Emcasts are far better than the Shimano's,,but for an even better reel have a look at the Okuma Big pit..Axeon i think it is called..and there is another model below that.
Last resort would be the Shimano though.....a little bit of feedback is starting to come through that the Daiwa Emcast might not be quite as robust as the old Emblem S reels...which is interesting..
