I've tried 'em all and always recommend the mid to low-mid priced Shimanos, you just can't beat a Shimano. The no fail bail springs last forever, I've never seen a worn out Shimano bail wire. Quantums, Abus, Shakespeares, Pinnacles, nothing compares to Shimano. But... that gaudy gold n' sparkle cream colored GX-7 pflueger in size 40 is one of the smoothest reels I've ever handled, smooth like hot melted butter, the 40/medium size is the smoothest of that line. Not sure if it's as well made and durable as a Shimano, time will tell. A small spot on the titanium (?) coated spool lip rubbed off, guess it's just gold anodized color and not titanium nitride coated?
My #1 recommendation is a Shimano Sonora 1500FA or 2500FA (the older one that came out before the orange models, it's silver & gold), feels like a $100 reel, just like budda. Not an overpriced Symetre, Stradic, or Spirex, a $30 Sonora. For an UL reel, the $30 Sienna 500FD, the sparkle gray color version from a few years back. Like budda. For baitcast reels, Abu, Quantum, Shimano, and Daiwa all make nice reels. The low profile Abu Garcia Black Max that's out and in stores right now is the best bargain in baitcast.
Badda bing badda boom.