I was hesitant when deciding to order one of these because the “old” model President XT was one of my favorites of all time. Built solid. Smooth as can be. Reliable 100%. I love the old model so much I bought 6 of them. Paired them with Fenwick HMX rods and spooled 30# Suffix 832 on each one. Then I gave 3 away as gifts. So, my expectations were VERY high. This new reel meets those expectations and then some. I now own 2. One in 7.9:1 and one arrived today in 6.5:1. The 6.5 sits on my Fenwick Aetos 7’ rod. The 7.9 will be paired with the new Pflueger President XT casting rod. Probably 7’ as well. I find it very hard to see in comparison how my 10 year old Patriarch XT feels and functions better than this new President XT. The only real difference is the spool pin brakes on my Patriarch XT. That’s saying a lot. In short, I love Pflueger bait cast reels. I have for the better part of a decade. I see nothing that will change that in the future. Go buy one. They’re worth it.