7StripesME Posted June 7 Report Share Posted June 7 In the market for a reel upgrade, I have narrowed it down to the Penn Slammer or Tsunami SaltX for a surf setup. Penn seems to have better reviews and reputation. The reel would likely be getting dunked occasionally but never reeled underwater. Van Staal is likely out of the price range for now. Any info on these two options would be greatly appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EliasA Posted June 7 Report Share Posted June 7 I’d get the Penn, I’ve seen too many people get defective salt x’s out of the box, and I’ve seen too many of them die after light use to want one 7StripesME 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FallenKell Posted June 7 Report Share Posted June 7 I seem to have been one of the lucky ones with the Salt X. I have loved it so far. But as said, lots of people had issues with them (quality control seemed to be very hit or miss). I'm not sure I would expect the Penn to survive a dunking, even on occasion. A good Salt X would survive it, but you won't know you received a good one until after you dunk it and try and fish it a week later. 7StripesME 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rb Posted June 7 Report Share Posted June 7 I have the slammer4 dx an like it.I am rough on my gear you might even say a little reckless an the slammer has held up well for 2 season. 7StripesME 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snook_Slayr Posted June 8 Report Share Posted June 8 Gosa > Slammer > salt x HYB_Living, EliasA and LockedDrag 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TopwaterPete Posted June 8 Report Share Posted June 8 Buying a SaltX over a Slammer is a mistake. Tsunami makes great rods for the money. Their reels however....not so much. Every aspect of the Slammer is a better product than the SaltX. Tsunami dropped the price for this reason because they couldn't sell them well enough when compared to Slammers and Saragosas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Paranee Posted June 8 Report Share Posted June 8 Regretfully neither Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattieG Posted June 9 Report Share Posted June 9 Go with Penn. Lots of issues reported with the tsunami reels. I'm a kind person, I'm kind to everyone, but if you are unkind to me, then kindness is not what you'll remember me for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnlyDinks Posted June 9 Report Share Posted June 9 Slammer. I had a saltx with issues out of the box… 7StripesME 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandbar1 Posted June 9 Report Share Posted June 9 Gosa, but if you actually expect longevity in the surf VS is really the only way to go 7StripesME 1 Chasing false echoes Send lawyers, guns, and money - Zevon When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro - Thompson DITCH TROLL 333 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil-Bay Posted June 9 Report Share Posted June 9 Slammers are Tanks....and they weigh like them too. 7StripesME 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrickstar Posted June 10 Report Share Posted June 10 I have the slammer 3 5k salt x 4 & 6 k my go to is the saltx 4000 love it but honestly the slammer is nice too lol 7StripesME 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcessiveAngler Posted June 10 Report Share Posted June 10 Well, here’s my take on it! It’s also about customer service to me! What’s the warranty like on the salt x’s? Because all their other reels that I have a one year warranty, they will not provide you with parts after the warranty! So, even if you wanted to repair it yourself, you can’t, you have to get a donor or or chuck it! You just can’t beat Penn’s customer service! Not a lot of fishing forums, actually have the reel companies as members of their forums! And that speaks huge for Penn in my eyes! 7StripesME and srm413 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrickstar Posted June 10 Report Share Posted June 10 12 hours ago, ExcessiveAngler said: Well, here’s my take on it! It’s also about customer service to me! What’s the warranty like on the salt x’s? Because all their other reels that I have a one year warranty, they will not provide you with parts after the warranty! So, even if you wanted to repair it yourself, you can’t, you have to get a donor or or chuck it! You just can’t beat Penn’s customer service! Not a lot of fishing forums, actually have the reel companies as members of their forums! And that speaks huge for Penn in my eyes! I’ve been able to parts for my saltx although quite easily they did take a little bit to respond. But yes it was easier for me to get penn parts which is a peace of mind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcessiveAngler Posted June 10 Report Share Posted June 10 1 hour ago, Patrickstar said: I’ve been able to parts for my saltx although quite easily they did take a little bit to respond. But yes it was easier for me to get penn parts which is a peace of mind How old is your Saltx, Just out of curiosity? My guess would be, they have to carry parts for them, because it’s a $300 reel, and have to have support for it, otherwise lol! $300 would be quite a bit for a one and done, throw away reel! And maybe lol because they caught so much flack on the Internet, they decided they better start providing parts for their lower end reels! Look up tsunami shield 5000 parts failure, and lack of manufacturer support, on the tube! As I said, things could’ve changed! And I was really looking forward, to getting that reel when it first came out, till I did some research and watched a bunch of videos online and also was a huge fan of the rods too! Just a sign of the times I guess! And anymore everybody’s trying to cut corners and make the cheapest product for the biggest buck, that’s name of the game lol! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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