Matt , when I started I was hurting for $ so I bought sientific ? spell at walmart reg $34 on sale for $19 I ended up liking them and now have three one a eight weight. these have met my inital needs and I still use them alot. My bigest mistake was buying cheep reels Which I am now replacing. As far as I am concerned nothing less than a medalist is worth having as the drags / clicks are not user friendly for me just my .02 cents worth Good luck. Glenn