My buddy has three of them, and seeing as how i do most of my fishing from off a boat, and how if i buy another reel my girlfriend might disown me, i use his every once in a while. I have a couple of Penn spinners, but it disappoints me to say the Penns take a lot of maintenance. I have used both his cheaper model from a different store more tuned to freshwater and they have worked great.

Out here in the middle of the Pacific, not too many folks are keen on using bait-casters. And not too many bait-casters out there that are saltwater specific. Just needed a new reel that can beat my old freshwater Salmon reel in the field of weight, saltwater resistance, and retrieval speed. My primary target are Jack Trevally which love a fast surface retrieve. You'd spend hours casting surface lures just to get that one. But with my old, heavy, and slow reel, it was like running a marathon in work boots and you do get tired. I scoured the internet and found less than a handful when it comes to Inshore bait-casters. All pretty much similar in pricing too. I also knew about Quantum's quality reputation from the past, but something drew me more towards Quantum and I took a risk and chose the Quantum. Now, after using it for a while I must say this has got to be one of the best reels out there! Its very light and barely feels like any weight added to the rod. Super smooth with 9 bearings (Really adds yards to my casting compared to my last reel), and last but most importantly SPEED. I would have to do 120+ rpm on my last reel just to do half of what speed this reel does. Actually, I am so used to having to reel in so fast, I cannot help but reel fast on this and on that setting its too fast! I really have to train myself to slow down the retrieve. You can make a mistake and in a matter of seconds throw out another round. This would be perfect for sight fishing. The ACS brake system just works and the Drag is a whole different story. How can you fit that much drag (25lbs) on a little ol reel like this? I highly reccomend this reel to folks who don't mind casting a bunch. Pair it with a light rod and you can cast and retrieve for hours.