Guys I used to use Shimanos for years, but after a year of so, the non-super free ones didn't feel near as smooth as they did when new. After I got into tearing down and cleaning my own reels, I noticed one difference in particular - the drive system of the Daiwas (even the cheaper ones) is the same as the Super-free shimanos... Basically, the pinion gear totally separates from the spool on the Daiwas and super-free shimanos, while on the other shimanos, the spool shaft remains in contact with the pinion gear...