For a mere $600 you can own the "best" spinning reel on the market. Approximately 4 times the cost of a 706Z. Now you CAN'T do that with any other item out there ..... LOL.
I was into mountain biking a lot over ten yrs ago. You could spend $600 for a decent bike w/ Shimano XT, OR you could have gone the route of a titanium bike w/ front shock & titanium hardware for around $3600. That was a factor of 6 times the cost to own the "best" MTB.
If you have the $, why not enjoy it.
I love a good meal and it doesn't matter to me if we spend $140 for dinner for three as long as the food is good! I can enjoy eating fried clams off of paper plates at the beach for $45 to feed three just as well. There are times we go get some nice cold cuts and make subs for $20.
All I can say is my daughter is gonna have a lot of nice junk to sell off at a yardsale for $1 when her ol' Dad keels.
My wife is ready to grab all my gear now and sell it for $0.25 ! :P
I am no gear snob. I do appreciate a nice balanced outfit. It helps if you catch something on the end of the line though.