So, I just went out and bought an Abu Garcia Max Pro 20 spinning reel.

 

First impression: it's a nice looking reel.  Seams are very tight with no gaps or unevenness.  Attached the handle and gave it a spin.

 

Felt tighter than I expected.  Took it down.  There was minimal grease on the gears, so I lubed em up to my standards, greased the bearings and race, etc.

 

Muuuuch smoother now.

 

I swapped my Revo S spinning reel over to the Revo S rod, and put the new Max Pro on a Veritas PLX rod.

 

Spooled it up with 8lb Trilene Sensation from a partial spool I had left over, which may be a mistake.  Sensation is a tad wirey, and this a 20 size reel.  I noticed the line jumping off the spool as I tried to string the rod. Ordered some 6lb Sensation which is coming in later today, and I'll swap it out.

 

Gonna rig it up for stocker trout in a couple weeks, which I'm REALLY looking forward to, and I'll give a better review once I use it.

 

So far, it seems to be well worth the $40 from what I've seen so far.

Looking forward to hearing your review .