That sounds like a lot of work to me. Had my Abu Garcia 6500 C3 since 1994 (wedding present from the wife). Caught over 300 salmon on it in salt and in rivers, and all I have ever done is made sure was rinsed off after each trip. My main rods, 2 Kunan graphites, I have had for over 12 years.

Sorry to sound like a newbie, but some of you guys spend huge bucks on some of your gear, and then have to fiddle with it all of the time. Is it really worth it?

I can remember three backlashes on this reel, all my fault, as I forgot to adjust the tension specific to my lure. Other than that, I have never had any failure.

When any other Abu Garcia/Berkley/Fenwick products of mine ever had ANY problem (tip broken because of my stupidity, twice, etc.), they always fixed them for free (I paid a minimal shipping charge), or they replaced the item with a similar item. I even bought an old reel without a crank handle at a garage sale once for a buck, sent it to them to get a new replacement handle, and they sent me a brand new reel.

I guess I won't know until I try one, but what is SOOOOOOOOO good about some of this equipment?

Thanks for your patience,

Andy