Coming fall 2015:
PENN’s new Clash spinning reel is a lightweight, technical spinning reel designed for shallow saltwater fishing with artificials or live bait. The reel was designed to provide smooth operation over a long life and is worth a look for inshore striper and bluefish fishermen in the Northeast. 
Smoothness comes courtesy of the computer-controlled “CNC gear technology system,” the precision aluminum/brass main gear and brass pinion, machined for exact tolerances.
Built to withstand years of saltwater conditions, the full-metal aluminum body and sideplate, and eight-plus-one sealed ball bearings, add to the reel’s durability.
A carbon rotor on the ultra-light smaller reels (2000-5000) and aluminum on the bigger sizes (6000 and 8000), along with the heavy-duty aluminum bail, is built for a long life. A slow oscillation system produces tight, near-perfect line lay for improved casting and reduced occurrences of “wind knots.” A sealed HT-100 drag system is protected from corrosion.
Seven Clash models in black with gold trim finish are available, from the 8.2-ounce 2000 to the 27.2-ounce 8000. Prices start at $179.95 MSRP.
Another supplier “missing the boat” Do these product manufacturers realize that they are targeting a very small market share that can afford these outrageous prices? There is a generation of young adults and kids not participating in fishing because they are priced out of the market. These companies are gambling their future for immediate gratification to their bottom line. I use to teach aquatic education to families as an affordable activity the whole family could participate in. When the current small percentage of the population ages and dies off what will happen to their bottom line then. I am disappointed that On The Water does not use their influence to get other fishing media and communities to pressure these manufacturers to lower their pricing significantly. I do not mean cheap poor quality gear either. The difference in producing excellent quality gear vs cheap short life gear does not justify the huge price differential. Remember, we the purchasing public do not receive this exorbitant gear for free in lieu of touting its’ greatness and comarketing the product. I have let my subscription to OTW lapse after two decades of subscribing because I have been made to feel I am not in the right class to afford this new gear,
Penn has several different reels and rods in all categories at lower prices.
Amen
They make cheaper reels for those who won’t spend the money on the good stuff.
Love penn reels n poles quality products
Love penn reels n poles quality products
Penn has many lower cost options.?this is a higher quality better component reel. You do get what you pay for from Penn.
Well said. I’m a guide in south Louisiana. You’re post is well said. Fishing and hunting have both become so commercialized with extreme this and extreme that. How did we ever keep a fish cool without a yeti or K2 cooler. It’s all BS. These reels that are $180 etc aren’t worth a hundred dollars. I’ve not noticed any increase in quality that correlates with the increase in price. If anything quality is worse.
Your comment makes no sense. First, you want a medium quality product at an affordable price. Second, you seem to want it to be the PENN Clash reel that fits this requirement. That’s like asking a car manufacturer to make their high end model affordable to all individuals by providing all the bells and whistles, but at the same time lowering the price so more people can afford the car. That’s not the way things work. PENN does have cheaper reels that people first getting into fishing can purchase. That’s what I did when I was a kid. I didn’t receive medium or top of the line gear, but received reels in the price range my family can afford.
There are lots of reel manufacturers out there making products at a variety of price points. I don’t believe your claim that kids are “…priced out of the market”. Hell, where I live people still fish with cane poles. There’s a wide variety of reels available at a wide variety of prices.
I have to disagree on the price issue. Although I have to fit Penn in my budget and save up for a reel. Lol. One of my sons will break his neck for me to buy a $300 shoes but fishing is not his thing. Everything is more expensive nowadays. Fishing just isn’t as cool to the youth.
Dude “your” missing the boat
It’s “you’re”.
Yay ! Why oh why would anyone feel it necessary to correct someone’s grammar on a fishing site, you really need to get a life
A period at the end of a sentence indicates the end . Are you done?
Please Enjoy Newness Now.
All penn stands for these day.
They havent made a good reel since 1994.
All my 1994 and newer penns are crap.
Lets not go there with the battles and contors either.
Not getting my $ anymore.
I pulled out my 30yr old penn 550ss.
To finish my season.
Bye bye penn.
Just another paper weight aftet 2 yrs
wrong the 1st gen slammers were great and the clash has been a great reel
wrong – MOST were junk but the original Slammer series changed that. The US Slammer (I have a 560 and my brother has had my 360 for years) are great reels. We have abused them (comm fishing in Mass for stripers) and they have performed very well – no issues whatsoever.
