Very fair comments Brandon - i don't think too much more can be said other than an individual should go for a reel he feels comfortable using, and accept that every reel has its pro's and con's...
As i mentioned in a previous post, I was unfortunate enough to have a problem with my Stella 10K which completely seized after it had been used for 8 days, admittedly pulling up lots of fish, the biggest running to 40 kilo's odd, so as you say - 'hard work' for this reel perhaps. I had to get the internal gears (pinion gear etc) replaced; as you say, perhaps i pushed the reel too hard, or perhaps it's just bad luck - there are similar stories i am sure for every brand/model..