Waterworks-Lamson Litespeed F Series Fly Fishing Reel

This is the 6th Lamson Litespeed reel in my collection and it's one of the most beautiful reels that I own... Color is fantastic, it's super light and moreover functional and the size is perfect for what I bought this one for... The reason for the 4 star review has nothing to do with the reel itself. The reel itself gets 5+ stars. It's Lamson's redesigning of the iconic Litespeed reel product line, which they should NOT have done in my opinion. They should have left the Litespeed line alone. The new designed Litespeed "F Series" hasn't fully grown on me yet and I must say that I like the original design of the Litespeed reels much better over this new design. In my opinion, the new design more mimics the Speedster (also a very nice reel) other than the Litespeed. Holding one of my Speedster reels next to this new Litespeed, there is little difference between them other than color and the badging/name. I haven't tried it, but it looks like the spools might even interchange as well? Anyway, I believe that Lamson should have left the Litespeed product line alone and kept it to the original specs and just introduced this reel as a new model to the Lamson lineup instead of adding it as an "F Series" of the Litespeed reel. My personal discrepancies aside, this new design is noticeably lighter than the original. I haven't put them on a scale, but comparing my older Litespeed reels to this new one, this new one feels much lighter but it also doesn't feel as rigid or as solid as my older Litespeeds do either (Pics for reference). There isn't much difference in physical size when comparing "apples to apples"... A +5 to a +5 (4-6wt) reel sizes are fairly consistent across the entire Lamson line regardless of model. Time will tell about the durability of this new "F Series", which is the main reason I prefer the older Litespeeds, 2 of which are more than 10 years old and still flawless and have proven themselves dependable. The older Litespeed reels have more material on them which makes them feel more rigid too. The weight difference also helps balance out fly rods better as well in my opinion, particularly longer fly rods over 9'. My biggest complaint is that this new Litespeed "F Series" reel is quite expensive!! Borderline ridiculous... I understand the engineering and precision machining that went into it, plus the fact it's American made, but $500+ tax for a fly reel is a bit steep and some may even say it's out of line expensive. In fact, older model Litespeed reels are over a $100 less than this new one and every bit as good and maybe even "better", so keep that in mind. Other reels in the Lamson line are very nice too, arguably equal to (or even "better" than) the Litespeed and some are even less than half the cost of what this new Litespeed is. Also keep in mind that all the Lamson reels use the same sealed drag system, including the entry level or budget friendly models all the way up to and including this model. So if you're looking for a reel with this drag system but don't want to pay a premium to get it, other models in the Lamson line might be a better suit. Time will tell how this new model Litespeed "F Series" reel holds up and compares to the older models but either case, as a Lamson fan, it's a nice addition to my collection and overall I'm satisfied with my purchase. The "wiskey" color specific to this reel compliments the wood reel seat on my fly rod nicely as well, which was the main determining factor for my purchase... No other reel currently on the market is available in this color, which makes it unique and also a collectors item. Plus, I love the Litespeed reels!