For me, the less expensive Daiwa spinning reels seem smoother than their Shimano counterparts when new.  When I eventually disassembled Daiwas for cleaning and lube, they had shim washers in various locations.  If you can't get each one back in in exactly the same place, you're screwed.  It looked to me like Daiwa hand fitted the reels at the factory, adding shims to get a smooth running reel.  The Shimanos didn't, and were easier to service and get back together so they worked again.  Since those days, I've used mid to high end Shimanos and service those without much drama.  If you like Daiwas and want to do your own service, you better meticulously record where those shims come from and sort them out so you can get them back in the right places!

For me, the less expensive Daiwa spinning reels seem smoother than their Shimano counterparts when new. When I eventually disassembled Daiwas for cleaning and lube, they had shim washers in various locations. If you can't get each one back in in exactly the same place, you're screwed. It looked to me like Daiwa hand fitted the reels at the factory, adding shims to get a smooth running reel. The Shimanos didn't, and were easier to service and get back together so they worked again. Since those days, I've used mid to high end Shimanos and service those without much drama. If you like Daiwas and want to do your own service, you better meticulously record where those shims come from and sort them out so you can get them back in the right places!

I am 99% sure that this was not user error... like I said I only serviced them when they began to grind. And I was very careful.