Penn Slammer III Spinning Reel Review

In this review, I will examine the newest Penn Slammer saltwater spinning series of reels. The Penn Slammer III was released in 2016 and won the best new product at iCast 2016 in the “Best Saltwater Reel.”

So, what has made the Penn Slammer such an excellent reel for all these years, and why would you want to add one of these to your fishing equipment? Well, the simple answer is DURABILITY.

This reel is designed to take the punishment that saltwater fishing, particularly surf casting, imposes on a reel, such as getting constant saltwater spray, getting dunked occasionally when wading, getting dropped in the sand, and the repetitive casting of heavy lures and cut baits.

Typically, a reel in this mid-price range ($190-$399 as of this writing) would not be a sealed reel. In the case of the Penn Slammer III, both the body and the spool are sealed with an IPX6 rating.

The Bottom Line

Best mid-priced (under $400) heavy-duty spinning reel for your larger species.
They are as close to waterproof as they come with a water-resistant IPX6 rating.
Solid metal frame, sideplate and rotor for strength and durability.
Heavy drag up to 60 lbs. on the 9500 and 10500 models.

The Penn Slammer III won Best Saltwater Reel at ICAST in 2016 for a reason now available here.

PENN 1403982 Slammer III | Amazon

The PENN Slammer III is back by popular demand. Built for heavy duty fishing from either boat or shore, and trusted by charter captains all over the world. The Slammer III reels feature our new IP67 Sealed System which keeps water out of the gear box and drag system.

Buy on Amazon

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The drag system is also sealed with what Penn calls the Sealed Slammer. This means that if you are to dunk the reel or drop it in the sand, all you have to do is rinse it with fresh water when you get back from your trip. You do not need to disassemble the reel.

The Penn Slammer III comes in 8 models that range from a 3500 with 10 lbs of drag and a retrieve rate of 37″ up to the monster 10500 model that has 60 lbs of drag and a 43″ retrieve rate, so you are sure to find a model to fit your targeted species.

Features

Full Metal Body, sideplate, and Rotor

The Penn Slammer III has an all-metal body, sideplate, and rotor, which is especially important on the larger models as it will keep the pinion and gears lined up properly, which means you get a smoother retrieve, and the reel will last longer.

CNC Gear™ technology

The Slammer III uses a complete brass gearing system cut using a CNC machine for precision and strength. This gear technology includes the entire gearbox system composed of the drive, pinion and isolation gears, which means you have cranking power that will last over time.

Unlike other gears often made of aluminium or another composite material, brass will stand the test of time. Another benefit of brass gearing is that it produces a smoothness that you don’t get with other materials.

IPX6 Sealed body and spool design

With an IPX6 seal rating, the Penn Spinfisher III is designed to take spray from all angles all day long, and you do not have to worry about getting water into the reel’s gearbox.

Several seals are located around the shaft, central pinion, and drag system to keep saltwater out.

This is particularly important if you have your reels in the rod holders while you are underway, and they are getting constantly sprayed, as well as when you are wade fishing deep in the surf.

Sealed Slammer® drag system with Dura-Drag™

The Penn Slammer III is the first spinning reel to offer the Dura-Drag material. Dura-Drag is a proprietary material stronger than the HT-100 keyed carbon washers in the Slammer Drag on the Penn Spinfisher V reels.

The washers are coated with a special material called Phenolic that adds durability and smooths the drag. This allows Penn to reach a maximum drag of 60 lbs on the model 10500 Slammer III vs 40 lbs on the Spinfisher V.

Until now, the only reels that have used Dura-Drag material have been Penn’s high-end International series of reels.

6+1 stainless steel ball bearings

Penn Slammer III has six stainless steel ball bearings protected by the Slammer IPX6 seals. One anti-reverse roller bearing is also used.

Line capacity rings

The spools on the Slammer III come braid-ready and have line capacity rings on both the top and the bottom, so you can see how many lines you have left on the spool.

2-handle knobs

All of the Slammer III reels come with both a machined aluminium knob designed for cranking in those big fish as well as an EVA knob for anglers that prefer the softer feel of EVA. Personally, I do most of my fishing in Florida, so I like the aluminium knob, but for those of you who fish in more relaxed or colder climates, the EVA knob does not get as cold.

