Any updates on the Penn Battle?

[DaveR]

I had the opportunity to use one on a charter down in Florida Bay and it performed flawlessly. Both TK and I used them all day in breezy conditions and while we didn't do a lot of blind casting I can't remember a single Power Pro moment.
Any owners out there?

[ZeroSix]

I have two of them Dave - they are good reels for that price-point. A little stiff compared to my Sustains but again, at their price, they are hard to beat.

Joe

[jbdba01]

I bought the Penn 2000 and my point of reference is a Sabalo 2500 and 3000. I'll compare it to the 2500 as it's the smaller of the two. I do have 5 Sabalos (2500, 3000, 4000) and 1 Penn Battle 2000. I have a bunch because I need two for me two for my son.

Some facts:
- I bought the Sabalo 2500 on sale at Dicks for for $59; I bought the Penn Battle 2000 for $99 from Justforfishing.com (shipping was free - located in Tampa so I got it next day); I think I saw it at Dicks and Southshore Bait and Tackle for $99 as well
- the Sabalo weighs just a touch less; when you're casting a bunch like I do it can make a difference
- replacement parts on the Sabalo are practically impossible to get, but they will send you a new reel for half the price; I haven't had to replace parts for the Penn, but my understanding is that they are readily available

These are my opinions

- the Sabalo is much smoother or less stiff (whichever way you want to phrase it) on the retrieve; if you don't cast a bunch you probably won't care
- the drag on the Penn to me just feels smoother; however, I beat up my Sabalos pretty badly and they've caught a bunch of fish so it may be a function of wear and tear
- when rinsing the reels I noticed that the Sabalos hold the water more in the spool under the drag "knob"; I flip it upside down and bang it a bit to get the water out; this does not appear to be an issue with the Penn
- so far the Sabalo has yet to show any pitting or rusting(2 years old); same with the Penn (about 3-5 months old)
- the Sabalo has been through hell with um'teen full water dunks; the Penn has yet to be fully dunked; wade fishing for me starts in Oct so it'll get trashed then too; to me that's where things will really play out
- the Sabalo seems to need more maintenance
- as far as wind knots, since I swicthed to Ohero my issues have all but gone away; when I do get them it's user error (jigging and not picking up the slack properly)

Bottom line (and does it really make a difference on reels under $100 with a "small" price diff?) if I had to choose one or the other knowing what I know today, I would probably go with the Penn - mainly because I want parts and it seems to need less maintenance. That said, it's a pretty tight race, and have a brand new Sabalo sitting in a box - just because it's so inexpensive.

The question will be can I get 4 years of use out of the Penn if I can get 2 years out of each Sabalo.

On a side note - Cooknfish turned me on to both the Penn and the Sabalo. I've no real experience using other ones.

[amikayak]

I've been reading the forum off and on for some time and recently registered. This topic has me wondering about these reels. I've always used shimano spinning reels and have nearly zero problems with wind knots. I just purchased my first Penn Battle and cannot cast more than maybe 20-30X without having to cut out wind knots. I have seen this as fairly common problem with this reel throughout reviews. I've noticed others have been trouble free. I've never seen such varied reviews on a reel in all my years. So, I'm kinda wondering if there's a manufacturing glitch on particular run reels. Another thing that has me wondering is that the price point is 99.00 on a Chinese manufactured reel would roughly have it in the 7-15 dollar price point for manufacturing cost per unit. Hmmm? I think the reel looks great, but it's going back today.

[Todd]

I have one that was given to my by my step mother-in-law, a 4000 series I believe. Very thoughtful but the last thing I needed was another rod/reel. Especially one that wind knots all the effin time. I used it several times last season and it was always a mess. I think it may have been the way the line was put on. Will have to check that as I stripped all the damn line off of it and will get it re-spooled before next season. Overall it is a nice reel but the wind knots and tangles almost made me throw it in the drink last season. Once I re-spool I will have to revisit this topic and let you know.

[justabucup]

I have one that was given to my by my step mother-in-law

Todd channeling his inner JarJar Binks.

[jbdba01]

These comments might be helpful/applicable.

[Devodud]

I have an 8000 that I use for Kingfish, Sharks, Tarpon, and Vertical Jigging from the kayak. I love mine and the drag is great.

On a side note I have not found a reel yet that does not get constant wind knots with braid when blind casting, that includes shimano reels, but maybe its just me.

[Ump608]

I have a 4000 Battle for almost two years. I saw no difference in wind knots from my other reels as I have braid on all of them. I found in my case the problem was "me". I have Power Pro on two of the reels. I do not remeber what is on my Battle but it is a coated braid. I will say that I still get an occasional wind knot, but with the coated line I just reel it in and genlty tug on it and it comes right out. THis line has been on for a year and I have cut out one wind knot.

