Van Staal created the concept and emergence of high end spinning reels near the turn of this century. They became the reel of choice among discriminating surf anglers on the East Coast, and their acceptance grew to a national and international level. Now owned by Zebco. Long term parts and service support is nothing less than excellent. That's exactly what you should expect from reels of this price level. From a performance standpoint, design and construction, Van Staal spinning reels are the products which all others try to compare themselves to...and invariably come up lacking. These are the finest spinning reels made, period, end of story. They have the history of record catches to make the statement, and they back it up with testimonials from most demanding anglers in the world.