💩The Star S7000 Review + Penn 706z side by side comparison! YOU CAN SEE THE GEARS FROM THE OUTSIDE 

Tackle Advisors so if this reels gear ratio is a 3:7.1 does that mean that it's supposed to be faster then a 704z or 706z if it's the S8000?

Also Penn is the reliable budget gear, it isn't the best but go on a big charter boat all their reels are Penn.. Cheap, reliable and can be repaired.. Theres much better out there but for a budget fisherman it gets the job done

My concern is lawyers. I can take comment flamers. I'm an admin at stripersonline.com which is the largest fishing website on the planet. I deal with stuff like that all the time. It's fun :) The one thing i left out which is purely speculation. These china import reels rarely if ever supply parts. The Z has had parts (and all classic penns) for decades. When you need a line roller or bail wire. How long are parts going to be available for. Often parts for these reels come in the form of fully assembled reels. So if the don't sell well and star doesn't order or have any more built. What happens then??? Stainless, bakelite, bronze= PENN tanks :) Too bad their < 150$ spinners all suck.

$80 is still WAY too much.

Here's what you have to watch out for.....since it incorporates a one way clutch bearing......you can't let the grease get up into it....This is a problem when packing all mondern reels....and why the Penn z was able to function as it used a dog ar. Best of luck....they were selling at the shows this past spring for 40$

Thanks mark. I expect to get quite a bit of push back. Whether it be from people given the reels to test, or just people that don't know what the z was all about. Or from just people that may have received a better model. These reviews take a ton of time. Makes no sense to BS after 499 takes and 50 hours...lol

Thanks Joe. Don't be sorry :) the long winded ones are the ones that deserve the most respect!! I remember when tackle tour started with a rating system. And i've seen others do that. Unfortunately. 90% of whats out there would rate as a 7. And that can be misleading. This reel if you took Gears and rated them a 9 (old torque spinner 9.5) Simplicity 8 (penn z 9.5 shimano stradic 5) Price 7 (daiwa bg 9.5) etc.....Those numbers even with 5 other general categories would be misleading. Know what I mean. (And where did i get the numbers from :) That's why I do the side by side thing. People are going to buy what they want to buy. Often no matter what the number rating is. And since every reel is a mass produced widget designed for profit. Each sample may be different. So as always your mileage may vary. Are you familiar with Alan Hawk? He and I in the past used to constantly go back and forth (in a good way) to bring out more in each of the reviews either of us did. I really wish he would turn to youtube. That's also why these reviews take so long. I'm not taking a reel apart and doing a voice over. I'm talking while screwing and unscrewing and trying to get everything in focus and in frame......I swear The "hey whats going on guys.......bla bla bla" and the 60 seconds after that. Take 300 takes....lmao.....My voice is shot by the end of the day.

Thank you for the reply, In my heart i knew this was the answer but i had to see if maybe i might hear something else. From my moderate experience (32 years old) most of my options work for me (inshore fishing Louisiana)such as Shimano, Penn, and Daiwa. The perfectionist in me wants to pick at everything, to micro manage my tackle, and figure out what is the most enjoyable bang for my buck. Keep doing what you do please because your work satisfies some of my tackle junky itch. Tight lines!

Do you tend to agree with most of Alan's reviews? I noticed you guys differ a lot when it comes to Penn, but seem to generally agree with other brands (daiwa, shimano, etc).

