Yes to all of the above. The only fly reels I have ever been disappointed in were the Scientific Angler SA 2 series. Bought two of them in 7-8 size with two spare spools for my first Alaska salmon trip for silvers in the 90's. The drags on those reels were like a disc brake, with cork pads clamped on either side of the disc. Worked really well when dry. If you got them wet, Katie bar the door--they would grab and slip and grab again. Luckily, I was fishing a 10 lb tippet so the grab didnt matter much. The slip was bad, however, and more than once I had to try to palm the rim to slow the fish down. Still have them--never fished them again, but would feel bad about selling them to someone who didnt know their faults.
