Anyone use Fin-nor reels?

[Young Salt]

I'm sure that the ahab's are a nice reel, but out of my price range for my schoolie rod (the weight is another issue) I'm pretty much sold on the stradic 4000 or 5000 now, I already have a sienna trout reel, and it works like a dream. Awhile back I heard about this guy who sent in his 10-12 shimano's for yearly maintenance, and because he was such a loyal customer they they tuned them all up for free. How often do you get that kind of service nowaday?
One last question is, would I save any money if i buy it at one of the upcomming shows? From what i've seen just about everything you buy there is retail price.