exactly, BM. the people that say someone spent "too much money for a reel" cause they bought a VS are the same people that give people crap for buying a porche. generally they are just jealous that they can't afford one themselves. what right does ANYONE have saying someone else waisted money on certain fishing gear? if it is justified to the buyer, more power to them! i love my van staals. they take the abuse i dish out, and come back for more. i have fished all the other reels from penn to nautil to ahab to crack, and none of them are even close. i will continue to buy van staals until they are all gone. and service is no longer a problem for me, as i have just about all the after market suppliers and parts list compiled. the more people sell theirs off, the happier i am.
go ahead, fish your reel of choice whether it costs you $5 or $500, just keep on fishin'.