Got a new salt rod.  An 8’ swim bait rod I already had- I didn’t like it.    It was too long, behaved weird w honking- huge lead sinkers.  And the reel seat felt loose all the time. 
 

went with a Daiwa Harrier-X,   Med power in the 7 footer configuration.    It’s light!   
 

I can tuck the butt end in my armpits when I’m horking up big rockfish from 100 feet deep.    
 

the Lexa 300 is okay.  It will be my gateway reel into the realm of lever drag reels.  
 

 

I've has lever drag reels for 40 years, I don't see the benefit advertised, if you have to reset the strike drag it's much more of a pain then a star drag, to go past strike drag you have to depress the button to move the lever past, not a big benefit over a simple star drag adjustment. But to each their own.