This reel feels as solid and nice as ones I have that cost far more. The traditional flagship reel brands have drastically gone up in price over the last few years. Reel models from these brands, that used to cost about $220-250 while being made in Japan, are now pushing $400 while being made elsewhere. I’m not willing to go down in rod quality to keep up with the escalating prices of those reel brands. St. Croix’s rods seem to have gone up much less in price and these SEVIIN reels are nicely priced. For equal money, a premium rod with a very good real that doesn’t carry an eye watering price tag is a far nicer outfit than a budget rod carrying an aggressively priced reel.

I appreciate the quality bearings and aluminum body of this SEVIIN. The two braking systems (three if you count spool tension) allow for fine tuning the spool rotation from the beginning to end of cast. It takes a little more time to dial in, but it’s really worth it. The gears feel nice and smooth, and the anti-reverse is slop free.

There are little touches throughout the reel that show the design team knows a lot about fishing. The way the spool is machined to handle braided line is a great example. A line hole makes it impossible for the braid to slip. A uni-arbor knot with seven wraps tucks right into the chamfered openings, which are nice and smooth. The spool tension knob is easy to adjust, unlike some other brands that have almost no gripping surface. The handle knobs feel just right and durable. My only constructive criticism is the front feels a little higher when palming than what I’m used to. This 150 size reel is of larger capacity than what I normally palm, however. I also got used to this just fine.

The side plates switch broke 2nd time we used it..... sent 2 warranty request in with no response. My 13 year old son spent his lawn mowing money on this.... super disappointed

This was the 8th one I've bought, they are epic!

I heard good things from my brother who had one of these reels. I got one and it is the reel deal. I had to learn the four spool settings, because this reel can cast a long way. It is perfect for getting my frogs way in the back of a lilypad field so I can work it all the way back to the boat. I put the reel right up there with my $300 reels.

Smooth with incredible casting distance