So, to be clear, there's SALTWATER rated and IN THE SURF rated, as far as I'm concerned.

You can pretty much use any reel in the saltwater, as long as you don't get it IN the saltwater. What I mean is if you're on a boat and fishing, just rinse your reels real well when you get home. Most any reel will do (But naturally you want a good drag).

However, if you're IN the surf line, meaning you're wading in the surf and fishing actively, there's a huge difference on how the reels will perform. The reason is the Surf offers all kinds of issues that gum up reels really quick. When standing in the surf, of course, your reel is going to get pounded by saltwater, but there's other elements, such as that very, very fine "Grit" that's in the surf water, as well as active normal sized sand. That fine "grit" (About like talcum or dust) is the reel destroyer. I've had numerous reels I had to open up and completely cleanse after a day of surf fishing. That grit binds with the grease and will completely fail a reel (To where you literally can't crank the reel anymore).

So I rate saltwater reels as from a boat and IN the surf.

These Penn Spinfisher series are truly surf rated. They are VERY durable. I've had these reels completely submerged in the surf water, 20 yards into the surf (Sometimes you have to put the reel end in the water and climb your pole to remove tangles with Braid, and so on). These Penn reels have delivered and continued to operate. the reels are IPX5 sealed and rated very well. I have numerous sizes like the 2500, 3500, 4500, Live liner on some and the 5500 and 5500 Long cast.. I haven't had to go any bigger than that, and I've played 40 pound skates and rays on the 3500 series and they certainly hold up, the HT100 carbon fiber drag washer system is the real deal, they can put up the fight and not fail. I can't say enough good things about them.

Some of them also have the "Live Liner" feature which I mentioned, which is a hidden feature that most don't talk about. It's a lever on the heel of the reel, and if you click it 1 to 4 clicks back, it adjusts the drag from loose to fairly tight, but it's not just good for fighting a fish, it's VERY practical for in the surf applications. So when you want to change out a lure using an angler clip, quickly, you can just click it back a notch, pull some slack back and and rotate the crank to actuate the spool and it re-engages automatically. Quite a nice feature versus always having to unscrew the drag plate on the front of the spool to get some line out.

However, being sealed that doesn't mean to neglect them. After every surf fishing trip, upon arrival at home, I hose them off real good with pressured water around the critical areas (You don't have to blast them but get a good flow on them). . I blow them off with an air compressor and sometimes spray a little silicon on the handle knob and the bail and bearings...Or you can get the Penn reel oil, but any lightweight penetrating oil is good. VOILA, they're good as new.

These Penn's deliver, and with minimal preventative maintenance they've given me years of good performance and reliability.

bought in 2024 so far so good I haven't used in salt water yet but I expect it will hold up just as well as my Spinfisher V. Personally I like the V better. My VI seems to get more wind knots than the V for whatever reason. But all and all would buy again. Penn reels I have had are tanks. Never had an issue, Easy to maintain. I have a 3500 V and VI great for all types of fishing.

I've had this reel for six months, so I can't speak to its true long term durability. But I can say it has already really impressed me. It has been my only surf rod for six months, going every single week, and often going two or three times a week. I'm constantly in the sea spray, usually getting waves in the ankle or knee, but a few times out to my waist. I've dropped it in the sand a number of times and when I tripped, the whole rod and reel was dragged out in a wave with me chasing after it. If I hadn't just cast as far out as I could, I'd have packed it up and taken it home to soak in fresh water and hope for the best. But since I had 50 or more yards out I reeled it back and it worked fine so I kept fishing.

I try to remember to rinse it in the hose when i get home, but I forget sometimes. I've never had to open it up to clean or lube it.

I waited six months becasue that's the longest I've had any of my $20-$60 reels have lasted. None of them have been in good shape and all were torn open and cleaned a couple times by then. This one is still smoother and better then most of those other reels started out at day one.

Drag is still great, it is more then smooth enough, casts great, tangle or get caught on my braid.

Really other then being a little bit more expensive then I'd like I have not had a single problem, it doesn't snap closed on a cast, it doesn't grind or give me any strange sensations that i might confuse for a bit or cause me to miss a bite, the drag doesn't stick, all things I've had problems with on other reels. I've caught a couple hundred small-ish surf perch, at least a few dozen spotted bay bass and a few rays and other fighters, so I'm not testing its limits or anything but it simply has not let me down in any way.

If it died on me now, I'd still consider buying it as a luxury item. If it lasts a year or more, it would probably be cheaper than the several cheaper reels I'd have bought in a year.

Love this reel. Loaded it with 40# suffix braid for my catfish rod. Not too heavy, casts well.

Bought it at a great price due to newer models coming out

Reels like this make life worth living

Excelente

I go out a couple times a year on long range trips for large tuna (60lb-200lb+). Normally an assortment of casting reels is the order of the day and serves well. Last trip one of the fellow anglers was fly lining (gently casting a live sardine and leaving the bail open and letting it run) with a spinning reel. He was out casting everyone and getting his sardine out farther away from the boat than the majority of fellow fisherman and getting hit more often. Decided to try out a spinning reel. My past experience with spinning reels was for bass and trout fishing. Fish under 5 lbs and 8 lb monofilament. First I had to find a spinning reel up to the task of handling 100+ pound tuna. Penn's SpinFisher was a great find. Well made reel with the ability to change reel handles to either side (I cast with my left hand and reel with my right hand). Spool accommodated over 400 ft of 100lb spectra to which I attached a 130 lb leader. Great price point made greater by the sale I was fortunate to catch. Only minor area to improve is that you have to manually close the bail, it does not close upon turing the handle after casing. I can't commend on casting as I improperly matched too small a rod (only 7 ft and rated 40-80 lb). Because of the weight of the reel it was difficult cast properly a such a small rod. Overall very pleased and would recommend this reel but only with a longer and beefier rod.

I have been a Penn reel advocate for over 40 years. I correctly own approximately 20 Penn SS Reels in all sizes and models and still use the ones I purchased in the 1990's. I bought an assortment of Battle reels when I started using braided lines, while on initial use they seemed like great reels they did not have the durability of classic Penn reels. I then replaced these with the Spinfisher SSV's (all sizes from 3500 to 9500). I was hoping that with the O-ring seal they would last longer than the Battles. The reels felt great, had smooth drags and started out great. Within two years I started having problems which ultimately turned out to worn ring gears and level wind slides. I later found out that the SSV used a cast aluminum ring gear which doesn't last (an upgraded replacement gear costs over 1/2 what I paid for the reels). I ended up buying a SSVI 3500, 4500 and 5500 when I found out they had the hardened gearset from the factory and improved water resistance So far so good. I do miss the classic Penn durability...rinse em off and put em away

Great reel! Smooth and heavy duty. Got it for shark fishing. 8500 sized pairs perfectly with the 11ft Penn carnage3 with 65lb braid. Definitely recommend for surf fishing.

مكنه جميله جدا جدا

Really good product

このリールでクロマグロ80kgをキャッチしましたが十分いけました。スプールの回転音が気になりますが実釣には問題ありませんでした。値段から考えると十分かなと思います。

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Bon moulinet sa fait un moment que je lutilise aucun soucis ..donc je le rzcomande