I think it may be luck of the draw when it comes to these reels. I have an S, SX, and STX...and the SX is by far the smoothest of them all. It reels smooth, casts the farthest, and is just an all around great reel. I have an STX as well though, and it grinds slightly when you reel it, which is enough to make me use my SX more than i use the STX. So it sounds like from the previous posts that it may just be luck of the draw.