I think best bang for the buck would be a Tekota 500. Or a 300 with the 500 handle, if you like a lighter, narrower reel. No difference in internals, only a narrower spool, that still holds PLENTY of braid.
The new-ish Seigler reels look real good, but I've never used one, confining my opinion to what I've seen at the various tackle shows, as well as anecdotal Interwebs chatter. Being made in the USA is a big point, if you think as I do. Be careful with the gear ratios though - stay at 5:1 or less.
Almost hate to say it, but an old-school Newell 229M is probably the toughest, lightest reel in this class. Most examples are now 15-20+ years old, and so if you buy, look for a mint example. Other than an occasional spool bearing, there's not much that can go wrong with a Newell. They still have a huge following, so expect some unrealistic asking prices for cherry ones. Lifetime reels though, so there's that.
I am now working on a well-known local party boat Captain's reels - prepping them for the coming season. Believe me when I say this dude has some SERIOUS jing tied up in his reels! A few of them are the Japanese (JDM) Shimano Ocea Jiggers and a few are Daiwa JDM Saltigas. Both are true works of engineered mechanical art, and both are smooth as can possibly be. And both are quite pricey. But with these reels, you get what you pay for. Superb internal components, no compromises. After opening both up, I lean towards the Shimano Ocea reels, just a squinch more, but either will blow away more pedestrian reels. I particularly like that they click back into gear with a simple half-turn of the handle. No reaching for the free spool lever. This really helps in a jigging situation.
The USDM Daiwa Saltist is and always has been a good reel for the money asked, but I think in the popular-priced category, the Shimano Tekota is the one to beat. Also, I tend to buy my reels in the lowest gear ratio offered, trading off "crank back" speed for fish-pulling power.
