Every angler and their experience is different, so that means every reel will perform differently for each angler. With that, here's my stance on DC reels.
I've been fishing a baitcaster for 20+ years. I started using one at 8 years old. I fish weekly, including tournaments, as well as 1-2 week long trips to various destinations a year. That being said, I have a lot of experience with baitcasters and how to use them, and my hands are very trained on how to use them. About 4 years ago, I bought a DC reel, the JDM model Excense DC (which to this day is still superior to the modern SLX DC and Curado DC). I found it to be a neat little reel that was very well built, and I got some good casting distance with it. It blew my mind that I didn't have to touch the spool at all, and the DC whine is something that dreams are made of.
That being said, I can think of two situations where a DC reel is necessary (or rather, nice to have):
1. Beginner with casting reels. It eliminates so much of the learning curve and all the wasted line while learning.
2. Days where it's so windy that you can hardly cast at all.
Outside of that, I can do anything with my hands/thumb that a DC reel can do. In fact, certain situations I feel that a traditional casting reel is more beneficial. Pitching and short casting situations come to mind.
I still have my Excense DC and I use it for one application, frogging. It's a tank of a reel, it's all aluminum, holds a good bit of line, and I can bomb a frog out there. My advice for you, is keep using your DC reel until you feel very proficient with it. Then once you get there, buy a more traditional casting reel like a Curado and see how you do with it. You'll probably find that each reel you buy can find a spot in your arsenal, it's just a matter of learning how to use all the tools at your disposal.
