I picked up a 3/4 reel for use with my 10’10” 2 weight and also my 10’10” 4 weight. The finish/coating on the reel looks quite a bit different than the anodize I’m used to on other reels but it’s consistent across all surfaces. The edges are all very well machined with no sharp corners; exactly as advertised.
I took the reel out in 28° weather and the click noises seemed to disappeared but the drag was still functioning perfectly fine when I would pull line out. Near the end of the day I finally hooked into a nice 19” brown. He started to pull and I kept waiting to feel the reel release line but that feeling never came. I looked down to make sure I wasn’t tangled and I noticed the fish was already pulling line off. The smoothness of the drag was just mind blowing to me as I never felt the small startup inertia that I feel on every other reel.
A few minutes later I hooked a 20” rainbow and observed the same phenomenon. I never realized the reel had started to release line but it was. I don’t keep my drags super light, the reel is just so smooth it provides an experience I had never felt.
I’ve now fished the reel 8-10 trips and am in love with it. The reel seat placing it further down the rod is perfect. It picks up line super easy and the drag is just phenomenal. It’s not a cheap reel, but you’re definitely getting what you pay for.