Lol.. It's a joke... Buddy had a 72 Chevy nova with lotsa body rot... Aka speed holes :)

@@TackleAdvisors oh XD

Why not when the designer copied a previous design. Design it properly for 200$ :)

I have the 5k that I'll be tearing down. I ordered the battle 2 4000 today and will be tearing down the Shield, battle 2, BG, Nasci, Socorro SW at the same time and compare every inch. SHipping shows it'll be here on the 27th. I'd hope to have the video up by the following monday (probably take 40 hours of bench time / camera time)

Just and FYI: I know a number of surfcaster's who have the Tsunami Shield 6000 and one common problem they are all having is the bail system. After a while the bail does not close? This reel has a automatic bail but eventually the bail will not close when you crank the reel? you have to use it as a manual bail system, where you have to manually flip the bail closed in order to retrieve your line. I guess this is not a major concern? usually it's the opposite situation that's a problem. If the bail prematurely closes on you during a cast, resulting in a snap off (losing a plug). You won't lose a plug with this reel but it wasn't meant to work this way either? Just thought you should know since you are going to tear down this reel and review it. Look at the bail system. You have great videos and done a great service to fishermen by sharing your thoughts on all this gear. Thank you,

And in 2018 Penn is owned by the same company that sells spike bracelets and emo gear in malls lolol. And they allow their top tier products to be sold in Amazon for 50 percent off. Which hoses the shops that made them what they are.

@@TackleAdvisors it’s a shame. I loved my old penns. Wish they could make an improved 704 and 706, with an ipx rating of 6 or so, and one that can handle braided line. Wish I could fish a 704 bailess with braid and not worry about wind knots

Sure return the reel lol... In all seriousness you need to add the o rings and cast with the spool at the top of the oscillation cycle. That may help. But I had the same problem and have owned a bunch of Zeebaas dual pickup and vs reels

i wish i could return it haha..but that is the only thing i have a problem with is the spool turning and the line roller catching the line when i cast.. the rest i am fine with..its to bad though the reel looks nice and smooth..i have a VS, the S8000 is just my backup reel.

great review btw

A friend of mine at shimano told me the best way to lose a million dollars is to invest a million dollars in the fishing industry :) I have tons of designs for new lever drag funtion, to drag designs and spool interactions to pinions plus the use of silicons and electro magnetism... All of it is worthless without money for design and 10x $$$ to market it :)

Yeah. Not a problem. Shoot me an email when you're ready. @ TackleAdvisorsInitiative@gmail.com Or TackleAdvisors@gmail.com I'll even polish the ends of the spool shaft (only takes a second) while I'm at it. If your a stripersonline.com member just PM me (scoobydoo) Are they dry bocas or from elsewhere (which usually means greased on one side for some stupid reason. If they are greased I have to purge them.

+Fishing The Surf yes you can do either single or double line pick up. Not sure of the knob as I couldn't get the cap off. Felt like it was glued.

One side only... No swap no lefty

I was going to. But I haven't put any real time on the nasci. Additionally. Alan Hawk's review. Left nothing out. Right now the US market bg is the best 100$ saltwater spinner on the market. Unfortunately it ate quite a bit into the Saltist sales as I don't think people saw Mag seal, CRBBs, and smooth bail wire transition a worth while 100$ price jump. Beware overseas market bg's They aren't the same reel. In the US it would be a step down. Hex keyed handle shaft vs thread in is a big difference.

ya ive read Alens review, good stuff. So wait, the US model bg is a step down from the overseas bg? Or US is a step up? just curious because the bay has a good deal on one right now from a US seller

The US model is the better of the two.

The thing about the z...it's the closest thing to a van stall that you can get...Just shovel grease in the body put the sideplate back on and squeeze the grease out.....No instant antirverse clutch to worry about getting grease on.....and you can swim with it. An s shaped traverse block would have been a nice addition for sure....but 14-lb test fireline and up while it doesn' t look pretty performs great. That's why they reissued it....lots of surf casters demanded it....(but they brought the price up to 200$ which is near double what it sold for new 10 years ago...it' s not a nastalgia reel ....it's a bullet proof budget reel (buy it used for under 100) for serious surf casters who don't want to be left stuck with a dead reel...not my cup of tea...but I get it. But yeah the start is junk...I gave it to my friend who loaned me the z for this video...he sold it and ended up giving me the 100 bucks lmao

