I wouldn't necessarily say no to the older HSN. I bought one last summer from Mike when he was blowing them out to make room for the i series. Some of the early models had pinion gear issues, but I think Pure Fishing resolved them. Even so, Pure Fishing usually stands behind their products if you do run into problems.
I'm not sold on instant anti-reverse, especially in the Abus. The 6500 series bearings can rust, they can slip when they get contaminated by grease or oil, and I've been told by Mike that they are integral to the side plate and can't be replaced separately--you have to buy the whole plate.
I can fix a standard 7000 anti-reverse in 5 minutes with one cheap brass part
I do like the lever free spool control--you can flip it manually or turn the handle, and there isn't a "water entry" port on the top of the plate like there is with the push button version