Apart from the natural inclination to want the latest and (hopefully) greatest, I really don't see what they are going to do with the reel that is going to result in any discernible improvements. The 08 Stella bought in a significant change more because it bought the smaller 10000 into play which resulted in a significant weight saving if you felt you could get away with the smaller reel.. In a direct comparison between the 10000 FA Stella and the 08 18000 SW Stella, I can't really say there has been a particularly discernible performance difference. I do like the line lay system on the 08 Stella but that has been about it. I am still pretty convinced that line came off my 12000 and 16000 Yumeya spools that I had on my FA reels every bit as fast as they it does off my 18000s.
All I know is that when I am fighting a fish, the last thing I am thinking off is what reel I have on. The fact that I don't even think of the reel though is testament to my trust that it will do the job. I don't feel any different about the FA and the 08 in this regard.
On the X-Ship issue, I know some people claim they feel a significant difference but I had every model in the FD Stella and they have all been replaced by FEs. I simply don't think there is much of a noticeable difference.
