Neat looking reel. The innards look vaguely familiar, but I don't think I've seen that drag adjustment mechanism before. It is intriguing.

I love the solid spool.

My STH disk drag reels that I own are sturdy reels, but a bit heavier than their contemporary competitors (Ross gunnison or lamson lp). But I think their original price point was lower too. However the EXR/Presentation click and pawl reels are wonderfully light.

i had one beautiful reel but the only thing that worked with the drag was the setting knob. basically the same drag however you turned the knob. i traded it away for something. don't remember what.

There is a round spring wire hidden inside that round rubber "gasket" that surrounds the clutch (clutch is reversible by the way). That spring forces that rubber gasket towards the clutch to create a drag, and turning the drag knob to min or max actually moves the rubber gasket slightly away or towards the clutch. Pretty cool setup. I had mine apart when the drag knob itself broke..... (was replaced by STH back in the day...)