this reel is doing its best to look like a VR. it is not.

the knob is surprisingly comfortable, but that is about it. the one i played around with sounding like a pencil sharpener and didnt feel as nice.

Very nice reel good drag and is quite smooth very nice reel for the surf

Received promptly,TD never disappoints...spooled with 400+yds 40# J-Braid..so spool capacity certainly adequate...still working on rod-pairing(will follow-up once fitted and pitched a few times)... certainly feels and appears well-made;very smooth and nicely balanced and for >$100(reg. $199)may be tough to beat...tbd!...color,weight,and feel reminiscent of my dad's old reliable Penn 704's..,.to be continued..Thx T.D., fish on! T.H.

Good looking reel

I bought 2 of these reels in case we run into some bigger fish out in the ocean. The special edition color and design are great. Haven't used them yet but they are very smooth.

super nice smooth drag. good looking colors, aluminum construction. this is a head turner. took her surf fishing, casted long, reeled in smooth and even. i think the people who
had "problems" dont know what theyre doing.

I bought this reel for offshore but to my surprise this is my best surf i have.

I have this and an S8000. I am impressed with the drag systems and immediately converted both mine to single manual pickups. No problems with either Star reel.

Bought this to put on my dad's old steelhead rod, because it looked retro. It's smooth and looks great, but has one gigantic problem. You have to be VERY carful when casting. At least once a day the line gets wrapped around the spindle under the spool. Am using 20# mono, so this should not be an issue.

Very happy with these reels . Caught lots of black fin and Sails, large and small dolphin , even a respectable cobia. Drag held up to a few wahoos as well. Surprisingly strong drag that does not seem to loosen up on long runs. Wish they made a smaller version for inshore.

First time I went fishing with my s8000, the knob for the handle broke off. I called the factory and they sent me a new one. The second time I went fishing, I tried to put the rod in the sand ( gave the rod butt a small hit in the sand) and the frame that connects the reel to the rod cracked in half. I called the company again and they are sending me an S 7000 because they don’t have any more S8000’s. I didn’t use the S 7000 yet, but I Doubt it’s going to be any better.

This reel looks and feels great. However, it has issues. The line lay is terrible and the line gets looped around the roller often. You really have to manage this thing when you are fishing or it could get you. It's held up to saltwater splashes and does it's job. You just have to micromanage it. I wouldn't buy one but it came free with a rod so not bad.

Good quality, good looking..... too new to advise on durability, but it seems like it will make it long term.

After using my new 8000 im ready to take my vs back and by 3 more of these quality gems..only complaint i have is i didn't buy two!

Recently purchased the S7000 this spring and I have already landed several king mackerel, bonito, and tarpon from the piers that I fish on. This is an outstanding reel and is now one of my personal favorites.