I’ve been using the Shimano Calcutta series of reels for several years now. The Calcutta 100 and 200 series reels mate up beautifully with my G.Loomis CR841 and Cr842 rods. I use P-Line CXX 6 lb. on the 100 series reels, 8 lb. on the 200 series and 10 lb. on a 401TE. They’re all great reels. No problems with any of them. Just for the record I do take all of my reels in for a thorough cleaning and greasing to Fisherman’s Warehouse every other year. Unfortunately you pay dearly for the Shimano Calcutta’s and the 401 cost is a heart stopper, although if Shimano built the TE line in a left hand wind 100 or 200 series with a clicker I’d buy them immediately. The 401TE is a spectacular reel. Last season at the Sacramento ISE show I got a heck of a deal on a couple of Tica Caiman CM101R reels. While I haven’t put the Tica’s through all the trials and tribulations of the Shimano’s, I’ve been really impressed with their smoothness, and in all honesty, they actually feel smoother than my Shimano’s. How their drags hold up over time will be the final judgment for me. For the price, the Tica’s seem like a steal. I have several ABU-Garcia reels also. Very smooth reels with reliable drags but significantly larger than either the Shimano’s or the Tica’s. Just last year I also bought 2 Okuma CV20DLX and CV30DLX line counter reels for a kinda ‘special’ type of long line fishing I do in Montana. They’re nice, but nowhere near the smoothness or size of the Shimano’s or Tica’s. How their drags hold up over the long haul will also be interesting. I guess it all boils down to what you want to spend on a reel. I don’t think you can go wrong with either the Calcutta series or the Tica’s. Hope this helps you a little.