GEAR - VAN STALL

I grew up on those old green Penns. No skirted bail, the line was at least 3 years old and I was still catching lunkers in peoples faces on those old reels! But take a look at these Van Stalls. I've seen a few of them around town, at the boatramps, piers, and jetty's. Shimano discontinued the best reel they ever made, the Bantam 50. Now they got these Van Stalls, a 700 dollar spinning reel. I wanna try one of these things out on a hundred pound tarpon. Ive ruined ever reel I have ever had. Anybody out there ever caught a few hundred pound tarpon on one these reels?