I bought several Daiwa spinning reels last March that had the usual reverse/anti-reverse lever. Yesterday I was helping a friend decide on which spinning reel to buy when I discovered the reverse feature is gone on every reel we handled!
I have been fishing since 1956 and had become used to the the reverse feature. ( you younger guys just wait, you too will hate change when you get older)
I like to use reverse for a number of things:
back reeling when a large fish takes the lure at the boat
aligning the bail with roller guide to pickup the line with my finger
grabbing a lure to remove weeds or to untangle the line.
making an adjustment to the distance the lure hangs from the rod tip
Removing this feature means I will be either opening the bail or grabbing the spool and rotating to do the things just mentioned. The drag will have to be adjusted on the loose side so breakoffs won't occur when a large fish hits at the boat.
I know someone will say that baitcasting reels have been this way for years. IMO there is no comparison. No bail to align, should a large fish hit the lure at the boat the spool release can be instantly hit and thumbing acts like backreeling, in fact the spool release allows for fast and easy adjustment and lure contact as mentioned earlier.
Having thought about this since yesterday, I know I will adjust to this new approach, but I think the most difficult one will be getting the bail aligned with the possibility of rotating it past the proper position often.
IMO this so manufacturers can reduce costs and part inventory.
For those who have a spinning reel without reverse how is it working for you?
