The Gomexus TPE Power Knob 27mm is doing a touch more for me than just being a replacement spinning reel handle
As much as I like some of the more workmanlike Penn Slammer and Authority spinning reels for a lot of my bass fishing, I am not going to turn to these reels when things get all finesse. I know the reels and what they do for me, but I also understand what they were designed for. Punching lighter lures on lighter lure rods is time for me to turn to different reels…………
When I turn to lighter lures and/or lighter lure rods, I tend to turn to a Shimano spinning reel in the 2500 or C300 size (same body size as the 2500, but with a larger capacity spool and therefore a slightly larger bale arm assembly). Could be a Daiwa or some other brand of course, but I do like some of the Shimano reels, and I tend to know what to keep an eye on with oiling and greasing and so on. Most spinning reels I have come across have some kind of quirk that you either get to know and work with, or else you don’t and you end up with problems.
The Penn Slammer IV 2500 reel handle
Maybe it’s just me here, but I am fairly particular when it comes to the handle on a spinning reel. I happen to think that the actual handle knobs on the Penn Slammer and Authority reels are perfect, whereas on most of the 2500 and C3000 Shimano reels I know or have seen, I find those T-shape handle knobs a bit annoying. It’s not as if the world is going to stop turning I might add, but we all like what we like, and I also tend to feel that the actual handle length could do with being a smidgen longer on those two sizes of Shimano spinning reels. Those older Shimano Twin Power XD C3000 spinning reels which just kept on going and going for me are incredible reels - with what I think is a better design of handle knob - but I always wanted a slightly longer handle length because it just feels better to me when you are retrieving a lure. When I unscrew the handle unit off say a 4000 or C5000 size Shimano reel and put it on a smaller C3000 to see what it feels like, that bit of extra length always feels better to me.
A good few years ago one of our anglers in Ireland turned up with some different looking handle knobs on his Shimano reels that I had never seen before. I obviously asked what they were - Gomexus TPE Power Knob 27mm - and I bought one when I got home to put on a (previous generation) Shimano Vanford C3000HG spinning reel. I prefer this setup way more than the T-shape the reel came with. Not that long ago I bought a cork version of the 27mm Gomexus handle to see what it was like - lovely! - and removed that original red coloured Gomexus TPE Power Knob 27mm from the Vanford and put it on a (previous generation) Shimano Stradic FL 2500HG spinning reel which has had a proper hammering and still feels great.
And because I like these specific Gomexus replacement handle knobs so much now, I bought another one to put on another Shimano C3000 spinning reel. What we need to ignore here is that I have very serious lure fishing tackle issues, so glossing over that leads me to something else about these specific 27mm Gomexus TPE replacement handles. Remember how I said a bit earlier that I’d prefer a slightly longer overall handle length on the 2500 and C3000 Shimano spinning reels? Well these 27mm Gomexus TPE replacement handles are a bit longer than any handle design I have ever found on any 2500 or C3000 Shimano spinning reels I have fished with or seen, in that the replacement Gomexus handle knob sticks out a bit further from the actual handle bit…………..
Which in turn now means that I have got a slightly longer handle assembly. You are turning the actual handle a bit further away from the reel body. A replacement reel handle knob has given me that slightly longer overall handle which to me makes these smaller reels feel a good bit better again than they already do. Obsessing about minor details we might well be on a Monday morning at the start of June, but I can’t control how my brain works around the whole fishing obsession - and I really like these replacement handle knobs. Are they going to catch me any more bass though? Give me some credit here, I know the answer to that, but it doesn’t stop me twiddling these lovely TPE replacement handle knobs on a regular basis!
If you end up trying one out, I remove the Shimano handle knob and the Shimano bearings and keep them somewhere safe, then I follow the instructions contained within the Gomexus packaging to fit the replacement handle knob - very easy! A couple of new bearings and relevant spacers are included, make sure to oil them up. If I can fit these handles without any hassle then you can as well.
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