From what I understand. BPS designs their own reels in house in Springfield, MO. The first 100 or so are made by hand in their shop and given as gifts from Johnny Morris. Then their design is produced along side Abu, Pflueger, Browning, Cabelas, and a few other brands in a single factory in Korea. They are assembled on different lines, but same building. From my experience in guitar, Japanese Manufacturing is superior to Korean Manufacturing. However, i dont feel that the extra price is justifiable in most cases. Yes a Daiwa or Shimano may be a better "manufactured" reel, but I doubt they are superior in design alone. For my money, I like the BPS reels. In the $100 range, the Pro Qualifier is light years ahead of the Orra SX, Citica, or Trion Reels. If I had unlimited amounts of money to spend, I could see getting away from BPS, but on my budget, dollar for dollar the BPS reels are great.