A few years ago I bought a new version of the Mitchell 300 and it was crap. Those old ones were really good and are collector items for many. I too like the Shimano line but their low end stuff isn't that good. For a while I was getting the FD1000 reels at Dick's Sporting Goods for 29.99 and they worked well but the bail springs go after a while that is why I switched to the Pflueger line. I could have tried to replace the springs but the assembly inside has some plastic parts which wear out. At that price it was just a throw away. The presidentials are twice the price but don't seem to wear out. I usually have 6 to 8 rod/ reel combos in my boat for different applications.