This reel has been my go to, workhorse reel for the past two seasons +. In that time, it has not had one problem or hiccup. The reel can sit in water on the bottom of my stripping bucket for hours a day. It gets laid down, and banged around. I never back off the drag. I never wipe the reel down after a long day on the water. Guess you can say it's been rode hard and put up wet. It goes about holding line, and when need be, smoothly releases line when a fish pulls on the other end. The best endorsement I can make for it is, I don't even think about this reel when I use it. Some of my other reels require thought when chasing fish that pull hard.
briansII