Customer Reviews With Photos
Comparing this reel (15 SD) to the squall 15 SDCS (casting special), the CS has somewhat better spool bearings and a wider spool. Free spool time is about the same but the CS is noticably smoother . A bearing upgrade to the 15SD should bring it up to the refinement level of the CS or maybe even too fast (haven't tried). My big peeve with all these reels is the undersized reel clamp and foot . I can deal with this on the squall 15SD but on the 15SDCS with a high line capacity and meant to work with big powerful surf rods .... SMH ... someone at Penn needs to be fired . My second peeve is that the line capacity is misleading . I added a pic with 300 yards of 20 lb braid wound on tight and it's pretty much at the 100 % line . The theoretical line capacity is 510 yards of 20 lb braid so the discrepancy is not MINOR. I had intended to add 100+ yards of mono top shot over the braid but will have to re-evaluate now. The magnet does seem to affect the reel as predicted and that's one of the main reasons to own this or the CS reel. I'll update my review after testing the reel out if needed. The Squalls are often described as Fathoms with graphite bodies .On inspecting the internals , I discovered that the squalls don't have a safety anti reverse (dogleg).. while the Fathoms do. Another piece of cost engineering / product handicapping by the marketing / beancounting departments . Overall, the issues I pointed out with these reels might not affect everyone but they are real issues and folks need to know about them (did I mention something about someone at Penn needing to be fired ?). Apart from
These Penn Fierce reels have held up better than many of my more expensive spinning reels. I own several Fierce reels that are 5 years old, and they still work great, and I fish them regularly. They require very little maintenance, and as far as I can tell are virtually indestructible. I wish I could say that about my Pfluger reels which cost twice as much. I also own Penn Battle reels, which are about twice the price of a Fierce model. They are great reel as well, but when fighting a big fish, I can't tell you any significant difference. That's why I don't think there is any reason to spend more money on any other brand or model of reel. They work perfectly, and they are built like a tank. You won't be replacing these bad boys very often. I own Penn Fierce 5000, 6000, model reels, and I got the Fierce 8000 to attach to an 8' Heavy action rod for reef and open water jigging off the Atlantic coast of Florida. The reel case is well sealed, with a removable handle for maintenance. The spool is drilled out to make the newer models lighter, and the Bail wire is nice and thick with little or no flex (an improvement over the older Fierce models). The drag is easily accessible and adjustable with the top dial. The drag is very strong and can be adjusted mid-fight with ease. Love these reels, and I won't ever buy another brand, as long as they make them.
Today I went out and used this rod for the SECOND time. I was on Canaveral Princess head boat and I hooked a maybe 8 lb Cobia. This rod snapped like nothing right in the middle of the fight and all the fisherman on the boat started yelling. "MUST BE A PENN!" Upon conversations with other experienced fisherman today they told me to never buy a Penn rod. I'm nearly 70 years old and I've bought numerous rods in my life. Probably 50 or so. This is the first time I've EVER had a rod break that easy. Penn, you need to do better. The word is spreading. - P O'd Fisherman.
This feedback is based on initial assessments as a true review could take months of use. I just got mine last week. But I want to share some info I think is important. It is well built; it is smooth; and it does have a lot of drag. That said, like most things, it isn't perfect. First off, the elephant in the room...yes, it is the current 7+1 version. Penn stated in a forum post on Stripers Online website that all reels made starting September 2017 were made with the line roller bearing. As you will see from the photo (L18) that mine was manufactured in December 2018, and it IS the 7+1 model. I first purchased one from my local shop and returned it when I found out it was the older model. FYI, the sticker with the code is on the reel after you take off the spool. Pros: 1. Well built, including all machined brass gearing 2. Well sealed - IPX6 rated. I actually like that there is a 3rd party verification and rating system used here. I am not a fan of Shimano's "X" ratings and "Core" ratings. It's just marketing names. 3. Smooth drag; I admit I haven't used it in full practice yet, so take that with a grain of salt 4. Smooth action; it is smooth, but not as good when put next to Daiwa. Those are ridiculously smooth. The Slammer feels very slighly geary next to those. But not enough to complain about it. Cons: 1. Minimum drag - same complaint as everyone else; you can remove the drag cap and still not go very low. It's odd. I will say this one I have from pennoutlet.com is better than the 2 year old one I initially purchased from my local shop. Drag feels a little lighter. In practice it will likely be fine matched up with the 20 lb braid I'm currently running. According to Tackle Advisors, the minimum he experience was about 1-2 lbs. It feels close to that, but didn't bother to measure. Value: Well, value is subjective and personal. I will say I think the jump from the Spinfisher VI to this is appropriate. You primarily gain 2 extra bearings, a brass main gear and what I feel is a better handle. If you don't care about the little extra smoothness from more bearings, and the handle isn't important to you, the Spinfisher VI is better deal, especially at 6500 and above (where the main gear becomes brass like the Slammer). According to Tackle Advisors, the sealing in the VI (not the live liner models) is the same as the Slammer. In that case, you nearly get a Slammer for 2/3rds the price. For me, I noticed the extra smoothness of the extra bearings, and I like the handle so much better that I was going to put the Slammer handle on the Spinfisher VI anyway. Even with the current cost (as of today) of the Spinfisher VI 4500 at $142 and the cost of the Slammer handle at $65 on Ebay, that's $207. That's better than the $250 of the Slammer III 4500...except I got the Slammer III 4500 for $187 on pennoutlet.com. Soooo, that's a no brainer for me. I think I got a good version of a good reel. I think will work perfectly for my inshore Florida needs. And I believe at $187, it is a great value.
This is not what I was led to believe I would be getting I thought I would be getting a 1 lb tub or 100 .25 Oz tubes.
