I have 2 Van Staals that were bought in 92, and both perform flawlessly today. Never had a problem with either, and you can't have one any older than these two, and they used to get fished alot harder than they do now but they stillget their gametime.
I have 8 of the little VS100's and not had a problem with any one of the 8, ever.
With that said,I also have never had many problems with some very old 706z's either, and they cost alot less toown.
I would have to think that anything that goes through the riggers that the saltwater enviroment can dish out, has to be taken care of, and I do take care of my gear. But I also can't see how a anyone could call anything as well built in both function and detail as a Van Stall reel a POS.
I am going to order a ZeeBaas and I look forward to fishing it, I don't see anyway it can be worth what they cost, and I will be glad to let you know what I think about it, but I can promise you that Robert Koelewyn didn't, hasn't and won't design, machine and produce anything that would deserve to be called a POS. The man is a true Craftsman.