Penn Battle IV Spinning Fishing Reel

Bought the Penn Battle IV 4000. I was actually impressed before I even took the reel out of the box. This may sound weird, but I was impressed by the box. The box that the Battle comes in is SOLID. It reminds me of the old days. Back in the 1950s, 60s, 70s, and even 80s, The boxes that Penn packaged their reels in were solid well-made boxes. Now for the reel. I love the reel. A step up from the battle III. The reel is solid, smooth, great drag, sealed ball bearings, and perfect line lay. It fits perfect on my 9 foot surf rod. This reel reminds me of the old Penn reels from the 70s. That's how solid it is.

I have many Penn Battle reels. I recently (May 2025) purchased this 1000 Series, and it works great for such a small reel. I used one for almost 30 years to catch my bait, and occasional a bass or other species of fish. I enjoy the lightweight and smoothness of this reel. Just a little maintenance and it will last for a long, long time.

This is one very well built fishing reel. Perfect for my needs if fishing for salmon on the Columbia river and surf casting at the beach. Was a great deal on amazon!

Great reel. It’s not too heavy. I fish it with 8# test fluorocarbon for spade fish and trigger fish. It holds a ton of line so the can run without spooling me. Drag works great. It’s a Penn reel if you are looking at it you probably already know it’s a great brand. Holds up to the salt water and lasts a lifetime.

Arrived quickly and undamaged. Have already spooled it with line and have it on a pole. Plan to fish it in the next week.

I surf fish often. I am usually knee deep in water and the reels get splashed as waves hit me and splash up. They rarely get dunked completely but it sometimes happens for very short periods so it's mostly salt water intrusion that I am concerned about over time. Sand intrusion has never been an issue.I disassemble and grease/oil the reels myself on a regular basis.I have owned 4 Battle II reels. All have performed well but all have had the same issues. The bearings hold up surprisingly well. I have rarely had a bearing failure if maintained. The gears however are made out of a metal that corrodes and wears relatively quickly. The brass pinion gear also corrodes and seems to wear or distort under continued use. The good news is the metal bodies are rigid and hold up/do not distort so I just order new gears and the reels function excellently.(BTW...If you are looking for a light weight reel, these are not it...they are not super heavy but not light either)The new Battle III has several improvements. The gears are CNC machined and seem to be of nicer quality. There is has been one problem. In the pictures you will see the crosswind bar. This essential little part in the new Battle III is machined very thin on the back side. My relatively new reel was functioning well but I disassembled it for its first maintenance and found the bar to be broken but still attached and functioning. To me it appears that this seems like a design flaw. The part is too thin on the back edge and from the pictures I think you would agree. I was nervous putting in the replacement part because I was concerned the screw pressure would break it.I called Penn customer service. I described the issue and offered to send photos. Once I told the agent I was surf fishing with it he kind of cut me off and said basically they didn't cover the reel for that kind of use. Now they are promoted as a salt water reel and especially good for surf fishing so I was not so happy. He was pretty firm about this. I asked if they would at least send out a replacement part. He said they do not send out parts. They also have few parts in stock because of supply chain issues and referred me to a third party, Mystic Reel Parts. I could have sent in the reel for repair but at my own expense.Anyway...decent reel for the price. Design, drag, bearings, housing are all good. If you are a regular user, frequent maintenance is the key (not just a spray down with a hose) and be ready to replace gears. Customer service leaves something to be desired. Your mileage may vary.

I've used this reel before and wanted a 2nd, larger one. Penn has lasted longer for saltwater use in my experience. Almost never have an issue seizing up after a weekend of wade fishing in saltwater. Could have been packaged better, but the listing is honest and I got what I paid for. What more can you ask?

These are great reels for the price and look really nice