PENN Battle III Spinning Fishing Reel

YES! I love it; the quality is outstanding. After looking at all of the leading manufacturers, I opted for the Penn. You can feel the quality, not an off-the-rack reel, smooth cast and retrieve. As quiet as a mouse, the performance was outstanding and caught fish on the first outing. It's a bit heavier than some reels I looked at, but the function and CNC gears are noticeable. Speed of retrieval is excellent, and it is an excellent value for the money, as a matter of fact, I have just ordered another!

I salt water wade fish 2-3 times a week and also use for kayak fishing. You can't beat a Penn reel. I own 5 Penn reels and 1 other brand. I will replace it with a Penn reel when it wears out. This is the only reel than stands up to the type of abuse I put it through. If you take care of it, it'll last a long time. Great value for the money. Light weight, well balanced and the drag works well.

Good dependable reel. Very smooth action.

Great reel. Love the feel of it have it paired to a 10ft rod and haven’t had any trouble reeling any fish in. It is on a bit of the heavier side but nothing that makes it impossible to cast. Great build quality and line lag is impeccable

Great real for the money I love it I had it a couple years now works great

Great Penn fishing reel. Battle reels come on many different sizes, depending on the type of fishing. Great value for the money.

I surf fish often. I am usually knee deep in water and the reels get splashed as waves hit me and splash up. They rarely get dunked completely but it sometimes happens for very short periods so it's mostly salt water intrusion that I am concerned about over time. Sand intrusion has never been an issue.I disassemble and grease/oil the reels myself on a regular basis.I have owned 4 Battle II reels. All have performed well but all have had the same issues. The bearings hold up surprisingly well. I have rarely had a bearing failure if maintained. The gears however are made out of a metal that corrodes and wears relatively quickly. The brass pinion gear also corrodes and seems to wear or distort under continued use. The good news is the metal bodies are rigid and hold up/do not distort so I just order new gears and the reels function excellently.(BTW...If you are looking for a light weight reel, these are not it...they are not super heavy but not light either)The new Battle III has several improvements. The gears are CNC machined and seem to be of nicer quality. There is has been one problem. In the pictures you will see the crosswind bar. This essential little part in the new Battle III is machined very thin on the back side. My relatively new reel was functioning well but I disassembled it for its first maintenance and found the bar to be broken but still attached and functioning. To me it appears that this seems like a design flaw. The part is too thin on the back edge and from the pictures I think you would agree. I was nervous putting in the replacement part because I was concerned the screw pressure would break it.I called Penn customer service. I described the issue and offered to send photos. Once I told the agent I was surf fishing with it he kind of cut me off and said basically they didn't cover the reel for that kind of use. Now they are promoted as a salt water reel and especially good for surf fishing so I was not so happy. He was pretty firm about this. I asked if they would at least send out a replacement part. He said they do not send out parts. They also have few parts in stock because of supply chain issues and referred me to a third party, Mystic Reel Parts. I could have sent in the reel for repair but at my own expense.Anyway...decent reel for the price. Design, drag, bearings, housing are all good. If you are a regular user, frequent maintenance is the key (not just a spray down with a hose) and be ready to replace gears. Customer service leaves something to be desired. Your mileage may vary.

What can I say it’s a Penn. one of the best brands out there. This reel is great for the money, it works very well the castings is smooth and it has plenty of tighten down drag