graphite reel frames

[unbiased14]

Everywhere I go I here people talking about graphite in reel cosntruction and how it's absolute junk and should be avoided. I don't get this because I've ONLY fished graphite framed baitcasters and spinning reels ever since I started fishing. Well, half true. the only reels i've fished that have aluminum in the frames are 3 different fly reels that I moslty use for rare trout and occasional bass fishing. Most of my experience comes by way of two reels i've fished for years with no problems. 1) abu garcia silver max, and 2)shimano FX4000FD. i'm gonna try to ballpark the amount of time i've spent fishing each reels. Abu: 120-160 hours, Shimano: 250-300 hours. I fished with spinning reels for about 4-5 years when I was younger, but I changed to baitcasting, just because they feel a bit more ergonomic to me when palming the reel, and because I think they give me a little more versatility in my presentation.

I didn't fish as hard as I do now with my reels, so for the majority of this discussion, i'll refer to my experience with my Silver max.

I done a lot with this reel, and fished in both fresh and saltwater. Most of the time though, i've just been bass fishing in a couple local lakes and ponds. about 80% of my bass have been pulled in with this reel. also a couple of flounder that I caught on a saltwater trip in new jersey. THis reel has been through a lot of hard hook sets, a few hard fights muscling flounder off the bottom, and pulling in a lot of salad and lily pads when I got my spinnerbait snagged or when a fish buried it self in salad.

I'll start by saying that this reel has NEVER failed on me. I've never had a part break, or even felt or seen the reel flex. or had a problem with graphite frames ever. And that's all i've ever fished!

I've also never had a problem with another baitcaster that i've fished a little longer in the salt with, the bass pro bionic plus (old version). as well as the shimano FX. Please chime in if anyone else has experience with graphite reels.