1657...ugh! I liked the idea of the auto bail which could be closed manually, but the line twist this reel produced was terrible (although Keith Arthur and others recommended glueing the bail roller so that it didn't 'work' as a solution!). Also, the (wet) line had a nasty habit of sticking to the lip of the spool, meaning that you had to feed it off the spool to get a smooth trot. And it was (is - can't believe it's still in the Daiwa catalogue) a heavy reel.
In my opinion, the Mitchell 440 was for a long time the only reel that seemed purpose built for trotting (for left-handers at any rate). Great spool size and exceptional line lay for a reel of such old design. The shallow match spools were very good.
I did try the old Ryobi Mastermatches (MM200) reels for a bit, although for one reason or another, they all ceased to work. Nice proportions, easy to reach spool, and reasonable line lay. Autobail, but no manual close option. Just didn't last the course, though (and I'm not hard on my tackle...ooer!).
Then it was the turn of the Daiwa Advantage in 2508 size (Malaysian made). Great in most respects except - crucially for me - line lay...it is pants, and has been demoted to 'light feeder reel'. Nice smooth reel, but missing that vital ingredient of superb line lay.
Mark Wintle did a very good detailed piece a number of years ago about a trotting replacement for the venerable Mitchell. I think he settled on the Shimano Stradics in 2500 size. On the strength of his recommendation, I bought two front drag jobs and was quite happy with them (2500FA and 2500FB, both Jap made). I think what needs to be said is that the main reel manufacturers built fixed spool reels for a long time which were almost impossible to reach with the index finger.
Anyway, I'm now on Daiwa 2500ia and 2503CU models which I find perfect for me. I can't fault them - superb line lay (better than the Stradics in my opinion), great ergonomics (I can reach the spool easily), and single handles (which suit be better because I sometimes backwind to release tension in the line while holding the hooklength...if that makes sense?). It's been an expensive journey, but I think I'm there now. If only I'd bitten the bullet and bought a few Matches instead
You hang onto it Jimlad!