I have used the old model for years, like Fish-o-man said "the bail spins forever". 55 seconds after 10 years of Salmon, steelhead, bass and even sturgeon fishing. Brought a 59" sturgeon in at the Bonneville dam with a massive current. The only thing I've replaced was the drag washer (after the 59" sturgeon). The reel casts light weight a long ways. Smoothest reel I've used and never backlashes. I paid 149 for it and saw the new ones on amazon for 50. Bought 2 and the new stile is not the same quality. The spool barely free spins for 3 seconds. The inside guts are mostly made of plastic and just doesn't feel like the quality the old model is. I did try it out salmon fishing and it brought in a couple nice 20lb Coho with no problem. The drag wasn't as smooth as the old model. I was able to use pretty light tackle and still could cast a good distance. Without any backlash all day. Luckily I was on a small coastal river. Some of the biger rivers I wouldn't have been able to cast far enough without putting on to much weight.
