Have to agree with all you guys, can't go wrong with these quality reels. When I had all my gear stolen a couple of years ago, I chose all Shimanos. Only drawbacks I've found are, like peter I cant reach the spool either, but I could only ever reach it on an Abu 506 anyway. The second one was with my Super Match Aero, in that the single handle settles to a '6 o clock'position under its own weight, which depending on where you let it go did cause some tangles. Contacted Shimano regarding this, who suggested that I leave the anti-reverse on (don't normally use one as I like to back-wind if required), or use a double handle which they sent me FOC. Double handles, in my view, spoil the aesthetic look of a reel, but it did solve my problem.
Neil