Fathom II 15 SDCS

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First let me say that I am a loyal Penn Bigot having in excess of 50 Penn Reels from the early models to most recent for both surf and boat use.  I still have my original Squidder’s, Surfmaster’s, 970 and 980 Power Mags, the 525’s, Squalls, and four Fathom I’s.  I recently purchased the Fathom II 15 SDCS.  Out of the box, the reel is fast and smooth and I like the looks, the feel, and the additional line capacity.  

But I must say there are two design flaws that I would hope you pass on to the product managers and / or designers.  First, the reel seat is a wee bit too small for larger rods and the reel wobbles in the seat.  I cannot tighten the reel seat enough on my 13-foot rods to eliminate the slight wobble. Additionally, if I try to use the reel clamp, the screws are too close together in the reel seat and don’t fit over the rod. 

Second, is an issue with the knobby mag.  Let me say that I like the location of the knob and I like the fact that the clicker was moved to the top of the reel. Plus, the mag is very effective and works great, but the knob digs into the back of the wrist when reeling in.  It simply protrudes too far. Plus, there is no dial or indication of which direction to turn the knob to increase or decrease the mag settings. Moreover, there was no instruction in the literature that came with the reel. The picture on the instruction manual appears to be a Fathom I and not the Fathom II.  Through trial and error, I find there are 16 clicks for the mags and I now know the direction to turn the knob to increase and decrease the mags.  That information should have been in the instruction manual. I may be alone, but I feel a dial, similar to what was used on the squalls, would be more effective than the knob for mag control.  If there is a sideplate, either original stock or aftermarket, that has a dial instead of the knob for mag control, I am interested and will purchase it.

I originally thought I would be upgrading my Fathom I’s with Fathom II’s but this knob issue will prevent that. Please pass this on to your product management folks in hopes Penn will make a sideplate available with a dial vs the current knob.

[PENN Fishing]

Thanks for the feedback. 

 

The reel seat is the same seat we have used on multiple models of the 15's, and it works on our heavier rods such as the Carnage II 12 ft models which is why we used it here. Some 13ft models use a much larger DPS style seat though which is where your issue is most likely coming in.

 

We do make a dial version as well. Our standard Fathom II 15SD now has mags in the left side plate (same style as Squall), and uses a dial instead. It is designed as a more "set it and forget it" style of mag, with a higher resistance to turn and recessed into the sideplate. The reason the knob sticks out the way that it does, and has a lower resistance is for ease of adjustment mid cast on the casting special.  The knob and the dial are interchangeable, so you could swap that part if you want. 

 

Ben

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Ben,

I appreciate the response. I have been all over the Penn Website and the other 3 parts sale sites referenced on the Penn Site looking for that part. I can find no reference to a different side plate. In fact the Penn Fathom II SDCS doesnt even show on two of those sites. What is the part number for the sideplate with the dial and where can I buy it?

[PENN Fishing]

It is not the entire sideplate you need to replace. You just need the dial to replace the knob.  

 

You need to replace part 302B-FTHII15SDCS (knobby dial on your reel) with 302B-525MAG2 (#1214682) which is the same dial on the Squall reels and the standard Fathom II 15SD.

 

You can call our parts department and they can handle it for you. (800) 892-5444

 

**Edit - pull the left sideplate off, and unscrew the knob. The dial is a direct replacement.

 

Ben

Edited February 24, 2020 by PENN Fishing

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Thank you Ben for the quick reply and part number. I just ordered it from Scotts (Mystic). Again, Thank You!

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For anyone reading this you need 2 parts.  You need the dial part number 302 B and you need the screw to hold the dial, part number 302 H. The screw is different for the dial vs the one for the knob.

[Surfjunki]

On 2/24/2020 at 8:18 AM, PENN Fishing said:

Thanks for the feedback. 

 

The reel seat is the same seat we have used on multiple models of the 15's, and it works on our heavier rods such as the Carnage II 12 ft models which is why we used it here. Some 13ft models use a much larger DPS style seat though which is where your issue is most likely coming in.

 

We do make a dial version as well. Our standard Fathom II 15SD now has mags in the left side plate (same style as Squall), and uses a dial instead. It is designed as a more "set it and forget it" style of mag, with a higher resistance to turn and recessed into the sideplate. The reason the knob sticks out the way that it does, and has a lower resistance is for ease of adjustment mid cast on the casting special.  The knob and the dial are interchangeable, so you could swap that part if you want. 

 

Ben

To elaborate on this.. are there any other differences between the sdcs and the sd versions? Such as bearing type etc.? I want to pick up two to play around with and prefer the squall style mag plate and dial so trying to decide whether to buy the SDCS and convert dial or save time and effort and just buy the SD.

[Catch This]

I am not an engineer, just a fisherman with over 30 years throwing conventional reels starting with the Penn Squidder, thru the Power Mag Models, to the 525’s, then Squall, and now Fathoms.  I  side tracked on the Abu’s and Diawa Saltist, but came back to Penn when they introduced the Fathom. The original Fathoms were great. They had six (6) brakes.  If the reel was too fast you could turn off 1 brake or all six. For me, turning two (2) of the brakes off was the sweet spot. For a friend of mine turning three (3) off worked better for him.  Other’s may not need to turn off any of the brakes, but I found I need to just to slow it down a little.  The Fathom II’s have magnets not brakes. That is a big difference.

