Shimano Saragosa or Penn Slammer???

[damnyankee]

I have used both and the saragosa is the winner hands down. I may have gotten a dud from Penn when i bought a slammer a few years ago, as it blew up on me in the middle of a fishing trip. Seized and never got it working properly again. I opened it up and there was a metal shim that was floating around and got jammed up in the gears preventing the handle from turning. I have had 0 problems for 5 years with the saragosa that replaced it, it's an outstanding reel in the price category. If you want a step up, the shimano twin power is an absolutely fantastic reel. I bought one this year and it outshines the other 2 by far.