I own 2 8/9 original Battenkill reels that have served me well for many years with one exception. The line guard snapped off one after dropping the reel. Since the body seems to be cast it is more brittle than a reel cut from bar stock.

All reels are vulnerable when I am clumsy! I keep the broken reel for parts. My other Battenkill reel has worked for more than 10 years without needing any repair. I replaced the broken one with a barstock but I still use the old one. It works great.