Well yesterday while at Academy I made a pretty good find. I got the older silver model Daiwa Exceler in the 7.1:1 ratio for $40 marked down from $90. It feels pretty solid for the price, and its even smoother than my T3B. It's a little loud but I figured some lubing would fix that. It's REALLY heavy though. Like over 9 ounces heavy. I like the reel, but I haven't heard much about them, so I was wondering if anyone had any experience with it, and if so was it good or bad?

Excellent reels, especially at the clearance prices. Have free floating spool and magZ, which is a huge upgrade over the newest version. They are heavy, but they're rock solid.

Yep, they are solid reels.  My dad has one that's been going strong for 6 or 7 years.

The Exceler is one of the reels that use to be brought up in discussions about best 100 dollar reel, back when the PQ and Citica E were duking it out. 

Academy has had some good reels on sale lately. I need to make a trip there sometime soon.

Awesome! I was pretty sure it was a good deal as soon as I picked it up! I have it on a 7' MH Ethos right now, and it's obvious that it's a little "overweight". Would a heavier rod balance out with it better or will I just have to get used to it?