I have as my high end reels an exist, a stella and a Presso 18 that i think was the last one in japan when I bought it on the advice of Alphahawk. The Presso is on a level unlike any reel I've ever fished and I do not baby my equipment. I can not imagine going backwords at this point. Never convince me there is not a difference. If you haven't fished with one of the high end reels it would be hard to compare and before I went down this road I've caught thousands of mfish on Plugers and other American made reels but for me it was worth every penny and I would not give it up wiilingly for any price. Granted it's not for everyone but I'm a happy fisherman. Scott