Yep, I agree both the 704 & 706 Penn reels are work horses and you can't kill them because they have those brass gears inside them and have a very simplistic design, and are easily maintained. Penn should have made some cuts on the rotor to vent out the sand like the VS it's not the water that will mess you up on the surf, but when sand gets inside the rotor it'll jam up. I own an old model 1999 VS 200 with the same drag shoe setup as the 704 Penn and I have a 2000 model 150 VS with the sealed drag & the counter wait is inside the rotor, the problem with the older model VS's that I own is when you spool them with line they cone like an hour glass. I stopped using my VS reels around 2011 because I had multiple issues with Zebco repair I always kept my VS's in warranty, and when ever something went wrong with ether of them where I had to sent one back they'd hold the reel hostage for a month and asked me for a large sum of cash, where I had to show them proof of warranty and tell them to send me back my reel and to back there bleeping warranty ! Anyway, I bought the Sargus 5000, than two Conquers 5000 & 7000, the V5000, Battle one 6000, Conflict 5000 & 6000 and one Clash 5000 & recently I won two separate bids for two CFTII5000 reels, why Penn you may ask ? Because I'm Crazy !!! No, because Zebco pissed me off enough to go back and buy and fish with Penn reels. Penn reels are relatively inexpensive and are easy to repair, & after Zebco bought out VS there customer service has never been the same. I've been following you on SOL & I've found your factual none biased study and reel product break downs on RU-vid very helpful especially when it comes down to deciding what new cost effective quality spinning reel to buy, and your tutorials are very helpful not just to me, but to someone new to surf fishing. I see you're a big fan of Daiwa spinning reels and I've read a lot of great reviews for the Daiwa BG it looks like a good a maintainable reel for the buck.. FYI, that Star Reel resembles Whistlers Mother's Singer Sewing Machine ! LOL !

Hey Vin, it's personal preference. They change the angle of grip and what part of your fingers receive the most pressure. I like round and hate t knobs...I like small and flat for freshwater finesse reels. But I dig round knobs for the salt. I don't like the shimano oblong knobs. But I love tbar handles for winching heavy loads

Tackle Advisors fasttech has the round single power handle for baitcasters for 10$

Thanks man! Honestly....i'm shocked that it's been almost a month..with this being pretty much the only review of the product...NOBODY has contacted me from the company....Not an Apology or offer to send in for repair....NOTHING!! That amazes me!

Tackle Advisors think this...is Star reels a fly by night ,flash in the pan novelty that won't be around in2 years as compared to PENN. That has been around since the 1940s or later

Makes ya wonder.....did they plan on this being a long term product with parts for years??? When i did this review I planned to get it out sooner. But the spool shaft of the penn was bent so i needed a new pinion and shaft assebly....which were readily available. Crazy thing is..Star...who was purchased by sea striker and master....who at one point bought penn...or something along those lines..so there was a relation at one point.

Tackle Advisors yes Penn was owned by sea striker several years back ..BUT I CAN STILL GET PARTS FOR ORIGINAL SS SERIES SPINNERS...how about 3-5 years from now will parts be available for star? Haha...star isn't so much a star after ur review on them ..thanks again Wayne in South Jersey not so far from Hunting park at Philly ( home of Penn) haha

Yeah.....shame that everything penn makes in terms of spinners is pretty low end....Verdict is still out on the Slammer 3...and a little birdie told me the new torque is more "chinesium" then they've let on. I'm a few clicks north in bridgewaterr! Been a tough fall run...lots of schoolies...Only a pair oceanside over 20lbs so far!

Funny thing about this reel and its pricing.. I worked a booth this spring at the big surf caster show... The shop was blowing these out for 40-50$...I'd share my experiences etc... I think we sold 4 out of the 20 at 40$...not a bad boat and mono reel... That's about the only use I felt comfortable recommending it for...lol..I was also contacted by the new star rep a year after this video came out... He thanked me for pointing out the flaws and offered anything they make at no charge as a thank you... I passed on the offer.

