The Abu Garcia Orra S30 is a great reel. It's silver and red but looks great on black rods. It comes in at 69.99 brand new and is worth more than that imo

I'm in total agreement with 0119.  

My first episode with Shimano service on my Spheros 4000 the warranty was voided due to the fact that I used an oil other than Shimanos, that's a cheap shot.  Would a car manufacturer void my warranty if I got an oil change at Jiffy lube?

My 2 stradic fi 4000's have been plagued with bail issues.  I've ordered parts, when not received I called only to be told there was no record of the order being placed.  Then I was told the parts were on backorder, I had to find them elsewhere.  Both stradics have had the entire bail system replaced, one by my local guy and one by Shimano, both bails are still floppy and not solid like other reels I own.  Luckily I found the error of my ways and only own a few Shimanos, if I owned more I'm sure I'd be on first name basis with them too.  It isn't my concern how back logged they are with repairs, my concern is getting my reel back in service quickly.

One company that I have embraced gives 24 hour warranty service on salt reels and 48 hour on fresh, and I really like the reels.

 

To Shimano's credit some of their reels are nice performers (when they aren't broke), but perform no better than any other brand I use.  In fairness my Shimano's are used in saltwater and approved for that environment, the elements do take their toll.  It's hard for me to understand why my bails keep breaking when I close them by hand as I do my other reels used for the same kind of fish, those bails don't break.  Unlike 0119 I may buy another Shimano but not at their current price structure, over rated and over priced for me.

 

Again tying to be fair most Shimano's used on this site are fished in freshwater, there shouldn't be too many problems.  In lieu of spending $800 on a freshwater spinner, I'd spend no more than $100.  Take the remaining $700 and get some therapy.

  

My first episode with Shimano service on my Spheros 4000 the warranty was voided due to the fact that I used an oil other than Shimanos, that's a cheap shot.  Would a car manufacturer void my warranty if I got an oil change at Jiffy lube?

 

That is a cheap shot especially considering the Mr. Wonderful at shimano has confirmed on posts that shimano oil is only mineral oil.

 

A buddy of mine did get the warranty on his new VW voided for going to his mechanic for its first oil change.  Apparently it was designed so that important engine components had to be removed to allow the filter removal.  Hmmmm.... just like shimano making disassembly of the Calais impossible without a tool you cannot buy.

That is a cheap shot especially considering the Mr. Wonderful at shimano has confirmed on posts that shimano oil is only mineral oil.

 

A buddy of mine did get the warranty on his new VW voided for going to his mechanic for its first oil change.  Apparently it was designed so that important engine components had to be removed to allow the filter removal.  Hmmmm.... just like shimano making disassembly of the Calais impossible without a tool you cannot buy.

 

For my old calais this was the only special tool I needed besides a lot of patience. I got my set a lowes for $5.   Also here is a how it is done, http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=895.0.

 

Penn Conflict.  Why wait for if and when a reel goes on sale because the maker decides its outdated and clearances it?  Why buy a reel and have it be automatically outdated?  The Revo spinners are very smooth and mine have been tougher than the pitiful CI4's were.  They've handles much bigger fish, their only down side is the modular takedown is not easy to work on.  The Penn is basically a Pfeluger made for tougher conditions and you have the insurance that it comes from a company that has a history of keeping spare parts available for decades and bend over backwards customer service.

I'm never buying a penn spinner again. Too many problems with them. I looked at the abu garcia spinner not sure the model) that was priced around $130 and it looked pretty nice. But it felt like a toy in my hands and the drag stack in the spool was loose so there was a lot of movement. It just looked haphazardly put together.