penn slammer reels - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

snake slinger · 08-15-2004, 04:57 PM

hi iam useing a 6500 ss now thinking of going to slammer.are they better than ss.will they handel 30lb braid thanks snake slinger

BigFish · 08-15-2004, 05:03 PM

I have a 460 and I think it is a darn good reel, don't know about the braid but why not? I am picking up a 560 this week.

mikecc · 08-15-2004, 05:04 PM

They are a lot better than the SS reels and Braid friendly .The Slammer will not have premature Bail closier like the SS reels.

theSURF121 · 08-15-2004, 05:21 PM

Rumor has it that they are going to release two larger Slammers. A 660 model and 760 model.

bart · 08-15-2004, 05:38 PM

i have the 360 and 560 and don't like either. but most people seem to like them. i might have a coupla duds. sent back the 560 3 times and now it seems to work alright. i use my 704 instead, even though it doesn't match up too well weight-wise with my Loomis i still have more confidence in it than the slammer.

Karl F · 08-15-2004, 05:49 PM

Got 2 560's, love 'em, and they are braid friendly, and yes, they are better than the SS's, IMHO !

And so far, this old mono guy is loving the fireline, like the difference between wearing glove and not, and trying to tye a knot... mono being wearing the glove, braid being bare handed... can't believe I was so stubborn, fer so long.....

fishweewee · 08-15-2004, 07:14 PM

I like 'em a LOT.

Peter Lajoie · 08-15-2004, 08:47 PM

I have a 560 on a 1088.

I love it.

maddog2020 · 08-15-2004, 09:35 PM

I have had my 260 & 360 Slammers for a couple of season's now - never had a problem at all. Drags are smooth and predictable. You fish them and use them and don't have to worry about it at all. Winds mono or braid w/ no problems.

What is it about the 360 and 560 Slammers you don't like, Bart?

The Slammers aren't buttery smooth like some of the Shimanos, or Daiwa Hardbodyz. The Slammer line is a huge improvement over the older SS line.

If Penn made the Slammers in large models I wouldn't hesitate to buy some.

beachwalker · 08-16-2004, 06:37 AM

ditto

kippy · 08-16-2004, 08:22 AM

I have had good luck with the slammer 560. I put some 20lb fireline on it recently and have had no problems. They aren't as smooth as some of the shimanos but are a huge upgrade over the ss reels.

Skip N · 08-16-2004, 01:18 PM

Just picked up the 560 today.....Sports Authority has 20% off reels and seeing how i needed a new one i picked it up. Gonna try it out in the Am!

beachwalker · 08-16-2004, 01:40 PM

you'll dig it Skip

they have a nice feel and the working parts are pretty simple

John Kerry For President

BigFish · 08-16-2004, 01:46 PM

I just wish Penn's reels were a little more corrosion resistant....but I guess you can't have everything!

Bought a brand new 5600 Liveliner last fall, used it once, rinsed it off and almost immediately it began to show signs of peeling and corroding.

And I wipe em' down with wd-40 too!

jugstah · 08-16-2004, 01:56 PM

I own a Penn 9500SS and I love it.. but am beginning to experience the premature bail closure on my reel in the past few weeks, has anyone gotten a fix for it?

Also, I bought recently a Captiva Penn reel, CV8000 and I like it so far for the price I bought it at. Not as good as the Penn 9500ss but does the job.

beachwalker · 08-16-2004, 02:02 PM

Jug,

combine Bigfish's statements with your bail closure issue. I get corrosion too but with proper rinsing combined with T-9 and everything is good. The bail closure comes from a few things. Buildup in the bail hinge. Ifit is not all the way open it can sweep closed when you cast. Clean and lube but make sure you keep the lube of the line.

Bigfish,

The anodize process is cheapo on the slammers.

bart · 08-16-2004, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by maddog2020
I have had my 260 & 360 Slammers for a couple of season's now - never had a problem at all. Drags are smooth and predictable. You fish them and use them and don't have to worry about it at all. Winds mono or braid w/ no problems.

What is it about the 360 and 560 Slammers you don't like, Bart?

The Slammers aren't buttery smooth like some of the Shimanos, or Daiwa Hardbodyz. The Slammer line is a huge improvement over the older SS line.

If Penn made the Slammers in large models I wouldn't hesitate to buy some.

i had to send my 560 back 3 times because the anti-reverse kept slipping. the 360 i bought and then had to immediatley return it a day after because of the same problem. they gave me a new 360 and updated all my parts in my 560 and they seem to perform better now. ill have to give em another try.

BigFish · 08-16-2004, 02:05 PM

Yeah, I can tell BW....I like em' though, good reels! I had the premature bail closure problem with the PowerGraph line of Penn reels.

basswipe · 08-16-2004, 02:44 PM

Just my $.02 here but if you're considering a Slammer you might want to look at the Shimano Spheros line of reels also.I like it better than the Slammer and it can be had for $20-$30 cheaper.
I can find nothing good to say about Penn's SS series reels.I've had bail closure problems and complete antireverse failure on several models and a cracked rotor housing on a 5500ss along with the above mentioned problems.

Just my opinion.

jugstah · 08-16-2004, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by beachwalker
Jug,

combine Bigfish's statements with your bail closure issue. I get corrosion too but with proper rinsing combined with T-9 and everything is good. The bail closure comes from a few things. Buildup in the bail hinge. Ifit is not all the way open it can sweep closed when you cast. Clean and lube but make sure you keep the lube of the line.

Got it, will try cleaning it up sometime soon.. and give 'er a whirl and see how it does.

Skip N · 08-16-2004, 03:24 PM

Yea the 560 looks damn sweet and feels smooth....need to get it into action tomorrow and see how it does out of the box! Put on some of that yo-zuri line also....Any comments on this line? Usually use mono and have tried braid once before and didnt care for it (to many tangles!) never tried this stuff before though. Guess i'll See tomorrow if i like it or not!

beachwalker · 08-16-2004, 03:56 PM

I use the Fireline 30# and it is flawless up to now (uh oh). I tried some Power Pro last year and I was a mess. The Fire is waxier and seems to stay less wind affected. Never have tried the Zuri string. People seem to say the 60 series deals with braid well. I agree with the Fire.

And the sensitivity with the braid is amazing

20% off is a great price !

Skip N · 08-18-2004, 10:13 AM

Well, I got out this AM and tried out the new 560 slammer i picked up the other day (20% Off I might add

) and the thing seemed to work great. Nice and smooth and casted well with the Yo Zuri line i put on it. The line was quite nice also I might add, first time using that and it casted a 1 1/2oz gibbs popper great. Got a few decent blues to give it a real test and i was really happy with the reel. Note to self: adjust drag before you start fishing