Hands down my favorite reel in my collection holds up great and throws a country mile even with light bait. I’m relatively new to the bait-caster world and have tried Shimano, 13 Fishing, and others, but this reel out performs everytime. I’m not a pro by any means but I feel like it when I throw it around the lake. I use 50 pound braid on a diawa tatula 7’3 mh casting rod. From a novice, I definitely recommend this reel for a high quality starter reel. Happy fishing!