I've got one that I dunk, throw around, beat up, never clean and just plain abuse that I have never had any problems with whatsoever. Maybe just luck, maybe not.

$75-$90 tomorrow at the doorbuster sale.

For $100, I'd get a Lamson Konic or Sage 1680. (I fish the 1680 muhself) For a little more, a Ross CLA is machined from barstock in Colorado, and very solid.

Some one mentioned the Lamson-Waterworks Konic. You'll need a 3.00 or 3.5 for an 8wt. Best drag (conical, not CORK, etc) in the industry and they stand behind their stuff.. $20 for any warranty repair, returned in 48 hours. You can see them at Cabela's in Buda or Tackle Box Outfitters in SA. Not as heavy as the TFO 375 (I have one of them also). The Cabela's RLS is also a nice reel, probably made by Reddington. Cabela's XSS is made for the salt and should work well also. Tibor will set you back over $600 and Abel will also come close to that. Great quality, just very expensive.

I can't stress enough you check on ebay for Colton reels and rods.

For those of us who need value for our doubloons, I recommend the Lamson Konic 3.5 for your 8wt. The Guru is also a nice workhorse, but a couple more coins are needed.
The drag system is sealed so it keeps a lot of the salt, silicates and stuff we don't like off the drag's workings. We sell a lot of them and have not had a negative word.
If I were to say anything negative about the Konics, it would be related to their grudging 'start-up'. I mean it's hard to get the drag to go from zero to whatever in X seconds once mama big bangs your fly. Not made for small tippet, big fish excursions. Both the Guru and the Konic are heavy duty stump pullers, not nimble sportscars.

For the money, go with Lamson Konic. Sure, you can buy better looking reels in Abel or Tibor, but do you want to spend $500+ or $159 on a reel? The Waterworks-Lamson drag is industry leading. No cork to get wet or mess up. The Conical drag system on the Lamson's just can't be beaten by any other reels' manufacturers. The TFO 375 is a nice reel, but heavy (I have one). Orvis makes good stuff too...good and expensive. Just remember to flush any reel well with fresh water when you've come on off the salt. No reel can completely stand up to corrosion without proper care.

I am weird for really really loving the albright GPX reel in 8wt...plus with the money you save you can get several extra spools,,,and afford to go fishing

If you're going to fish the salt at all, get a reel with an antireverse accomplished with a set of dogs and springs, TFO has a line of them, Abel, Tibor as well.
The antireverse bearing common to fly reels and many spinning reels is a disaster waiting to happen once the Gulf gets ahold of them.
I use Boeshield (West Marine) or Teflon/Wax spray lube (duPont, most lumber or hardware places), and wash gear daily and lines and backing after each trip.

Ol' Al used to say to take it in the shower with you each night to soak out the salt. That oro sit it in a bucket of fresh water overnight.