Penn Affinty LC8000 in English

Here you can read my review of the Penn Affinity 8000 I recently bought. 




Its in English...... Well at least i tried 

Introduction

First I want to emphasize that I have no ties to a manufacturer or a retailer. Also, I review this with no discussion about the mill, but just hope that I can help others who still have doubts about this reel.
I love to occasionally buy something new and test and my latest acquisition is the latest reel Penn Affinity 8000. I saw it a few months ago on an Internet site passing by and was immediately fond of it, I just had to have him!  When prices were once known I was a little bit diassapointed because the reel would have cost 160 euros and I had expected a lower price. Directly with the Penn Affinity came the Surf Blaster but because I could buy only one I chose Affinity for the appearance, bearing and titanium parts. The price of the Surf Blaster is around 130 euros.

The box
First a picture of the box

Beautiful transfer of 4.2 to 1 (ie at one turn of the crank rotor is around 4.2 times) when the transfer increases the retrieve rate will rise but at the expense of the power of the mill. 

Note the weight of 715 grams, because I shall return to later.

Oops!

Penn is no longer made in America, but the Chinese are getting better is manufacturing so maybe there's still a nice reel in the box.

The box contains the reel and the two aluminum spools and I'm looking for the operating and maintenance instructions. Unfortunately, everything I come across a piece of paper with an exploded view drawing of the reel with this form numbers. Handy because you know what to order when the reel is broken.

Quite a few small pieces hey!

The spools

So go look at the spools. The two are both made of aluminum and have a well finished look. I suspect that the parts are casted and CNC turned (on a lathe) later.
The first spool is tapered nicely done and is designed for braided line is very shallow. It is 300 meters 18/00 thread so that's be fine. The spool also has two (!) Line clips witch are securely attached to the spool and they are also large enough for a thicker line. In the spool are small holes drilled to fasten this line. I find a convenient solution for I always do it with other spools themselves.
There are also vents in the spool fitted, but I suspect this is mainly done from an aesthetic standpoint. The slip is nice and solid just I do not understand why they drag system on the top to close with a plastic plate.
.

In this picture the plastic plate wich is fastened with 4 screws. There is also clear that the hole through which the axis should not always aligned.You must then go to all the mess to get good alignement and it will cost you again some time. My Penn Sargus has the same problem and I had hoped that Penn would have solved this problem

The second spool is suitable for nylon and is much deeper. It is 340 meters on 40/00 wire and this spool is conical only much less than the first. The upper edge of the coil goes from thick to thin. Unfortunately, this coil, has only one line clip and no holes for the line. Vents are in this spool is also sadly forgotten.

The reel

Now proceed with the reel. I am interested in the titanium axis and remove the spool off the reel. This is very easy and quickly to remove the spool. Than we see a plastic gear on the shaft for the slip(ratller)

This gear is easy to take off but it is firm enough to not accidentally lose him. And then you see it.A beautiful solid titanium axel (axis?), the famous bronze bushing with nut and two lumps of metal that apparently sit there to balance the reel. This works the same as those pieces of lead they put on your car wheel  in the garage for balancing the wheel.

On the rotor I discover something funny: The wipers-like that just does not wash out if they run past it. I have no idea what these are but they are not in the way so it does not benefit or hurt to try.

The line roller is nice and big and runs very smoothly with the integrated ball bearing.The bracket is made of titanium and is pretty slim but has a large diameter.

The pendulum is made of aluminum with a good wear-resistant coating consists of two parts so you can easily fold it so that the mill is less space for storage. Between the two parts is a lock-pin but I'm not sure what its added value is.

The handle is nice and big and has a rubber surface.

The pendulum is on the right hand tightened with a plastic cap in which a bolt is cast. Too bad that this cap is not made entirely of metal but Shimano also do it that way. Also included is a plastic screw this frutseltje (dutch word for little thingy) which causes the bolt properly aligned in the hole. Its als like Shimano does it and I regret that this is used, you can so easily lose it and it could made and better.

Here you can see the bearing on right side of the reel. It is a bearing with a seal against dirt, but unfortunately not waterproof.

Here's to the right side of the mill to see the rubber seal to make the reel "waterproof" .(The black line between the gray areas is a rubber gasket)

By loosen two small screws on the reel you can disassemble a part of the reel and the you can see a part of the inside. Here you can also see the rubber gasket

And here we discover a small bearing. There is also good to see that beneath the glossy plastic is hidden  a significantly better plastic. In this better plastic are al the bearings etc fixed/

Unfortunately now we see that the rubber gasket is not much use because it has not quite connected to the part that you see on the picture

Why this section had to be made removable is not clear to me because it easily could have been otherwise with the rubber gasket not have been necessary.

The anti-reverse button, I have no picture but on the other photos can be seen. He is certainly sturdy and large carried out and was on top so you can see it well.

Total Picture

And finally I put the reel on a scale. Here you can see the reel is heavier than what the manufacturer promised on the box, but it is only 40 grams.

He is certainly lighter than the Shimano Ultegra XSB

Just compare with two other beach mills (Penn Sargus 8000 and a Shimano Ultegra XSB )

The Use

Now about using the ree; because that is obviously all about. I have used the reel one time on the North Pier in IJmuiden with a strong current and lots of fish and a now (22-01) several times on the beach.
On the use of the reel, I can only say one thing, great!
What a wonderful tool for fishing. The cast is very smooth and slow oscillating system clearly proves its usefulness. The line runs very smoothly from the reel and hand line bracket remains firmly open until you close it yourself does.

Here we can see that the line is pretty tightly wound on.

When in hauling in a fish the reel is calm without any budge. It turned in with fish and the natural flow gives much weight on the line, but here too the reel quietly do its job. Nothing in the reel gives even the slightest idea that the mill would find the work too hard or not possible. The gears do their work silently, and the line is wounded on tightly.

The slip is in a few turns loose and secure and this is for us fishermen especially easy if you go rigging ans have to wind the line through the eyes. But make not the mistake  rigging with the bracket open up because you have a birdsnest straight because the line springs of the conical spool easily. I think this is not a problem because I always make use of the slip in the rigging. 

The drag knob  is made of metal.

Conclusion

Beautiful reel perfect to use for beachfishing. Time will tell how durable the reel is but considering the materials used in this relevant places, I think this all is well. Too bad Penn has dropped some stitches but maybe I'm just too critical on some points.
In any case I have not regretted the purchase and would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a good ree; for a reasonable price.

The reel in its element