All in all, this seems like a solid product, however, when I attempted to attach it to the rod, it wouldn't fit, because the gap between mounting foot and the reel face cover was too narrow, and the piece that holds the reel to the rod wouldn't fit properly. That's on me as I should have done my homework a little better. It came pre-strung with monofilament, (8 lb I believe), but since I didn't know how old it was or anything about its performance, I just chose to strip that all off and go with the braid I use on all of my other reels. For the most part I'm glad I did as it doesn't take a lot of effort to launch a small lure several hundred feet. Maybe it's because the reel is new, but it felt so stiff when winding in the line. It also left me with the perception that something inside the reel was a little off balance, thus making reeling a little less than smooth. Had it out on the water for the first time yesterday, total of 6 hours being used continuously, hoped it would loosen up a little bit, but still feels a little stiff. I can't really compare it to any of my other equipment as my only baitcasting reel is a 30 year old Zebco Omega 1 or high end Shimano spinning reels, so I don't have any frame of reference with newer products. That being said, here are my pro's and con's: Pros: Affordable Solidly built Excellent drag control Reasonably fast line retrieval Thumb button action smooth Good reel for beginners/intermediate fresh water anglers. Casts exceptionally far with little effort Cons*: Action feels out of balance Reeling feels stiff and almost like something is catching or grinding Even though some people have had great luck with it, braided line may not be the best choice. (*) - These are my experiences with this one reel. I'm sure as time goes by it will loosen up, but I'm not sure how long that might be. Your experiences may vary. Conclusion: Would I buy this again? Absolutely! But it would not replace any of my ultra light spinning gear. Update 7/30/22: While this is an extremely well built reel, for the price range it's in, I'm revising my score and lowing it by one star. As I stated above it is very solid and nicely engineered, it's just not the smoothest or best casting. I have a 40 year old Zebco 1 that is still smoother reeling. Don't get me wrong, this is still an awesome product, but maybe it just takes a little time to break in, to the point where I like it. I'm going to keep it as a backup should my antique ever fail. I'm also going to explore different oils or greases, to see if I can get it to smooth out some more.