Yep, with no direct replacement. Okuma had this territory almost all to themselves the past couple years, but for Penn's Torque star drags at +$100. However Daiwa and Release/Truth are both coming to market with high end star drags...at plus $100 or so. The Cedros reels could have done well in that mix, but that's not Okuma's way. They look at numbers closely, forecast realistically and have the ability to move swiftly where they see opportunity or get off something if they feel the numbers don't reach economies of scale.
Are they working on something at the moment, or just keeping the Cortez to support the current void in star drags? Can't wait to see their new 450 size Komodo! I just hope they don't do the red and gray. Maybe a black and gray instead.
Mark -- Can you tell us more about the new incarnation Pro Gear? Is there a new owner? Have the reels been significantly redesigned? And perhaps most importantly: Pro Gears used to have a reputation of being prone to corrosion. Has this issue been addressed?
Yishi was the guy behind PG in the past, he's back with his brother in the new incarnation of the firm. I can't speak to the former corrosion issue much more than say that in my estimation they were no worse than "accuratized/tibbed-out" Penn's of the past. More care was needed with the reels in terms of lubrication and servicing than other non-upgraded reels of their day. That was my feel then and now regarding older PG pieces. The new ones are not being produced in CA, they are built in Taiwan and probably inherent weaknesses in terms of dissimilar metals and corrosion have improved as a consequence. Use of stainless gears also should represent an improvement. Design has advanced from the old days. AK, you know more about internals than I. The new reels got my attention based upon feel, much like my take on Okuma's turn around in quality when they came out with the Cavala and later Makaira series reels. They simply felt "right" and got my attention. I'll be interested in your feedback once you play with one at your place.
Yea, I'd love to have one to pop open and check out. Maybe one will magically appear in the shop. Maybe. As for PG corrosion relative to Accurate upgrades: From my experience they both did have corrosion problems but for some reason the upgraded reels seemed to have been cared for a bit better. Still none of them had the corrosion problems I still see with Shimano.