Great reel! I checked it out at iCast last week. I’d put it up against any other reel in the same catagory
I hate penn reels, this one looks just as lame and crappy as the rest of them, and I can’t stand how people talk up the penn battle, I saw a guy land three fish with a brand new one and stripped the gears inside. He was pissed screaming that the reel had only been out of the box for 5 hrs. There international big game reels are great, other than that its daiwa for me.
Seems like a very unique case, I use my battle for schoolie bass and it’s great – and has been great for 3 years now and I abuse the thing. I also have a sfv 6500ll and that thing has landed a lot of big fish with zero problems. I have had zero problems with penn and would at least give their gear a look if it fit what I needed.
Well it’s not that uncommon. I just stripped the gears out of my Penn Battle 6000 a month ago. I had to find a reel repair shop to get it fixed and the guy said the gears on these just don’t hold up under pressure or time. Not to mention they are prone to flooding, especially when fishing out of a kayak. I certainly will never be buying a Penn reel ever again.
I’d put my 43 year old customized (manual bail) Penn Spinfisher 704 up against any 20# class spinner made TODAY except my Fin Nor Ahab #8 which I spooled with 20# PP. I hear the gears in the new Penn Clash are up to it- we’ll see if we “get what we pay for”. I’ll let somebody who gets them for free torture test and evaluate them and I await the actual reports on how they hold up on big grouper, jacks and tuna- real a$$ kickers.
Diana emblem
Just had to respond to the whining above about the “expense” of gear… Mr. Bill wrote: “There is a generation of young adults and kids not participating in fishing because they are priced out of the market.” BAAAAAAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
What???? PRICED OUT OF THE MARKET????
They’ll go and spend $500+ on an iPad or Surface… so… maybe they’re just not that into it?
Whatever- those that ARE into it WILL spend the $$$ for quality tackle because they that ARE into it are smart enough to not risk a trophy or a tournament on dime store gear. “You get what you pay for- provided you do your homework, research and SHOP SMART. Heck, buy it second hand in good condition if you cannot afford the sticker price- (like a certified used car).
I think unscrupulous politics and junk science policies in fisheries management is putting more people off fishing than the cost of gear Bill…
Ever heard the term MSRP? The “S” stands for SUGGESTED retail price.
Companies can adjust their pricing after their launch anyway based upon market reports.
Just sayin…
I’d like to hear your scientific background if you think fisheries science is “junk”. Obviously they’re conservative and measuring the full biomass of species to a T is impossible, but it’s safe to say that without this “junk science” you and the commercial guys would be the first ones to complain that there’s no fish around. Strict regulations hurt businesses, no fish ends them.
You should read up about the Cobia debacle in NC. They freaking count boats at the boat launch to estimate fish harvest! Total BS.
No, that’s not the way the state estimates the cobia harvest. You just sound like a disgruntled fisherman unhappy with the current North Carolina cobia harvest regulations.
well said brother .
Really, I have almost every reel Penn makes. Hands down the best reel in their respective price points. Original Battle 3000, used every day for guiding in salt water. Two pound specs to thirty pound bull reds. My Penns have never let me down. SSV 4500 with thirty pound braid killing the kings and snapper. SSV 8500 landing 150lb tuna all day long. I service my gear every three month’s and so far 100% satisfaction. They have been making incredible salt water grade reels longer than anyone.
Just my 2c. Team Geaux Fish.
Penn spinning reels have serious line lay issues. Absolute wind knot machines, lighter braided lines especially. Penn claims they fixed the wind knot/line lay issue on their Conflict series, I have found this to be horribly untrue. Penn customer service was not willing to rectify their false claims and make good on my wasted money. In my experience, it’s worth it to pay the extra couple of dollars to purchase another (Japanese) spinning reel.
Penn should really bring back the rest of the Z Series made in PA. Internal spool over skirted any day. Those were fabulous reels.
I have 2 penn fierces, a slammer 560, a battle, and a pursuit. Ive caught huge fish and never stripped any gears aside from my 560 which is 15 years old, however, when I bought the reel I was young and did no freshwater rinsing. That being said, even the penn fierce with the dinky gears inside has held up well…even while locking drag for tog. The main issue that I have experienced with all penn reels is line-lay….they are prone to wind knotting depending on the line weight/lure combination used. As far as being priced out of the market, you can get a pursuit or fierce for 50-70, and properly taken care of, they will last for years.
Stop whining
Manufacture it here in the USA, and I’ll buy it. I would gladly pay the 30%, or so price difference. Looks like a good reel though.
