Has anyone had any first hand experience with this reel? I just returned mine for exchange to TW. Hopefully mine was just a defect. The gears felt very rough. Has anyone else experienced this problem?

Yes, mine was not really rough it just felt kind of tight compared to me gen 1 and gen 2 sx's.  I took it apart and thoroughly cleaned it out and relubed, now it is smooth and as free as it should be. Rough gears might be a different problem, so good thing you sent it back.

Mine wasn't as smooth as I expected out of the box. I cleaned/relubed it and now it's smooth as can be.

I think the lighter frame/reel makes it feel a little loose or grindy. It still doesn't "feel" as smooth as my carbon black, which is significantly heavier, but it really is.

What it boils down to, I think, is due to their weight, they don't feel as solid (but really are just as smooth or better).

i returned mine and picked up a lews bb1, which i like much better

love mine no problems here

Had an issue with a Gen 3 STX where everything felt very tight, even with the spool ou, excess lube removed etc. Exchanged it and the new one has been flawless.

TNBassin': did you order it from TW? If so how was the exchange speed? Mine got sent in today.