from what looked penn sold out in 2006 and quality ever since has gone down. Dont get me wrong I have several old Penn reels and they were expansive but the have last a long time. the fish he said was about a 20lbs or so I was going to buy one my self till i did a little reading it seems that they sold out in 2006 and quality has gone down hill ever since know my older ones are great and still holding strong if it is true the were bought out by K2 which owns a bunch of other company to include sheakspear only the upper end real over 150$ are said to be still built in the old Philadelphia plant or at least that is what other forums are saying I love my Saltwateter Penns

I agree but if your dropping 70$ on a Penn dont think it is going to be what it use to be I am not saying they are bad reels i am just going of other peoples experience. When fist seen the Fierce reels i have to say i got excited and was going to buy on. I would have been seriously disappointed when it wasnt the quality that matched my older ones they may be good reels for the money he my had gotten a bad reel but unless it was on maid in Philly I dont think i will get it Abu makes great reals and you can get a good used one even cheaper

Gonna try and be courteous here and I'm guessing you are talking baitcasting reels, not spinning.I do agree that an Abu Garcia reel is probably the best baitcaster on the market, new or used. Fishing from the bank, I prefer the spinning reels and think that they handle casting a 6oz. weight better than a baitcaster. I also use the rod more than the reel to fight the fish so the drag is more of a buffer between the fish and the fishing line & rod IMHO.

Here is a good site for spinning reel reviews:

www.alanhawk.com