Wednesday Review... Penn 525 Mag 2 Multiplier Reel

This entry was posted on 23rd October, 2013

Penn 525 Mag 2 Multiplier Reel Review

For years I’ve owned a pair of the original Penn 525 Mags, they have been fantastic servants and have been well and truly used and abused, they been cast hundreds, if not thousands of times and have cranked many large Cod, Smoothound and Bass from the surf.

But in one sad evening in June, they gave up the ghost, it was one cast two far and they had to be retired! I could have probably got them re-serviced and fixed, but I thought it was about time I invested in some new ones!

After a loving relationship of nearly 8 years, I needed a new, younger, sportier model! I couldn’t possibly be unfaithful; there was only one choice…



That choice was the Penn 525 Mag 2, the predecessor to my original Mags.

Now I haven’t used them yet, so I cannot write my own review, but as soon as I have I will, but for now here is a superb review from Roger Mortimore of Total Sea Fishing.

Roger takes a close look at the new 525 Mag 2 to find out if the recent improvements make it better than the original…

The first thing you notice about this reel is its smart black and gold livery and when you pick it up you can feel that it’s been made lighter.

The features that caught my eye are the knurled strip in the centre of the spool to give the knot a better grip; this stops the line slipping under pressure. The side of the spool has three scribed lines, primarily to let you know how much line is left, or an indication of how far you’ve cast. The forged aluminium spool is on a ‘live’ spindle, allowing it to ‘free-float’ during a cast; this causes less drag and increased performance. It is better balanced for longer casts and has a capacity of 280 yards of 15lb or 240 yards of 17lb mono.



The star drag has a click adjustment to give precise settings and is fitted with HT-100 versa drag washers that can be changed around to give more or less drag. The dial-in mag brake also clicks as you adjust it so your settings are more precise and with the mags full on it’s difficult to get an overrun.

The true test is to get it clamped to a rod, on the beach and wound up to the max and tested in a fishing situation. Also packed in the box with the reel is a bottle of Penn’s synthetic reel oil and a tube of Penn precision reel grease plus a rod clamp and screws and a screwdriver/spanner.

I loaded the spool with 15lb mono and filled it just shy of the outer scribed line topped with a 60lb shockleader. It was now time for action and six sessions on different beaches in different conditions provided me with very good feedback on its performance.

One day I had a light tailwind so I set the mags near minimum and let fly, with no line lift at all. Another day with a stiff headwind I had to dial up more mag braking to tame the spool revs and once I’d found the best setting I could cast very hard into the wind without any problem.



The only niggle I could find was after I’d cast and got the lead settled in, I backed the drag a little so a large fish could take line instead of pulling the rod in. I had to back the drag off quite a bit before it gave line then I had to tighten it up a little to achieve the correct tension. This is probably because everything is brand new and stiff but it should loosen up with constant use.

I was a fan of the original 525 and now, after several sessions with the new version, I’m impressed. The whole reel has been engineered to be lighter and stronger than the original model.

The new features I like are the knurled strip in the centre of the spool, plus the ‘clicks’ on the star drag and mag adjustment as this means you can make precise settings. This reel is definitely worth checking out!

Information Bearings: Six plus one anti-reverse bearing Gear ratio: 6:1 Spool capacity: 280 yards of 15lb or 240 yards 17lb mono RRP: £199.99

TSF Ratings Appearance: 10/10 Fishing: 10/10 Value for money: 10/10

Buy The Penn 525 Mag 2 Online