The reel is very smooth but after a night out, you need to wash it or the line roller will become noisy. It has gotten to the point where I had to take it apart and service it to get rid of the noise. The only real issue I have was this drag knob catching the line and creating wind knots that snaps when casting. If you don't manually pick up the line and put it on the line roller, it will be caught by the drag knob and sit on the spool edge. This is especially troublesome when fishing in the dark. I've had my line snapped 3 times within a week with this issue, which can really ruin your trip.

Love this reel Works flawlessly.

I bought this reel mid April and with in three weeks it make a loud grinding noise when fighting even a small fish. It's not very convenient to have to send a brand new reel in... I haven't even called penn yet, I'm disgusted this is the second penn reel this has happened with for me.

Beats my Shimano made by Japan. Much happier with this over my Shimano I had before. Great bearings and came smooth out of the box.

From Japan
This model will probably not be imported to Japan, and even if it is, it will not be cheaper than buying it from Tackle Direct.
(Although, on the contrary, you can buy Shimano Stella SW in Japan for less than in the U.S.)

First of all, this is made in China, but if you don't mind that, the PENN Slammer 5500 DX is wonderfully comfortable to wind, and if you can get it at this price, you will be happy even if it is not a Stella SW!
I can expect the durability of stainless steel gears in addition to a winding feel that is comparable to the Stella SW8000HG that I have, which is probably the same size.

Unfortunately, however, the 4500DX, which I purchased later in the day, was disappointing to wind up with, as it seemed to be made in China, not quite the same line!
It looks like it will be reborn with Japanese bearings and the latest lubricant service.

Is the bearing standard for this reel metric?

Looking forward to seeing the 2500DX in stock.

ymx

Good for bank surf fishing and salt water deep sea. Good quality is smooth

Good for jetty fishing and pier fishing. Smooth reel and handle are improved. Braid ready reel.

They dont have HS in the DX models?

salt or fresh its a great option for fishing. I like the dx better than the standard

Went out on a local charter whose captain also happens to run a great tackle shop and is a big Penn dealer in the North East. The Penn rep had dropped this off the day before and I got to take the first few fish with it. A monster Bluefish in the 30†range hit it first and I made quick work out of it with the 3500 size reel. It got a couple small runs on be but the drag was set pretty tight, and no doubt this could have handled bigger and more powerful fish. Smooth operation all around.