The bait runner feature will only give you problems if you drown them often. Like most reels they dont like saltwater much. Certainly the Penn spinfishers will tolerate a bit more abuse, due to their simpleness and robustness. The Ultegras are an awsome bit of kit all right , great for dominating big kingfish runs without the outlay of big biscuits to buy a Daiwa Saltiga or Shimano Stella, engineering excellence.