My visx 16 is around 4 yrs old and it's caught a hand full of bft but nothing bigger than 90lbs. Last season while I was cranking in a jig in high gear, it started to skip. I took it apart and saw that the high gear key slot edge was rounded and the slot enlarged. In my opinion, what ever metal was used to make the gear, it's too soft and that deformation should not happen through normal use.
No bueno ! :o
Cool