Thanks Rtuite. I started a thread on SOL about the Tsunami shield asking for some user feedback. It wasn't all that great. The United States version of the daiwa BG right now is the best 100$ reel for the surf. There aren't any seals. But it will hold up to the fish your after. The 4k will handle the majority of plugging applications. ANd hold a perfect amount of 30 and 40lb braid. My suggestion if you want some level of sealing. The street price on the penn spinfisher is about where you looking. Grab a US market shimano Spheros if you can stretch your budget. That's the best Lower/ Mid level priced saltwater spinner out at the moment. ((((( I bring up US market because overseas/ japanese market versions are of lower quality/ offer less in terms of features)))) BG amzn.to/2iQgKwY Spheros amzn.to/2z0t3uD

Tackle Advisors thank you for the advice. I got the tranx after watching your comparisons video and it is my favorite casting reel now. Keep up the good work!

Thanks man! No problem. Friend of mine beat the snot out of his bg. I thought for sure it wouldn't last a month....Blew my mind that it finally shit the bed last june. I worked on it last november. And it was it great shape after a few thousand lbs of bass blues. Pulled out of a 3kt current. (anchored in a saltwater river) What surprised me the most was it was the 3500. Which is a size down from the 4k!

rtruite I bought the shield 6000 last yr. Its been good to me. Used it for about 3 months fished it like 10 times. Its a decent reel

I did this back in 2012/13 www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwje1J-9jYHYAhUkZN8KHZseC8IQFggpMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stripersonline.com%2Fsurftalk%2Ftopic%2F537342-2013-cabo-50-ptscould-it-replace-my-saragosa-6000-cabo-vs-gosa-fightwell-kinda%2F&usg=AOvVaw3avDRlOhfyu2ehoIeEUz6M

Yeah. When i reassembled it i filled the gap with grease. Sanded down the spool shim a hair. And put the bail back on. WIth a hair more grease on the internals. It actually feels better than when it was new.

What brand and kind of grease and oil do you prefer to use in your reels?

For general purpose Corrosion X grease and Yamalube marine grease. For my fancy reels I've been using kryotox mixed with tungsten disulfide. Oils, I use tsi 321 and corrosion x oil (sometimes mixe with tungsten disulfide) I have them listed here (all but the tsi) www.amazon.com/shop/influencer20170928932

Thank you for the information. I am going to get some of the Corrosion X grease

Why would you say that... Its a crap reel and jandh is a great shop. Since this video I've partnered with them and talk to the owner daily. Also working with them with many projects to bring new products to market

100 bucks and it's yours!! Probably work great with 17lb 20lb mono with the bail on! The lightest drag setting is really light. (I think i mentioned that) many reels don't get that light. Great for live lining from the yak.

Not for nothing.. Penn Z reels have the longest proven track record for harsh environment longevity of any spinning reel made. No other reel comes close. Go to Montauk or block Island.. And they're all over the place landing big fish all the time.. High and dry and underwater

They have inventory but they recommend other reels in their stead. He's very up on how that reel came to be and the story behind it. He is in agreement with me on it and has seen this video. Funny how at the time I didn't know him... And now he and I are rooming at the bass master classic and icast lol.. He's a good dude and doesn't bs his customers for $$

As always. Your mileage may vary. You want to buy mine? 100$ shipped it's yours!

Jimmy Celtic do u have the same gap? Just tell me that. Do t care if u had problems.

I'm curious as well. Mine may be a casting from a different run or something. Not unheard of. Additionally when i put everything back together today. I found water and dirt in the ar clutch.

Tackle Advisors I'm going to ask my other buddies if they have had any problems with it. I don't have any of the issues you have.

piaoliang No need to be rude comment wasn't for you lol

From what I was told very recently ago by someone in the industry and in "the know". There wasn't really much in terms of R&D. HOW DO YOU PUT OUT A SURF REEL THAT YOU CAN SEE THE GEARS WHILE ON THE WATER! No excuse at all whatsoever. :)