Again, I am a fisherman, I don’t need the knobby mag to adjust my cast when throwing weight and bait. I will adjust the spool speed for the wind conditions by increasing or decreasing the knock with the spool adjustment.  If I get fluff during a cast, I will slow it down with my thumb.  I don’t need a knobby mag to make adjustments during a cast.  Someone in a distance casting competition would probably want the knob to slow it down during flight.  Frankly I see no reason for the knobby mag except for those that are in distance casting competition. By the way, there are 16 clicks on the Magnet adjustments and there is a major difference in spool speed between running the magnets wide open vs closing them down. I do my own maintenance and I do take the reels apart when I get them. I flush the bearings and use TS321 oil. I regrease the gears and put Cals Drag grease on the drags. I want my reels to fish.

The reel seats are the same on both the Fathom I and Fathom II. It is small; It works great on my heavers that are 12’ and shorter. The Reel seat on my 13’ rods is bigger and the Fathoms (both I and II) do not fit as well.  The seat on the fathoms are loose in the seat (on the 13 footers) and have a slight wobble.  You almost need a strap wrench to tighten the seat down enough to remove the wobble.  They moved the clicker location on the Fathom II to accommodate the knobby mag.  I like the new location of the clicker being higher on the side plate.

Having said all of that, I don’t know if the bearings are the same or not. You would have to ask Penn, but I bet they are the same.  The other big difference in the reels is the spool is wider on the Fathom II and holds more line than the Fathom I.  I will also add both Fathoms fit my hands well.  I like to spool height on both the Fathom I and II and the way they feel.  I also like the 6:1 retrieve.

Based on my limited experience, the differences are:

• ·        Cosmetic, the Fathom II is all black and doesn’t have the gold trim the Fathom I did.

• ·        The Spool is wider on the Fathom II with more line capacity.

• ·        Fathom II has magnets vs brakes on the Fathom I. This is the biggest difference to me.

• ·        The reel seats are the same (too small for 13’ heavers)

• ·        The clicker is higher on the Fathom II side plate. (I like this change)

• ·        The knob for the mag on the Fathom II digs into my wrist on the retrieve.

Last point, according to an earlier post from Penn, the Fathom I is now Manufacture discontinued. I did purchase another Fathom I before they are all gone. It was and is a great reel.  I like both the Fathom I and II and will use both.

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Here is a before and after picture of the knob vs the dial.

[Stewie]

The only shortcoming(in my eyes) of the Fathoms is that they do not sport the chrome bar across the front like the 525Mag. This was a handy place to put your thumb to keep tension on the line when working pencil poppers. The front edge of the Fathoms rolls up, stopping your thumb before the line reaches the spool edge.

This doesn't stop me from thinking the Fathoms are the best available reels, but it's a handy excuse for being lazy and not using pencils

[PENN Fishing]

On 2/29/2020 at 9:50 PM, Surfjunki said:

To elaborate on this.. are there any other differences between the sdcs and the sd versions? Such as bearing type etc.? I want to pick up two to play around with and prefer the squall style mag plate and dial so trying to decide whether to buy the SDCS and convert dial or save time and effort and just buy the SD.

Sorry Surfjunki - just saw your post now. 

 

There are a few differences between the SD and SDCS, but first I'll say that the line capacity remained relatively close from the Fathom I vs the Fathom II (the casting special is the oddball), the main difference was the addition of the fast gear access sideplate, as well as the introduction of many new models (left hands and the casting specials). We also now have an eccentric lever and drag that can be disengaged while under load (this is a common trait across most star drag reels). The Fathom II CS is the only reel to see a great difference. 

 

Differences from SD to SDCS:

1.) Spool has the same outer dimensions, but we cut a lot of weight out of it which increased line capacity substantially. This was to make it easier to start up on the cast, resulting in longer casts, and it has the additional capacity to handle super long casts.

2.) The dial was swapped to a knobby mag for the guys looking for extreme distance. As is noted in this thread, if the dial is preferred, it is an easy swap. The knobby also has less resistance built in, as it is meant to be adjusted on the fly, the dial is more of a "set it and forget it". The Squall dial is the same part used on the standard Fathom 15SD. 

3.) The spool bearings are indeed different. The standard Fathom II 15SD has pretty standard shielded bearings in the spool. The CS has very specialized, high performance bearings in the spool which are designed with maximum spin in mind. The remainder of the bearings remain the same throughout the reel. 

 

Hope this helps.

Ben

[PENN Fishing]

6 hours ago, Stewie said:

The only shortcoming(in my eyes) of the Fathoms is that they do not sport the chrome bar across the front like the 525Mag. This was a handy place to put your thumb to keep tension on the line when working pencil poppers. The front edge of the Fathoms rolls up, stopping your thumb before the line reaches the spool edge.

This doesn't stop me from thinking the Fathoms are the best available reels, but it's a handy excuse for being lazy and not using pencils

The Squalls still have the bar that you are referring to. 

 

Ben

[NewestGuyOnStripersOnline]

Any idea where they're in stock?

[luckyOC]

Ben,

 

Any additional info on the bearings on the SDCS?... they are different size than the SD, are they stainless?.  First thing i do with any reel is take out the spool bearings, and clean and oil them, so i noticed.

 

picked up a 12SD and the SDCS this off-season, looking forward to seeing what they can do... if they cast equal to or better as the 1's, then ill be pretty happy.

[Gerrim12]

luckyOC,

Any new feedback on the 12SD vs 15SDCS after maybe having compared both their abilities.

Thanks, Gerry