Shimano Biomaster 2500 FB

Today I've received a new reel: the Shimano Biomaster 2500 FB.

At the first glance it looks decent with an aluminum silver colored body and dark grey spools with gold accents. I would have swapped the silver color of the reel for the green color of its box but in the given circumstances silver looks fine I guess. For the amount of money spent on this one I expected to be smooth and this reel is really smooth with its 7 A-RB ball bearings and one roller bearing.

I've read it had replaced the Twin Power FC in the European Shimano catalog and I gave both reels a few turns: out-of-the-box they feel about the same. The Biomaster however has a ball bearing on the main shaft beneath the spool

 ...waterproof drag and the x-ship - which is a fancy word for rearranging the pinion gear closer to the center of the drive gear. This is supposed to make the reel turn smoother and give it a little bit of extra cranking power.
The line lay is good but it could have been better:

The maintenance port for the line roller bearing is also a neat feature:

The screw-in handle which allows absolutely no play:

Overall I'm quite pleased with the new reel and can't wait for the opening of the fishing season.

Tight lines!