GDK 0 Posted August 4, 2011 Report Share Posted August 4, 2011 Hi Crew, been cruising around ebay and fishing shops after a Penn 9500ss spincaster....Looks as if they've been replaced with the SSM.....If there's anyone out there with a SSM can they give me the scoop? Are they as good as the SS? Havent used one but from what I can see they look a little less gutsy....Cheers in advance. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fullysikwog 6 Posted August 4, 2011 Report Share Posted August 4, 2011 i rekon the SS was the american made spinfishers and the SSMs the chinese made ones mate.ive got the SSM and its done great on sharks and rays, and for 100 bucks you cant go wrong. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GDK 0 Posted August 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2011 Gday FSW, Yeh The SS was American made but i didnt know the SSM was Chinese???????????Thought Penn was yank!!!! Will see what this thread brings me but as it stands now I think it's a second hand SS off ebay...Had mine for 10 years and its just a gutzy reel/winch!Don't want to risk a reel explosion in the middle of a 60lb'er... Thanks... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plankton 725 Posted August 4, 2011 Report Share Posted August 4, 2011 All of Penn's reels, except for the International series, are now made in China. I have one of the new Chinese made Slammers and it seems to be of the same quality as my American ones. I don't think the SSM are quite on par with the old SS, but they still seem to be solid reels. GDK 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
osd 1 Posted August 6, 2011 Report Share Posted August 6, 2011 g'day gdk I've got a couple of the old spinfishers 750ss and 850ss the American reels were made with stainless and machined brass pinion and main cog, very good quality. the firm was bought by Jarvis walker and the cogs are now made from die cast, cheep and nasty and not so durable. The old reels are durable and I have been submersing mine in salt water for years while out lure tossing (still have to clean and re grease them after each use in salt). I had to buy the last one on the internet it was second hand but like new still going strong. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GDK 0 Posted August 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2011 Gday OSD, Thanks for the info, Yep the SS is an exceptionally strong balanced machine. Can just imagine the SSm having to be molly coddled when under pressure and its hard enough getting a big fish in let alone having to worry about the reel exploding....Definately going for the second hand SS - Thinking about it I have put mine through lots of pain for the last 10 years and it's still as good as the day I purchased it so getting one off ebay shouldnt give me any unexpected problems....Cheers... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bigash 0 Posted August 6, 2011 Report Share Posted August 6, 2011 Howdyi have 2 x 9500SS & 1 x SSM in same size1st original SS is nearly 20 years old i reckon & still going strong, had a few repairs but thats life, nothing major just anti reverse worn out after 2 million casts???the SSM is about a 1/3 of the quality & still ok if you are prepared to take risk with them & replace every few years if you can get a good 2nd hand SS for respectable money thats the way i would gocheersBigAsh GDK 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fullysikwog 6 Posted August 6, 2011 Report Share Posted August 6, 2011 gotta argee that the SSM isnt as good quality as the SS, but i rekon there great to thrash off beaches, and there cheap to replace each year. FSW GDK 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rickster 0 Posted August 6, 2011 Report Share Posted August 6, 2011 Stick with the SS's, i've got a couple that are still going strong after 25 years. I do have a SSM but still yet to be proven, in saying this it has been good to me thus far. :woohoo: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GDK 0 Posted August 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2011 lol.... Taken under advisement Rick... Rickster 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plankton 725 Posted August 7, 2011 Report Share Posted August 7, 2011 the firm was bought by Jarvis walkerActually they were bought by Pure Fishing, the conglomerate that also owns Berkeley, Shakespeare, Ugly Stik, Pflueger, Abu Garcia and several others. Talk about big business, PF is only the fishing subsidiary of a larger corporation. Jarvis Walker is simply the importer/distributor for Penn here in Australia, although it's strange that it's not PF Australia. Either way, I would have more confidence in pre-merger Penn reels, some of their newer models look really dodgy. GDK 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuckemback 0 Posted August 8, 2011 Report Share Posted August 8, 2011 I copied and pasted the original question on an American forum and got some replies that probably intrest you..but as u guess they say much the same.heres 1I have seen and used a 950ssm and quickly got rid of it. I have a few 9500ss older models along with many other SS models, in my opinion the 9500ss is of a much better quality than the 950ssm. I'm also not crazy about the new features, like the clutch assembly and the A/T bearing, as Akfish mentioned, they're prone to corrosion. If you're shopping for the 950ssm, do yourself a favor and get the 9500ss older model, maybe you'll find the brass gears in it when you crack it open. There is a tutorial here on the 9500ss that shows how to install an additional dog , that's about all that