I agree with the OP as i too have had nothing but high praise for shimano, from the equipment to the customer service. Shimano has a customer for life.

thanks all for your replys. off to looking for a set of gears for a mid-90's reel. i'll clean up the AR bearings first and will work on locating some gears, apparently shimano does not stock old stuff and they referredme to nutters and they too have nothing available.

I have shimano stradic aero 2000 that i absolutely enjoy using over the years but lately i'm noticing the once buttery smooth reel is getting a little tired. Using the reel in reverse is very smooth, is there a particular part that I should replace/overhaul? I have not taken the reel apart yet, and ...

thanks for sharing, was it difficult making the transition to spey casting or are you using a switch rod?

Thinking about getting started using a fly rod in the surf and wanted your opinions about using a TH/spey rod vs. a single??

Realize this can be an ongoing debate, I intend to use in the Pacific Ocean along the San Francisco coast for stripers.