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Sandman, I love the way you described fishing the Stella vs. the Saltiga. That is how I treat them, and the Saltiga definitely acts liked a hummer.
I also am glad to hear from someone who has really put the Stella's through the rigors of surf-fishing and they've come out fine. Like I said, I kind of babied mine compared to the Saltigas.
I did buy my Saltigas in the US; however upon talking to a rep at Daiwa over the telephone I learned that all the Saltigas are the same whether bought in the US or overseas. There is not a domestic model and an import model like the Stella FA (US) and Stella SW (Japan). So you can buy them in the US, overseas, or on ebay and they are all the same reels. However, the Saltiga manuals are all written in Japanese. The Daiwa rep did not know when/if an English version was coming out.
I was informed by the rep that Daiwa America covers all the Saltiga models under the US warranty and, like Shimano, Daiwa will service them for a small fee (I think $15) on an annual basis by sending the reels to them. Just call Daiwa and ask about the program. While I have not sent them in yet the service program sounded just like Shimano's. Also, the guy (and some ads I've read) gave the impression that the reels need very little major service except for routine stuff you can do at home. Mine seem fine still after a season of fishing them.
Canalman, you should check if your friends' Stella's were the newer FA series or the older (2002 and before) F series. The FA series had major improvements like the seals in the reel body and better sealed drag.
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