[JSnooky]

Dave, I have two of them and I absolutely love them for the price. I have not experienced any of this wind knot stuff, or had any mechanical issues with them. I think they are a great buy.

[Norm]

Windknots I have been fishing my Daiwa TDA's for the last 2-3 years with Diawa Samurai braid....I'm sorry guys...just don't know what these windknots are

[1okbyme2]

I like mine.

[jbdba01]

My final update on the Penn Battle 2000.

I fish a good bit - probably more than the average angler trying to get out once a week. If I could pull off twice I would.

I used the Penn Battle a good bit. I would say on 75% of my trips. It was maintained with the usual greasing/oiling annually and rinsed after each use.

After 11 months I sent it back to Penn - the reel started to corrode. Paint was bubbling near the grip to the rod. For the cost of shipping - about $5 they replaced the part and sent me back the reel.

2 months later the bail stopped flipping over. Not when you crank, but when you flip it over manually. It would go about 50% of the way - versus the spring pulling it all the way over. If you tried to crank it you got the same results - the bail would trip, but not go over completely. I opened the reel up and a part was not seating properly. I tried to fix it, but have given up.

I looked at sending it back for service again and I see that the quote is:

$10.00 for Handling and Diagnosis
$20.00 for Repair Labor
$8.00 for Shipping.

and

$?? for parts.

So at minimum $38 +$?? I'll call it $45

So overall the cost on the reel was about $150 for 1 years use. It corroded pretty quickly and needed service twice.

At the end of the day I would rate the Penn Battle 2000 a do not buy. On a scale of 1 to 10 a 4.

I like the drag and the size, but the feel was never what I consider smooth. It was a bit stiff for my preference. I never had any wind knot issues, and did get on some good size fish on it. I suspect it's made for fresh water.

The 2000/3000 series Sabalos are showing their age a bit now, but overall perform reasonably. If on a budget the Sabalo would be the better deal. Throw it away after 1-2 years and get another for roughly the same price of 1 battle.

C&C welcome.

[DaveR]

I haven't heard anything good about them. Thanks for the input. Apparently the Spinfisher is well built. It's on my Christmas list.

[jbdba01]

That's a pretty heavy reel for inshore fish - no? Max drag is better than my baitrunner 4500.

SSV3500
Left/Right
6.2:1
Line Capacity:6/250
Braid Capacity:15/215
Ball Bearings:6
Max Drag:20 Lbs.
Recovery:30.0"
Reel Weight (oz):13.4

Looks like they don't make a 2000/2500 series. Bummer.

4500 might make a good poon rig.

[jbdba01]

My final update on the Penn Battle 2000.

I fish a good bit - probably more than the average angler trying to get out once a week. If I could pull off twice I would.

I used the Penn Battle a good bit. I would say on 75% of my trips. It was maintained with the usual greasing/oiling annually and rinsed after each use.

After 11 months I sent it back to Penn - the reel started to corrode. Paint was bubbling near the grip to the rod. For the cost of shipping - about $5 they replaced the part and sent me back the reel.

2 months later the bail stopped flipping over. Not when you crank, but when you flip it over manually. It would go about 50% of the way - versus the spring pulling it all the way over. If you tried to crank it you got the same results - the bail would trip, but not go over completely. I opened the reel up and a part was not seating properly. I tried to fix it, but have given up.

I looked at sending it back for service again and I see that the quote is:

$10.00 for Handling and Diagnosis
$20.00 for Repair Labor
$8.00 for Shipping.

and

$?? for parts.

So at minimum $38 +$?? I'll call it $45

So overall the cost on the reel was about $150 for 1 years use. It corroded pretty quickly and needed service twice.

At the end of the day I would rate the Penn Battle 2000 a do not buy. On a scale of 1 to 10 a 4.

I like the drag and the size, but the feel was never what I consider smooth. It was a bit stiff for my preference. I never had any wind knot issues, and did get on some good size fish on it. I suspect it's made for fresh water.

The 2000/3000 series Sabalos are showing their age a bit now, but overall perform reasonably. If on a budget the Sabalo would be the better deal. Throw it away after 1-2 years and get another for roughly the same price of 1 battle.

C&C welcome.

Closure on this thread...after I put a negative review (not a flame) on Penn's website I was contacted by a Sales Rep over there. He was interested in knowing where I got my numbers for repairing it (see above) and if I wanted a new free Penn Battle 2000 reel.

I said sure, but I ended up paying $6 for shipping the broken one to Penn.

Within a week I received a new reel and noticed that it now comes with two spools. This reel will be donated - more than likely a child will get it.

So...what's the overall take away. Customer service an A+; Product C+. Would I buy a Battle again - no; would I try a Penn again - maybe, but it would be in the back of the pack for contention. The price point felt somewhat right, but quality did not.