Absolutely. I have old reels from a few manufacturers that were made here in USA, Penn included, and they still work fine. All the new shit wears too damn easily. (I’m talking ’40s-’60s)
Agreed 100% . Put that label on it and double sales.
I have seen this kind of whining on Yahoo News sites but not usually on fishing or hunting sites. For the record: I have several Penn Battle reels and use them weekly in salt water – no problems for years. Clean them after fishing and you’ll get your money’s worth. As for the whiners – go to some site that features the Kardashians.
Lasta saturday I pulled a 73 pound Wahoo using my 2 years old Battle 5000.
I’m thinking most people with bad experiences may have stumbled upona few reels wich didn’t make it to quality control.
I have used this reel in both salt water and fresh water and it has performed flawlesly. A little oil every 4 to 5 months and that’s all you need to keep it running “factory fresh”. Gears are in perfect condition. Have it paired up with a Shimano Saguaro 8’0 Medium-Heavy Rod and Spiderwire’s 50 Pound Cammo Braid. Awesome setup!
250.00 for a reel that weighs under 12oz with a slow-oscillating, long distance casting spool and a proven winner in the HT-100 drag system is not unreasonable AT ALL. Id go so far as to call it a “poor man’s van Staal” and I cant wait to try one. My shoulder is begging for it! The OP should do his homework a little better about the REAL costs associated with the sport before he whines about price. Besides, the salt is a different and more demanding environment than fresh. Hence, things are bigger, tougher, more innovative and yes, more expensive. You pay more for a truck that has 4×4. You pay more for a reel that has more features. Gotta run now. My Penn Battle 6000 that costs a “whopping” 119.00 is dying for me to take it out and land some stripers. Its been doing it flawlessly for 3 years now.
I work on saltwater reels daily. I have not found a reel yet that doesn’t need a pre service done to make the reel better suited for the saltwater environment.
People that have great success stories with their reels service their reels.
If you take any new reel right out of the box, fish it for a couple of years, it will not last.
I have reels sent to me and purchase reels all the time just for testing. I fish them, leave them out in the weather, abuse them, and post the results.
Penn is no worse than any other manufacturers products. I do like what Penn has done with this new reel. The manufacturing process is keeping in tune with others that are already out there in the same price range.
I will be receiving two Clash 3000’s, two Clash 4000’s, and one Clash 6000 reel to put to the test.
I think they will be a big hit.
I’m pretty loyal to the stradic series ,i first bought one at Arlington Bait about 6 yrs ago switching fro mostly Penn reels and for around 200dol it was the best money i ever spent on or around fishing .i think the 220 or 280 price tag is fine rather than dealing with a second rate piece of crap.2 or 300 isnt even high,high end ,Im not ready to spend 600 or more on a reel primarily used to pull striped bass and blues outta Amelia Earhart Dam but 200 dollars is worth the it to me rather than dealing with frustration and embarrassment of a equipment failure and letting out a thread of extremely loud and profane expletives around women and possibly young children are in the area and knowing that it didn’t have to happen .Yes,u can use my Grandfathers teal colored 3 pound Penn SF and be just fine but it’s not outrageous to ask what they are asking and u can buy a 40 dollar Okuma if u feel that 200 is too much .It sounds like maybe Penn or OTW aren’t really the ones you’re upset with ,might need to dig a lil deeper pal .
I am excited that penn is releasing a sealed drag spinning reel smaller than the 3500. I stripped the gears on a 2000 battle and a 2000 sargus in less than an hour on a 8ish lb jack and large lady fish. Both reels were had less than 20 fish on them, were less than a month old, and were rinsed/dried after use. To penn’s credit I had 2 brand new battles on my doorstep within a week and a half. No problems with the new reels in 3-4 months of saltwater use. The clash sounds like it it is exactly what I am looking for, hopefully it lives up to the billing.
I have used penn reels for 50 yrs. The fierce reel I purchased was very dissapoiting. The handle broke off after two months. I replaced it only to have the gears strip.The spinnfisher I found not much better.The bail doe’s not always close with the cranking of the handle.I have lost countless lures because of the time it takes to manualy close the bail before the lure is stuck on the reef. The gears are allready starting to grind after two month of use.
PENN WHERE HAVE YOU GONE
I dont know what battle people are on about but i have the battle 2 in a 3000 size and its had it fair share of hard fights 20 yellow tail kingfish most 80cm long. landed and its going still going strong put 30lb stren sonic braid line is pretty good with that braid.
