurate's and avets and....whatever? sure, but i dont need to. gotta keep up with the joneses right? nope! K.I.S.S. [keep it simple stupid]

 

[616930]

searchin wrote:
Does anybody else get tired of hearing the discussions on VS vs. Penn vs.ZB. God it annoys me. If I could justify, or better yet could spare the $$ on the more expensive reels I would. They are the best out there. It is nice to be able to use the best equiptment whenever you can. For now my arsenal of Penns are more then acceptable, take a beating, and can be maintained by yours truly. When I can afford better I'll go for it. It's not like the $$$$ reels catch the fish for you. I mean come on. If you got it and want it get it. You know they are awesome reels. But the Penns catch, or don't catch just as good as the others. I wouldn't be upset if i never saw a new thread asking about VS's or ZB's again. Christ, just look through the threads. Why bother posting a new one. Is anything new going to be said????

You are tired of VS vs Penn discussions...yet you start a whole new thread so people can discuss it again ???


Sorry about that. Just had to get it off my chest. Thanks for listening.

 

[SORTIE]

when were Penn reels last made in the U.S.?

my boat rod reels are almost ten years old, and my Senators are nine years old. Was Penn was still manufacturing in America at that time?

 

[629706]

Never mind Reels....How about Rods?

I used to have custom made Rods for different types of fishing, when I was a young fisherman. Back in the 60's and 70's. Reason was because one of my Dad's fishing buddies built Rods. He'd build them for my Dad and myself, for cost of parts. Real top shelf stuff. But even he would say, it's just a rod, any other decent mass produced Rod can catch fish, just as well. I also feel that way about Reels, a mid range decently built Reel will catch fish. I really feel the LINE is the most important part of a fishing outfit!! I know a VS will last longer in the Surf than most reels. But I can Buy 4 GOOD reels at the same price. To last as long if not longer as th VS. Same with Rods. Like Cars...A VW can get me to and from point A to point B just as long as a Top of the line Car.

 

[toyotaoffroad91]

i just checked the box on my 704z and it said made in the USA!! i bought it last season new...is there some kind of production date on these things