H20 reels are tanks whether these guys want to admit it or not. I wouldn't hesitate to buy one
The problem is, 90% of the folks saying how awesome their Shimano's and Quantums and Daiwas are fish the lakes (obviously, its a bass fishing forum...) My Zebco 202 will last the rest of our life in freshwater
I fish saltwater more often just because it's closer... Every Shimano I've owned I've either sold or took back because they just didn't hold up to saltwater use. The 3 reels I've had the best luck in constant saltwater abuse are..
1- 13 Fishing
2- Lews
3- H20 Xpress
Every other brand of reel has [censored] the bed for me. I think the one that lost me the quickest was my Abu Garcia Revo ALX. I took it back to Bass Pro after one single trip. Thing was a POS once it met salt air... I've completely dunked some of my Concept reels in saltwater on accident while wading... Years ago. Still running to this day like out of the box. The ONE SINGLE TIME I accidently dunked a Curado, the next day it was froze up from rust. That is enough proof in itself on where Shimano stands for me