I fish with Penn battlers without any issue for two years now. If you treat them good, like anything, it will last longer. Personally I like the fin-nor A series best. The A8 and A12 are best.
I have purchased both the battle and the new penn clash. I’ve had a problem with the battle but was replaced with the battle 2. As far as the price of the clash its a little high but like anything new it starts high and should come down in time. If people in this forum don’t want to pay for it, then let the REAL fishermen buy them. So when I’m catching fish with my new clash they can work on fixing the reels that they’re using!!!!
I’ve been fishing the R.I. shoreline pretty hard for years. Using a Penn Captiva 6000 for about 10 years, with only one maintenance service. This year I purchased a Penn Battle 6000 from Quonney Bait & Tackle. I love the quick and smooth retrieve. I also purchased the Penn Fierce 7000, and love it. I’m looking forward to see the Penn Clash in action.
I agree with Bill Wyrebek. On the Water always supports the most expensive gear. What about the average fisherman? Where’s the gear that is high quality and affordable? I rarely see that in this magazine.
I believe the saying is…”You get what you pay for.” Which basically defined for those that can’t understand a basic sentence in English…”Generally, and most of the time, you must spend more money to get higher quality STUFF.”
Also, the word ‘affordable’ is subjective and therefore is non-statrter. If I just won the $1.6 BILLION Powerball, then I could AFFORD anything, including the Battle or Clash or anything else. If however, I make minimum wage, working PT, then I probably can’t.
One more phrase states, “Pay me now, or pay me later.” That applies in most cases in life, not just costs, though.
So, to sum up…Paying for quality tackle (in this case a good reel), will cost you generally more upfront funds (in this case hard-earned Dollars) which should be a one-time purchase with years of enjoyment to come (which by the way has a cost, too)… Or pay less NOW for a cheap, low-quality piece of junk (again, in this case a reel) and rinse-repeat continuously for years to come with zero minutes of enjoyment and in fact, years of sadness and anger (which, too, has a cost).
The choice is yours!
Here is the problem this reel is amzing but should be a $350 reel priced in aus everything is good they use better bearings but still chinese ones should have been jap the rotor is trying to copy daiwas reel design which stop flex on the rotor. Line Roller may need adjusting to center no washer on screw which hold line roller together and i believe the drag nob will lose that nice click because of bad design where metal should have been used all it is a ball bearing with a spring under it jumps to the next hole when the knob is turned and it wears the plastic down battle 2 done it and replaced the knob conflict did it and we will see if the clash dose it. Read alan hawks reviews on it dont get me wrong its the best they are not major issues this reel should drop to 250 than thats a good price the 6000 and 8000 are good i have a 4000 and i love it trust me better than and shimano or dawia in this price range line lay is perfect
I left Penn years ago and went with shimano. I still have my old Penn 6500s that I use for Tarpon however, I bought this Clash 3000 to see how it measures up to my Stradics on big snook.
Brad ,I definitely hear you w the Stradic ,I’m loyal to shimano but the stradic to me is the perfect reel in that 200 price range .
The stingy always ends up paying more….
I fish salt several times a month and I agree with the review. I have shimano ci4’s and penn battle ll’s and to be honest…. I see no notable differences between these and the 60.00 shimano spirex series. In fact , I prefer the spirex. Think to many believe its the gear that makes the fisherman. I handled the smoke pt and the penn clash yesterday. I walked out with another spirex. Took 6 newbies to chandaleur islands last year and all of them were using my 15 year old hand me downs with zero issues after 3 days.
my b day is near really interested in the clash 3000 . however yhese post are across the board with major quality issues i own several conflict reels my customers really like them however not sure im gonna get time out of them the battle 2 still works after 3 years of reds trout and etc . i dont think any reel used daily under 200 dollars are meant to last .these companies can all build better products if they did they wouldnt exist .i was told most outboard motors get less than 100 hrs of operation per year by the average consumer my merc blew up 700 hrs this is not a quality product yet i was told .most people never see those kind of hours i think the same holds true for reels
I have 18 penn reels and just got a clash 4000. I will not fish with any other reels. My 850ss is 16 years old and the only thing that I do to it is clean and re-lube it twice a year. I landed a 107 lb yellow fin tune with it, had no problem.
I have 2 Penn Conflict 5000’s, 2 Battle 1500 & 3000, a Clash 3000 & 6000 and a Fathom 15. I fish almost every day and have had zero problems. I actually lightly rinse my rods and reels after every trip and clean with Penn’s spray. I use Penn’s lube and really can’t see where the problem is. I’m very picky and hate poor equipment. Only time will tell, I guess.
