1 hour ago, Phil77 said:

 Strange, I've not had any QC problems from Lew's. They don't charge for parts either, I got spare spools for my pro ti and custom lite free of charge. The only problem I've had was a stripped handle nut and they sent a new one free. I fished nothing but Shimano for almost twenty years, everything from the Calais to the Met20 and and would still be using them if they had a braking system like the ACB Lew's has. The SVS is ok, I preferred the VBS but they had to find a way to appeal to the younger crowd who don't like to thumb spools. The Met20 is an outstanding reel but I can do the same thing with any of my ACB Lew's reels and adjust them much easier by only turning the dial and not having to mess with spool blocks. Still the only two brands you'll see on my boat and yak though.

That's why so many brands exist, so there is something for everyone. At one point I was 100% Lew's and Abu reels. Until I had issues and had one of the worst experiences ever with customer service. I got rid of all of them and switched to 13 when they first hit the market. I won't even speak on how many issues I had with those! I finally landed on Shimano and have not had to contact customer service yet for any of their products. But I would not gauge how good they are on whether or not they gave me free parts. I consider parts on a reel to be just like maintenance on my vehicle such as tires and ball joints. I bought them with the understanding that they have wear and tear parts that would eventually go out.

I was able to exchange the Metanium mentioned above and received the new one today.  I took it out for a few and it was awesome.  No issues at all.  I was able to set the brakes at 2 on and 2 off and the outside dial at 2 or 3 and was able to cast a long way with no backlashes at all.