Anyone have one and actually have some time on the water with it? I was never a huge fan of the last gen. The braking system was awesome but everyone i had seemed geary sounding.  Curious if this new one is any smoother or quieter?  Already know I like the profile better. Really wanting to try one but would like to hear some feedback first. Thanks

Have one. Smooth and quiet. Good distance. Nice reel for throwing baits that go stupid mid cast (looking at you spinnerbaits).

I have one and have fished it a couple hours and caught 5-7 fish. Other than the profile there’s not much noticeable difference although I will say the new model I have seems to cast a tad further but also feels like it’s built “looser”.  Previous model feels more solid but they fish pretty much identical to me. Which to me is not a bad thing

If they're like the Elite Long Cast models that came out last summer, then they're great little reels. No problems to report here.