Decent reel, heavier then expected
930766
Havent used yet, its heavier then expected, Quiet but handle is somewhat larger then my other baitcast reels. Ill add on more if or when I get a chance to fish with it this week
2172518
Fine drag and plenty of line capacity. A little heavy and the curve of the reel stem is slightly odd making holding the rod and reel between middle and ring finger difficult even for large hands. Just takes a little time to get used to it. I think rod selection for this reel is extremely important for reel seat, rod grip locations and grip circumferences.
1608883
Very nice reel. I do recommend wearing some kind of glove though to avoid rub burns ;) if you are in strong winds
4482018
Good quality for the price, cast and reels really nice
1451282
Bought the 40 reel in June of last year.  I use it on an ande standup rod with 80 lb braid for bottom fishing off shore in 100 ft of depth for large snapper, amber jack, cobia and grouper.
Pros:  so far, the reel is holding up well.  It is affordable and well built.  Easily holds 300 yds of 80 lb braid.  I like how light weight it is.  The high speed retrieve is a must for getting your line up fast.  The lever drag gives much better control than a star drag.  I set the drag to max on the bottom to hoist fish out of the rocks, then ease off as the fish gets up higher.
Con's: I would have given 5 stars if it had some minimal tension control for birds nesting or backlash.  You have to use your thumb for pressure on the spool while your line is descending which means you need to tend the rod or engage the clicker which makes an annoying ratcheting sound.  Not the end of the world, but annoying.  And why are the clicker buttons all round and slippery so you have to dig your finger into the side of the button to slide it?  I've read that some use this reel to cast.  Maybe the smaller size reel but I don't think it would be easy with this size reel.  Using your thumb to control the backlash while casting seems like it would be hard.  Seems like a spinning reel would be more appropriate.  I think this reel would be great for trolling.  You could set the drag to light while trolling and increase the drag when a fish is on.  There is a 2 speed version of this reel but I don't see the need.  With a fighting belt, drag at 20 lbs, and both hands on the top of the rod handle, I can barely lift the rod.  I can't see how I could possibly reel in the fish by cranking. There is also a hyperspeed version which looks interesting but not for 30% more $.
4792199
I bought this reel for my wife who is just getting into fly fishing.  My first impression is that it looked pretty wide on her rod.  Almost too wide.  I quickly got used to how wide it looked and decided to let it's perfomance speak for it.  Turns out the wide design is a boon in disguise. It's not at all overly heavy as I've seen some people say.  It's well made, has clean lines, adds a nice balance, and looks pretty good on the rod.  More importantly, it performs REALLY well.  The drag is actually adjustable (unlike many reels in this price range), it strips evenly, and it remains consistant (so far).  Long story short, this is a lot of reel for this price range.  I'd highly reccomend it.
904060
I like the reel for its lite weight and smooth casting and retrieve.  The drag is a little rough and makes noise when line is pulled out but I think that will be fine once I have taken the reel apart and greased the drag washers.  I have not fished with it but will change the review as necessary once I have.  I would like to have a schematic of the reel parts but did not get one with the reel and could not find one on the internet.  All in all just what I was expecting and wanting. 1/ll/16 After trying to adjust the drag, finally gave up and sent it back.  Disappointed that I could not get a parts list.  Bought the PF 1400 which came with a parts list and I will leave a review after I have used it.
1376777
I gave four star for weight, other than that its a beautifully crafted machine. Will hold more than average line. If you are a surfer and have a need for longer line this is the machine for you. Will buy more.
If manufacturer replaces all metal with composite this could be a hit.
8/19/2016
So I took the reel for fishing yesterday. I was a little disappointed by the drag. The drag is not progressive, which means that it suddenly loses the drag with very small change in dial setting. Likewise when you tighten it it will go tighter than your expecting.
I am reducing rating to three stars due to that. Reel is still good for medium fish less than 10 lbs anything heavier I won't be sure.
3584134
I use this real is almost purely saltwater and it has held up good so far. The reel casts well and is smooth. I have it loaded with 20lb power pro and although I have had a few knots show up in it they came while working a twitch bait in a twitching motion with a good bit of slack. During normal operation this was never an issue.

 The only negative is the fact that is a standard retrieve. High speed would be much better. It takes a lot work work on the long casts to work a lure back to the boat. If the high speed version works as well as this one I could go up to 4 stars on it.
952353
This is a great reel! Half the weight of a precision auto real and a third of the weight of an Electra mee! Half the weight of a precision auto reel and a third of the weight of an Electra-mate.  Are use this real for catching Vermillion snapper and triggerfish and the occasional grouper.  If you can pair it up with a tiger light jigging Rod or a pen rampage jigging Rod it makes an awesome combination. Super lightweight and very easy to use. Great entry level electric reel
1918169
20lbs of drag on a 5000 class spinning reel for that price? My Spinfisher V has more drag. Being a Penn only guy, I'm very disappointed with that. And I think the new Slammer III has 40lbs of drag on the 5000 series.
3026932
I bought this reel to put on a telescoping fishing rod that I can use while backpacking or just toss in the back for spur of the moment trips.  It is a bit bigger than I expected it to be which in my case is good because I will be rigging it to fish for everything from Bluegill to Muskie.  I believe the housing is cast zinc, it is a little bit heavy but the spool is plastic as is the handle (which folds away very nicely and can be configured for both right and left handers).  I've not taken it apart to see what the gears are made of but they are smooth and seem to function fine as does the drag.
4449515
Nice action. Light weight. Smooth reel. Plus its lucky.... got a fish on the first cast! How often does that happen.
2487321
I needed a 2wt reel for my new rod and found that my current 2wt reel was too small for the reel seat. This seems to be similar quality to other reels I own costing twice as much with very little play in the bearings like some cheap reels. The drag seems fairly smooth but it's not something I use a lot on a reel this small, so far the biggest fish I have caught on it weighed about a pound so I'm not trying to wear it down! There seems to be room for a lot of backing on this so if I was to get something that needed to be given its head then I should be good for 100 feet of line. I may well buy another to go with my 4wt rod so I can have a sink tip quickly to hand - at this price it's less expensive than a spare spool for my existing reel.
3006033
I made a blog post which featured this reel. Please check it out for more info.
http://featherchucker.blogspot.com/2016/01/great-rodreel-combo-for-under-150.html?_sm_au_=iVVFrSPs67JkQTHJ
298820
This is great value money reel. Good strong drag and nicely put together. Be aware though that if you are used to Shimano sizes this reel is definitely a size or two bigger so the 3000 would be the equivalent of a 4000 shimano and the 4000 equivalent to a 5000 or possibly even a 6000.
Holds 300 yards of 20lb braid comfortably.
872122
I shopped around quite extensively before settling on this reel.  Having owned several Penn and Diawa saltwater trolling reels in the past, I bought this one in hopes it would be "as good" as my previous ones.  And the answer is "Yes", it is!  As this is a lighter weight reel, I use it in freshwater for trolling and for that it is excellent, it needs a few years of break-in to get everything loosened up a bit, but it works just as a new reel should.  The clicker is nice, crisp and a bit on the loud side, (as several other reviews have noted), but that's a good thing and not bad.  A flip of the lever and the clicker is off which is nice when pulling in nice size fish.  The level wind and star drag works as the Penns and heavier Daiwas, although it is not as "beefy" that is not as important to me now as it was out at sea catching bigger fish.  I haven't had it torn apart yet, so I don't know how easy it will be to service, that will come a little later after the fishing season is done.  For the money, this reel fills the bill perfectly and it's exactly what I needed for trolling the lakes and rivers here in Oregon.