the reel will need, with proper care it should last you till the end of your fishing days.2.I haven't seen a 96500SSm but have seen several 7500SSms. I think they are inferior to the older 7500SS models. The bail is made of thinner wire, the bail spring seems less reliable. And the anti-reverse is suspect because it is a roller bearing -- prone to corrosion -- and liable to fail. 3I'm new to all of this and don't know too much, so take this for what it's worth.I've been looking into a lot of older reels on eBay and bought 7 or 8. I believe the older SS series (i.e. 750ss, 650ss) are metal and made in USA, the 7500ss and 6500SS series are a newer and lighter (although still relatively old) version of the SS series and made in USA, the SSg are graphite and made in China and the SSm models are metal and made in China.I was going out of my way to buy reels that were US made, as I believe they will be superior (although heavier) to anything newer and made in China. I was just looking for durable, easy to work on reels for a beginner and the SS series and Z series fit the bill for me. I am happy with them.4You are doing good bluesideup, ebay is a good place to get some but be carefull, always check the sellers feedback. I also buy some every now and then , most of them will need some parts, but I usually don't send them back, I just try to buy them at a good price. The older 650ss,750ss and the newer 6500ss,7500ss are actually the same waight approximately 1 lb 11oz for the 750ss and they are both made in USA. the 650ss,750ss come with better chromed parts, especially the bail wire. Also the main gear is brass and you can only use the handle on one side, if you need to convert it from left to right hand, you will need a pivot. The 6500ss,7500ss come with the brass gear also, but the later models comes with the aluminum/brass gear, no need to buy a pivot, the gears on the 6500ss, 7500ss will accept the left or right side handle, you have no way of finding out if the gear is brass or aluminum, you'll need to remove the side plate. The 650ssm,750ssm is a different reel, although it shares the same gear as the 6500ss, 7500ss and a few other parts, it is not the same as the older models, it has different features. Some of the earlier graphite models where made in USA, I'm not crazy about graphite on reels, but that's just me. The Z series is also a great model, it will never let you down. I'm glad that you're enjoing these reels, I still use mine today and love everyone of them, I just deposited two 650ss with some nice rods while I was vacationing in Sanibel Florida, the kayak flipt on me and my 13 year old son, I was about 1/2 mile out in the gulf, I was only concerned about my son so I didn't bother diving for them. When we got back to shore, I went back out on my own to try to find them, but no luck. Oh well! I do have replacements though Rickster and GDK 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rickster 0 Posted August 8, 2011 Report Share Posted August 8, 2011 Interesting reading Chuckem, thankyou. :woohoo: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GDK 0 Posted August 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 ditto chuckem! Thanks for the effort..Yeh im going the SS, dont think theres much point in getting the other...Cheers... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuckemback 0 Posted August 9, 2011 Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 No problem, i supose it depends on if you want it to last a few seasons or a lifetime. Ive noticed some of the newer usa made reels have the graphite body and the older ones made of real steel and are a bit more heavy. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GDK 0 Posted August 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 Yeh agreed I don't think they'd last long...Big mullies are a pretty unpredictable fish - i've had them come in like old boots and I've had them basically melt line off my spool and I've had both with one fish - you want to be sure you have a reel that can handle a bit of unexpected pressure just in case you have to lock it up or put a lot of pressure on the fish (steering it away from a reef for instance)....lol not really sold on the graphite either Thanks again...Cheers... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plankton 725 Posted August 9, 2011 Report Share Posted August 9, 2011 Those graphite Penns, the Spinfisher SSG, are good reels, they don't make bigger sizes so the graphite frame is fine. I have a 430 with 6 pound braid and a 440 with 10 pound braid and they work great.On another note, I know that most people prefer big spin reels for the surf as they are easier to use initially, but IMO overheads are much better suited for heavy beach work. They are lighter, cast further and are better at fighting big fish. I use the Daiwa Sealine X 50SLA reels and they are great, big waterproof drags and the same line capacity as a 950ss but much lighter. They can be setup to be very fast reels, but with the mechanical braking system they can also be made easy to cast for overhead beginners. Just my opinion. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GDK 0 Posted August 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2011 Gday Plankton fair enuff mate, I have a few overheads a gold abu 10,000 (which I use a fair bit) as a second for the mullies but with my fsu 6144 and 9500ss combo I can cast an 80weight grappel waaaayyyy further and it's a bit easier to cast it at night as well....To each their own I suppose Cheers Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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