I just picked up one of the new Shimano Symetre 3000FJ's from BPS this afternoon. Apparently, they just got them 3 days ago. And to tell you the truth, I am very dissapointed. As a matter of fact, I will be returning the reel tomorrow for my money back.  

The reel looks great, is lighter and smoother than the predecesor. However, there is an issue I just can't get past ... the bail engaging mechanism! I know most people engage their bail manually, and it is the right thing to do. And with this reel, you might just not have another option. The bail engaging mechanism is tough!!! When open, the bails grinds a half rotation before requiring a lot (LOT) of force to make the bail engage. Now, this might not seem like a problem because engaging the bail by cranking is not the appropriate thing to do ... but for a 100$ spinning reel, I expect more ... Malasyian craftmanship I guess      

is there any reason you didn't check that while you were there? Whenever I buy any spinning reel I always check the bail closing among other things and even when testing the same reels some will be "easier and smoother" cranking the bail shut than others, whether or not it is Shimano.

Sorry about your first bad experience in what should be a promising reel.

Both of my Shimano reels (Symetre 2500, and Sahara 2500) were like that but broke in nicely after a couple trips to the lake.

I rarely close the bail manually, I cast and crank. If/when the reel develops a problem I'll either have it fixed or replace it.