I fished the Baja many times with primarily Shimano reels while my buddies used Penn reels, at night they had their reels apart while I was having cool ones, they told me they can get parts anywhere! Went Key West fishing with a guide and Penn spin casting reels and vowed to never buy Penn, untill I saw the machined gears and other bells and whistles on the new Clash that Shimano would want many times the price. Bought a 5000 and 6000 for tuna…. fisherman can change their minds too! Lol! I guess time will tell.
I worked for a company that manufactured high end fly fishing reels for the big “O”. We designed, manufactured, assembled, packaged the units, and shipped them ready to go to the customer.
The big “O” did no R&D, stress analysis, mechanical stress tests, or design. When prototypes were finished, they took them to exotic locations for “testing”. There was more vacationing than testing. They just wrote off these trips as business expenses.
After production was in full swing they wanted a 70% price cut to cover “sales and marketing”. instead of 400% profit, they allot more. We balked, other US companies laughed, so they went to the biggest polluter on the planet-China to make their “high quality fishing reels”. After China bumbled and could not make the product, they called us for “engineering consulting”. We got back in the game, briefly but soon realized that the trash they got from China was completely useless and the factory was unable to properly read the prints and keep the tolerances. Instead of fixing poor quality issues, the Chinese factory kept giving deep discounts on product with hopes we could rework their trash. In the end, we told the big “O” to stuff it up their backside. They caused us to cut jobs, lose money, and deal with the enemy.
All mainstream reel manufacturers are the same. They want China pricing and don’t care about quality. I take a reel apart and look at the poor quality of the build and manufacture. The average “high end” reels are being made for 10-$15.00 per unit overseas and being sold to you for crazy money. The factories that make this stuff pollute the planet and abuse their workers.
Those are the facts people. CNC machined gears is nothing but a buzzword. If the material is rubbish, the gears will simply strip like all the rest.
Thrifty millennials can do well on auction sites… There are still plenty of older Penn reels easily available in good working condition. And they are easy to fix, maintain and find parts if they need repair. When you are done with the reel, it still has plenty of life left for someone else. Alan Tani is your friend.
PENN SLAMMER 560 BEST REEL EVERY MADE FOR ALL AROUND SALTWATER HERE IN MELBOURNE AND SEBASTIAN INLET. UNDER 20OZ, BUILT LIKE A TANK. THANK GOD I HAVE 3 OF THEM. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER REEL. NOBODY WILL BEING MAKING $$$$$$$$$$$ OFF ME ANYMORE. ALL MODERN DAY —- IS BUILT TO LAST 3-5 YEARS, THEN THROW AWAY(POLLUTE THE OCEANS WITH ALL THE —-). JUST LOOK WHAT WALMART SELLS: ALL —- WITH BUILT IN OBSOLESCENCE. THEY SET THE STANDARD THAT ALL THE —- RETAILERS HAVE FOLLOWED. NO QUALITY IN ANY MASS PRODUCED —- AND THAT GOES FOR BEER!!!!!!!!!!
The best reel I have bought for the money ,average /moderately priced was a shimano stradic a few yrs back .I always buy gear in a local shop (Arlington Bait) if i can because it makes me sick seeing people use f’n Amazon or heading down rte 1 to Bass Pro .I spent about 190 and i’d recommend one to anyone in the market for a mod priced reel they plan on fishing Striped Bass and Blues with .Love the Stradics
i understand that Penn was the subject but both reels are similarly priced and the Penn Slammer was the other reel I was considering during that same time so to me it was relevant ,sorry if u all thought i was sniff’n bath salts or something .On a fish’n note there are keeper sized holdover Bass at the dam right now .I just left there a little over an hour ago .
From an engineering quality and reliability standpoint, this reel is a disaster. Aluminum cannot and will not stand up to salt water. It will pit and corrode. And the same is true for the brass-aluminum gears. You have two problems here, simple exposure (to salt) corrosion and electrolytic corrosion from the two dissimilar metals. I bought my first Penn spinning reel in the late 1950s. Over the past 6 plus decades I have bought, used and discarded a goodly number of Penn reels. One would think in all those years, Penn would have improved their designs and materials choices…but no, they are still using the same old cast aluminum designs they started with. And with all that, Penn is, unfortunately, still the best choice out there.
Is the Penn Clash made in the US, in Pennsylvania, i really cant find out??
Please help me ???