Bail trips

The Sizes 3500-5500 have automatic bail trips, and the larger models 6500-10500 have manual bail trips. As always, I still recommend manually tripping the bail, as it will lead to a longer lifespan of the bail system.

Features at a Glance

Full Metal Body, sideplate, and rotor
CNC Gear technology
IPX6 Sealed body and spool design
Sealed Slammer® drag system with Dura-Drag™
6+1 stainless steel bearings plus one anti-reverse
Sizes 3500-5500 have automatic bail trip
Sizes 6500-10500 have manual bail trip

The Penn Slammer III can be used for everything from inshore fishing with the smaller 3500 model to large Pelagics with the bigger models. Personally, I think that for an inshore reel, I would go with something that might be a bit on the lighter weight side, like a Shimano Stradic CI4+ or a Daiwa BG SW, unless I was explicitly targeting bull reds or more giant snook.

For surfcasting and offshore fishing, the Slammer III’s complete metal body design will provide you with the rigidity you need under heavy loads, along with a stellar drag of 40lbs on the 5500 and 6500 models, 50 lbs on the 7500 and 8500 models and a whopping 60 lbs on the 9500 and 10500 models.

The Penn Slammer III comes in 4 gear ratios. The SLAIII3500 and SLAIII4500 have a 6.2:1 gear ratio. The SLAIII5500 and SLAIII6500 have a 5.6:1 gear ratio. The SLAIII7500 and SLAIII8500 have a 4.7:1 gear ratio, and for your larger species, the SLAIII9500 and SLAIII10500 have a 4.2:1 gear ratio for ultimate cranking power.

The drag power comes from Penn’s proprietary Dura-Drag material, which has been used on their high-end International series of reels for over ten years and is now available for the first time on a spinning reel.

For our field test, we took a model 3500 out for snook fishing outside of Cape Coral, FL, paired with a 7′ Ugly Stik GX2. The Slammer III and the Ugly Stik combination was heavier than I usually fish, but it was well-balanced.

When I hooked the first snook, the line peeled off smoothly with the Dura-Drag system and was more than enough cranking power to bring in the 8 lb Snookie.

After a few more hours of fishing, we hooked two more medium-sized snooks, and the reel performed flawlessly. Overall, I was very impressed with how smooth the reel was, but it was a bit heavy for my preference.

The second field test was a model 6500 out in the gulf for some grouper fishing. Again, the reel performed very well. It was smooth under heavier loads, and I had no complaints.

Fishing was a bit slow, so we did not have a chance to put the reel to complete testing. I am looking forward to another trip and getting some heavier loads on this to test the drag capacity truly, but that is what I always like to do :-).

Pros

Heavy duty design
Hardcore drag, up to 60 lbs.
Water resistant IPX6

Cons

Weight, but this is a heavy-duty reel.

Penn Slammer III Alternatives

If you wanted to stay with the Penn brand, I would have you look at the Penn Spinfisher V, which will save you a few dollars and will still give you a broad range of sizes to choose from (3500 – 10500). The main differences are that the Penn Spinfisher V will not give you the massive drag of the Slammer III, and you will not get the brass gearing.

For those Shimano fans out there, I would have you look at the Shimano Saragosa SW, a similarly priced fishing reel. The significant difference is that the Shimano Saragosa SW has less drag and is not fully waterproof.

Switching brands up a bit, I would say to look at the Daiwa Saltist, which comes in 2500 – 8000 models and is an outstanding saltwater reel. Like the Spinfisher V, you will not get the same drag as the Slammer III, which has no brass gears. The Daiwa Saltist is a great reel and will run you about the same as the Penn Slammer III.

In Conclusion

For inshore fishing, I have other reels that I like better as they are lighter, but that is not where the Slammer III shines. For your larger pelagics and surf casting, I think the Penn Slammer III is a great reel designed for durability and should last for many years.

If you find that you are constantly getting spray on your reel or even getting the reel dunked occasionally from wading while surf casting, then making the additional investment to get the near waterproof design coupled with great heavy drag capacity and precision brass gearing is going to make sense for many of you.

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David Edwards

David is a freelance writer. He enjoys fishing as much as you do. He understands the challenge to pick the best fishing rod or learning the lifestyle. He provides a detailed review of the available products in the market. He wants to ensure you make the right decision for your next shopping day.