More reels -

From personal experience, in addition to Tibor, Abel, and Ross, my G. Loomis and Teton reels have been have been very reliable.

Friends and aquaintances with much more time on the water than I have also had a lot of success with Billy Pate, Islander, Hayden, Charelton (no longer made), Bauer, and Redington Brakewater.

As for cork vs. synthetic drags - excellent reels are made with either type, though we seem to find cork used more often in high end reels.