Daiwa BG 5000: Best Big Reel Out There for the Price

Daiwa BG 5000 mounted ona St. Croix 10 1/2 foot Mojo.

For the last month I have been basically fishing big plugs for big fish. I set up a new outfit this year to do this.  My choice of reel is a Daiwa BG 5000. While I have been using this reel for only a month, it has performed flawlessly. It casts well, has perfect line lay with braid, casts great and has a super smooth drag. What you are not going to believe is that this reel is currently on Amazon for $95. The tackle shops have them for a little more, but even for twenty bucks more, it is still an unbelievable buy.
The reel has a rugged feel to it, and it is built like a tank.  It's a bit on the heavy side (22 1/2 oz.) but is solid in every respect.  It holds 360 yards of 50 lb. test braid (I'm using 50 lb. test Power Pro) so the line capacity is very good.  It comes with a manual flip bail, something many of the reels are built with these days. It sports 22 lbs. of drag.
I've got this reel mounted onto a 10 1/2 foot St. Croix Mojo surf rod (heavy version, MSS106MHMF2). That pairing seems made for one another.  I've been using this to cast plugs in the 2 to 4 ounce range with no problem. I've put the reel to the test in the last month by landing dozens of keepers up to over 40 inches from shore.
Now, I know there are other more expensive reels out there that might be just as good or even better, but for less than a hundred bucks, this is your best buy by far in a good size, heavy duty surf reel.