Thoughts on ordering Slammer from AU?

[bushleague]

 I was recently informed that the original Penn Slammers are still being produced for the Australian market, looked into it a found that the price of ordering one would be decent... a fair bit cheaper than getting a new Daiwa BG, and presumably a tougher reel than anything else in its price range. Just wondering if anyone with experience with the original Slammer thinks this is worth doing?

 Was told that the quality is on par with the American ones, but they are currently produced in China.

[MarkT]

I got a Fathom 15xnld2 from an eBay seller from Oz and there were no problems at all.

[Donnyboat]

100 Dollars US, is only $66 AU, but the postage, is a bit high, if that helps, good luck, mind you, I was looking for a price on a small part from pure fishing, it was cheep about $2 AU, but the postage they wanted AU $30, normally would cost less than 12 dollars to my place, in West Aussie,cheers Don.

[Gobi King]

I got a Fathom 15xnld2 from an eBay seller from Oz and there were no problems at all.

I ordered exactly the same one from same seller, no issues here [thx Mark]

[Swami805]

Me three, I ordered the fathom 15xnld2 from oz and no issues, got here in a week

[bushleague]

100 Dollars US, is only $66 AU, but the postage, is a bit high, if that helps, good luck, mind you, I was looking for a price on a small part from pure fishing, it was cheep about $2 AU, but the postage they wanted AU $30, normally would cost less than 12 dollars to my place, in West Aussie,cheers Don.

 Being Canadian, I'm just used to getting bent over a trash can and violated whenever I order anything. Shipped price on the Slammer is about $120 Canadian, a Daiwa BG 3000 would be about $175. The Daiwa is a bit lighter, the Slammer has a little more line capacity and a metal rotor.

[thorhammer]

My US-made 360 is my single-most go-to reel, been all over East Coast and Carribean for 20 years.

[bushleague]

My US-made 360 is my single-most go-to reel, been all over East Coast and Carribean for 20 years.

 Sounds encouraging. I want to use it with 15lb mono for heavy freshwater fishing, wondering what your thoughts are on its sutability for this?

 I currently use Ambassadeur's for my heavy fishing, and my old BG15 for medum action tackle, as well as some other similar sized reels. Occasionally I want to use a spinning reel for heavyer fishing, and I'm not crazy about braid.

[ExcessiveAngler]

Don't know what happened to what I typed up?But it's gone lol!
No difference between the US and the China models, some of the lettering is different color, on the US spool and it says made in USA on the real foot!
Had a bunch of both versions and still have a non-US 560 here somewhere, they are tough little reels though!

[thorhammer]

My US-made 360 is my single-most go-to reel, been all over East Coast and Carribean for 20 years.

 Sounds encouraging. I want to use it with 15lb mono for heavy freshwater fishing, wondering what your thoughts are on its sutability for this?

 I currently use Ambassadeur's for my heavy fishing, and my old BG15 for medum action tackle, as well as some other similar sized reels. Occasionally I want to use a spinning reel for heavyer fishing, and I'm not crazy about braid.

I spool with 20lb PP braid and catch everything from trout to bailing mahi on a ST Croix I built for it. You didnt say which model, but I have 460LL, 560LL and two 560 that I use offhore and in the surf. NO issues. Not sure what youre fishing for in fresh but it will handle most anything up til maybe huge cats, 50lb stripers etc and even then I wouldnt bet agin it.

[bushleague]

I spool with 20lb PP braid and catch everything from trout to bailing mahi on a ST Croix I built for it. You didnt say which model, but I have 460LL, 560LL and two 560 that I use offhore and in the surf. NO issues. Not sure what youre fishing for in fresh but it will handle most anything up til maybe huge cats, 50lb stripers etc and even then I wouldnt bet agin it.

 I'm a pike nut, and I'm battling pike from about the mid 30's up to 40" on a regular basis, once in awhile a little bigger. I know the reel will handle the fish, I've got lots of reels that will handle  40" + pike, just not spinning reels that work terribly well with 15lb mono. All mine are either a little too small or excessively large for casting big lures all day. Thinking the 360 would be a good size, estimating it will hold somewhere between 130-150 yards of 15LB Big Game.

[bushleague]

 Went ahead and ordered a Slammer 360, planning to put it on a 9' steelhead rod and try to tie into some big pike. Thanks for the input guys.