When you first open the box you are impressed by this reel and the huge spools, which are shallow. To have a cloth bag and a spare spool too at this price point is a bonus. The handle is quick folding and snaps together well. When you first wind the reel you notice there is quite a bit of play in the handle and the gearing. I loaded one spool with 0.08 Preston braid and the other with 8lb Preston sinking feeder line. I didn’t need backing line on the 8lb line as the spool holds 150m of 0.26mm which this line is rated at. I did need backing on the thinner 0.08mm braid of course, so if Preston did a reducer that would have helped, maybe something they could offer on the future. On the bank I used the braid for bream fishing on a large reservoir. The casting is superb with a definite increase in my distance. I usually fish around 50 to 60 metres but I increased my distance to around 80 metres. I’m not a great caster but I did go for a big cast at the end of the session and managed to reach 100 metres. The Dual line clips are good too. You can fish two different distances. I would recommend doubling up the braid around the clips even though the do have a bit of spring in them. This helps avoid crack offs. The bail arm clicks over well. The play in the handle and gears virtually disappeared when the reel was under load when winding back feeders through the water. The retrieve is swift and you can really crank this reel quickly. Playing fish was a joy too as the clutch is fairly smooth and gives line if the fish bolts (providing you have set it properly) and is easy to adjust during the fight as the front drag knob is large and easy to find quickly. At this price point I’d highly recommend this reel for distance and heavier feeder work.