Very Old Post, but I can chime in on this one. I have the 7500 and it is a great reel. I don't fish it every time I go out because it's a large reel and most of the guys I fish with want to fish shore, bridge or pier...so nothing too big has ever challenged it. If I hit the beach it's on the cart. It's never had a tangle, has at least a 5-1 ratio...I think it's loaded with 20 or 30lb test and I bounce it between my 8, 10, 13 and 15 foot rods. It cast rather nicely and dang near looks like new (and you already know, I've never cleaned it).
I don't agree that mitchell reels are no good. I have a high speed (6.6 - 1) 300, one of the ultralights...has to be 13 yrs old. Has never been cleaned and has only been used for saltwater fishing. I use it with a 9' light rod for casting knife jigs at schooling bluefish. I initially bought it for throwing ocean sized poppers at freshwater stripers in the Catawba river (SC). Couldn't launch those lures that far (bank fishing) on my other setups so I bought this to do the job. I get major distance with this setup (1 - 3 oz jigs on 12lb test). It has handled 3 or 4 lb bluefish back to back few larger stripers (30+ inchers). Fish that can put a pretty decent strain on a little reel like that. It's finally, after all the abuse, starting to develope a little wobble in the handle. I will retire it in a few seasons and look for another one.