Discussion Board

525 Handle Upgrade

Here are some pictures of my latest upgrade.

I was not all that happy with the handle on my 525 Mag so I decided to make a change. Here is a pic of the 525 before the change.

Here is the stock handle side by side the new handle.

Here are a couple of pictures after the change out.

The handle is a direct swap out, you use the stock nut cap and nut cap screw.

The new handle knob feels much larger than the stock and if you have big hands it may be something you may want to look at. Did I really need to do the swap for catching bass, barracuda and bonita here on the west coast? No, but more and more I find myself using lighter line after catching a couple of school sized tuna, to the dismay of some deck hands and boats that want to keep their catch rates high and that's why I went for the change. Also, for the last couple of years the tuna locally have been line shy so lighter line has been the norm. I feel this handle will work better for me while fighting larger fish on light line. The handle did not add any noticeable weight increase over the stock but the knob does feel a little big to me. I wish Penn would of had something in between the stock knob and the replacement though I'm sure I will get use to it. It just may feel a bit funny because it is something new.

04/05/2012 09:56 PM

Moderator
The Tackle Board

Joined: 04/22/2007
Posts: 7031

MarkT

re: 525 Handle Upgrade

Nice! I have Daiwa SL handles on my GS reels but have been meaning to try the handle off my Fathom 12 on the 525 Mag to see how it goes.

Mark
When I was your age Pluto was a Planet

04/06/2012 05:42 AM

re: 525 Handle Upgrade

MarkT wrote:
Nice! I have Daiwa SL handles on my GS reels but have been meaning to try the handle off my Fathom 12 on the 525 Mag to see how it goes.

The Fathom handles will not work, you need to get a Torque handle.

04/06/2012 06:19 AM

Joined: 02/14/2007
Posts: 7007

Brad_G

re: 525 Handle Upgrade

I also do not like at all the stock Penn handles and replaced mine. Both the SL and the Trinidad handles work, although you probably will have to "drift" the hole of the retaining screw a bit.

edit--someone sent me a PM asking a question, which forced me to look more carefully at my 525 mag. I have a Trinidad handle on it, but its an older model; I'm not sure if the current ones will work. But be sure that the bend in the handle clears the star of the star drag--look at the pictures of the original post to see how the star just fits inside where the bend in the handle starts.

Brad_G

Common Sense is not Common Enough

This post edited by Brad_G 04/18/2012

04/06/2012 09:10 AM

re: 525 Handle Upgrade

I switched the stock to daiwa handle on my 525mag. It's better but slippery when wet. I added finger tape to improve the grip
Mick

Brad_G wrote:
I also do not like at all the stock Penn handles and replaced mine. Both the SL and the Trinidad handles work, although you probably will have to "drift" the hole of the retaining screw a bit.

Mick

04/06/2012 09:44 AM

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Rodbuilding

Joined: 05/12/2004
Posts: 4869

J_AkuHed

re: 525 Handle Upgrade

Nice! Typical Penn cheap a** handle! They've taken to the Shimano style "intro new models for mo' money" approach!
I must say I do like the new Penn equivalent to the 525 Mag, the Penn Squal, even though they still use a cheap a** handle. . .

Hana pa'a!

04/06/2012 10:20 AM

re: 525 Handle Upgrade

I read the new penn squall doesn't cast as well as the 525. Guess its a thread steal.

J_AkuHed wrote:
Nice! Typical Penn cheap a** handle! They've taken to the Shimano style "intro new models for mo' money" approach!
I must say I do like the new Penn equivalent to the 525 Mag, the Penn Squal, even though they still use a cheap a** handle. . .

Mick

This post edited by Mickyfin 04/06/2012

04/06/2012 10:57 AM

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The Tackle Board

Joined: 04/22/2007
Posts: 7031

MarkT

re: 525 Handle Upgrade

Yeah, the holes in the Fathom are square rather than rectangular.

Mark
When I was your age Pluto was a Planet

04/07/2012 06:24 PM

re: 525 Handle Upgrade

Here is another picture giving you a better handle knob to reel size comparison view.

04/08/2012 07:50 PM

alantani

Joined: 05/09/2007
Posts: 129

re: 525 Handle Upgrade

nicely done!

04/09/2012 07:53 AM

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The Tackle Board

Joined: 04/22/2007
Posts: 7031

MarkT

re: 525 Handle Upgrade

I like the looks of that handle enough that I ordered one this morning (4/9). I'll see how it feels on my 525 Mag. I could always try it on a 535 or 545 as well.

I ordered it from pennparts.com which is Scott's Bait and Tackle in NJ. Handle was $18.50 + 5.45 shipping for a total of $23.95. The Penn SKU is 24-TRQ40, additional SKU is 1229501.

The handle showed up today (4/12). It feels great! Big improvement over the Daiwa handle and waaaaaay better than the stock handle. Thanks again for the heads up.

Mark
When I was your age Pluto was a Planet

This post edited by MarkT 04/18/2012

04/16/2012 09:55 PM

re: 525 Handle Upgrade

I'm glad it worked out for you and I am also happy with the switch over. Now I just need to catch something worth while and really give it a test.

04/18/2012 07:00 AM

re: 525 Handle Upgrade

placed my order this A.M.
thanks, Mick

MarkT wrote:
I like the looks of that handle enough that I ordered one this morning (4/9). I'll see how it feels on my 525 Mag. I could always try it on a 535 or 545 as well.

I ordered it from pennparts.com which is Scott's Bait and Tackle in NJ. Handle was $18.50 + 5.45 shipping for a total of $23.95. The Penn SKU is 24-TRQ40, additional SKU is 1229501.

The handle showed up today (4/12). It feels great! Big improvement over the Daiwa handle and waaaaaay better than the stock handle. Thanks again for the heads up.

Mick

04/22/2012 06:48 PM