Let's not burn the new Stella at the stake and let's put things into perspective. Every single Stella since release has been a great reel but not a perfect reel. I expect the current series to be no different to that. I have owned Stellas in every series since the F series and the large majority of each model in each series. There have been small faults in every series and I make the point that I have broken nearly every reels in every series. That said, I continue to buy Stellas as my reel of choice and the reason is simple - I haven't found a better reel on the market for what I use them for. On my current series Stellas, every 10000 and 18000 has had something break that has required an expensive repair.
Alan is a technician and a very capable one at that. He is able to pull a reel apart and get right into the minutiae of its construction. I am not but I don't need to be. I only need the reel to perform as it has been designed to perform. This is analogous to the car I drive.
Alan did say (quote from his review):
Let me put it all in perspective. The reel is immensely strong. They went for maximum rigidity as a design concept and this was undoubtedly achieved. I jigged, popped, trolled, and live baited, and landed a combined total of roughly 2.5 tons of hard fighting pelagic fish, including BFT up to an estimated 180lb, without a problem. The reliability is unquestionable and I can't see them failing on fishI think what he has written there is enough for me. The main issue is whether there is any need to rush out to replace your 08 Stellas and I think we also have the answer to that. In fact, I am sure Shimano will respond quickly to any faults that become apparent so there may actually be good reason to wait.
I suspect that part of the problem here was the ridiculous hysteria on the part of some anglers that accompanied the announcement of the reel. I made the comment at that time that I couldn't see what this reel was going to do that the F Series or the FA or the 08 didn't do. I still don't but I have said that at the release of every new reel and I still went out and bought them!!