Second season with the new units for me. I do find the brake more reliable than the old ones -- I found the old ones that the brake would begin to slip after a few months but the new ones have held now without adjustment for 1.5 seasons.
Like that they are fast but man, they are unforgiving!!! I've probably lost 6+ balls with friends accidentally turning the "On" button, or not letting go of the Green manual button in time. I now read the riot act each outing and will run the downriggers in most cases now myself.
While I love using braided line on my downriggers, I've switched back to stainless on both sides. I found that I was losing way too many balls on the braided stuff with these riggers as they tend to be very unforgiving on knots and connections.
