The Tekotas are so much more smoother(retrieve & drag).
I let a buddy fight a king on one of mine last season,he now owns a couple & his Daiwa's are back up reels.
On the tournament boat we fish on,if a full core(tekota 700's) or copper rig(tekota 800's) goes off,we don't run for the cuddy like in the past.
Well worth the extra $$$ IMO.