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Hi Melony. Can't help you with Ecooda rods, or the blackhawk reel, but I did recently acquire a Cortez 3000. It's a solid reel, a little bigger in bulk than a Symetre 3000, although has exactly the same capacity. I've spooled it with 10lb braid, and although it's a smooth enough reel, especially with the addition of some Quantum hot sauce lubes, I can't say I'm overly impressed with the line lay on the spool. Despite their claim of an s-slider for perfect line lay, (same as Blackhawks) it's pretty lumpy and bunched up. Certainly nowhere near as smooth as even a cheap Shimano. I guess if achieving great distances with light weights is not your thing, they appear to be well-constructed and should give a good level of service. In hindsight, if I had to choose again, I'd probably go with another Symetre, which is pretty much in the same price range as a Blackhawk, but far smoother. (I got the Cortez for $40, although most sell it for around twice that).
