I wanted to pass along just how well I was treated by Shimano when I sent a reel that broke in half during a hook-set. The reel is at least three years old and I fish it constantly. During an aggressive strike I set the hook and while I did the reel cracked in half on the arm (for want of a better term). I sent Shimano an e-mail and they told me to ship it and they would assess if it was a defect. Two weeks later I have a new reel with the old spool included. I cannot say enough about the quality of Shimano, standing behind their product. Life-long customer! 

That's great! I've got two Spirex reels the kids mostly use in salt water now. No problems to report.