"Offhand, I can't think of a single post here or elsewhere from anybody who prefers "generic" SS reels to Hewes SS reels. Kindermans get mentioned as being good, too, but in a Hewes-vs.-generic survey, I expect that the Hewes would win with 100% of the vote, or very close to it."
Guess I'm the only one left. I rarely ever shoot 35 anymore, but when I did, I avoided the more expensive reels. I worked for several labs using wing/lynch and dip and dunk processors. We had hundreds of reels. They were all standard steel reels. The purchasing guys would have shot us if we ordered the overpriced stuff. Once you learn how to load a steel reel, you don't forget. I load 120 reels all the time without any overpriced gadgetry.