Imagine my utter surprise when, as I photographer AND flyfisher, I stumbled on this channel while seeking fly line knowledge. Hah! very familiar face since DPReview days!
I agree with the cast vs machined durability. It’s vastly overblown and exaggerated. I have cast reels (2 Lamson/ 1 Sage) that I do not baby and they get fairly banged around. Never had a problem with a cast reel holding up.
The Grip is designed for Salt Water use and has the anodizing and the fully sealed drag to handle it, but we have lots of customers who use the Torque and simply rinse it well after use. The drag in the torque is strong enough for some salt species but a grip can clamp down much harder.