dont go okuma magnetix, they are sh#te. bought one last christmas when i restarted fishing. lack of confidence made me choose th size 30 with level wind. what a mistake that was although it certainly looks the part. big power handle and nice shiny brass bits. dont be fooled. it sounds like a bag of hammers in a sack when cast. I gave up on it and relegated it to a light boat reel. first time out the body came adrift from the foot in the reel seat due to corrosion. it got returned form whence it came.
in march i heard alot about them 525's from penn, bought one (525 mag extra)and was quite impressed at fiirst. however, i have given this one the boot now and only use it for light work (2-4 oz)which it does seem to excel at. the problem being that you need to use a shock leader for casting larger weights and 15-18 mainline. the reel performs better like this but there are downsides . I got sick as f##k putting new shock leaders on every trip from nests and snags. the nests will be my fault as i find the slidey mag adjuster twitchy and can be knocked into the "no" magnet braking zone quite easily. when casting its a dream when things go right but I always seem to be on the verge of an overun. I take it as read that im not the best caster in the world and the nests will be down to me. Ive since gone on to slosh 30's. superb, got no complaints with them and very forgiving. robust and able to cast good distances. you can put heavier line on aswell so enabling you get some snagged gear back instead of loosing the lot including shock leader and a load of mainline. the 525 still goes out with me as a reserve and if i want to get a little more distance.
me mate "castaway" on the forum is of exactly the same view.
just in case there are 525 fanatics out there who think my views are heracy and im a crap caster with little or no skill, then there probably right.
