I finally went into Bob's in Longview in early fall to buy the Epix 30. I was disappointed they were out of them. The sales guy told me to try the AV 'Avenger' 30 Okuma spinning reel they still had stock of. I don't put a lot of faith in what a salesman says, but I looked it over and cranked it several times - very smooth, and what do I have to lose for 30+ dollars. I have used it plenty, without any probs at all. So it sounds like I got lucky, getting a less problematic reel cheaply? More time will tell. But I still recommend the Shamano Symetry for a high quality and performance spinning reel for under a hundred bucks.

RT