I love bait casting reels, but I use spinning outfits. I just got a new bait casting reel (Penn Mag 525). I took it apart and found that the drag assembly was retained against the frame with two "wood" screws threaded into the graphite. One of the screws was stripped. I found a little larger "metal" screw which I installed, and it snugged up nicely. Wood screws into graphite? Wow. Incidentally, when I first disassembled the reel a week before, a small screw that was intended to be threaded into the outside frame was lying on its side under a cover. Is it just Penn? Yet my experience with Penn spinning reels always been good. I won't buy another Penn Mag 525. It's a product of poor engineering and poor quality control.

Well, it's not just Penn. This is coming from a true Ambassadeur fanatic, so I'm not just dissing on them. But, I've found almost all the Ambassadeurs I've bought within the last 5 years have had nothing but problems. I've actually returned three in a row due to faulty drags/components. I have quite a few older ambassadeurs I still use (some 6001c's, 5001c's, 5000's, and a few misc newer 5501c <not the C3> )and they're all holding up well with normal oiling and maintenance. Just the newer 5501c3,6501c3, and 5601uc have had problems. I lost two nice steelhead due to my 6501c3 and 5601uc. Had the 5601 lockup after I set the hook and snapped off fish. Had the 6501 on same day have the drag disengage and backlash my line while I was fighting a fish. Normally I don't put too much pressure on spool, so when the fish ran, zing went spool. I only had the reels less then a week. I'm to the point I've been looking around for the older ABU to put on my rods. I have a few old right handers, but can't get back into hang of using them. But I pickup an occasional older lefthander. Maybe I need to step up to the really top of line ABU. Oh well. Just my thoughts, anyone else?

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you haven't lived til you've rowed a cataraft. Friends don't let friends run Outcasts.

Steelheader69: I purchased my 525 locally from a shop where Craig (a manager)recommended an Ambassadeur 6500 instead. I went with my own mind and went with Penn. I HAD heard good things about the Penn 525, and my experiences with Penn in the past had been good. AND I have been trying to buy "American". That's not always easy. The ball bearings on my Penn 6500 spinning reel indicate they were manufactured outside this country. I drove a Camaro for a while, which was assembled in Canada. Go figure. I just heard on the news this morning that the trade deficit for the US has set a new record. Oh, well.