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The reel series you are referring is still built by Danielsson Innovation AB in Sweden and is called the Traditional Series. It was originally sold through SAGE here in the states and later through Loop. In early 2005 Danielsson severed ties with Loop.

Although large arbor reels have been around since the 1800s, the Danielsson Traditional sparked the current large arbor craze. The reel is a wonderful concept and has little startup inertia. I remember seeing Flip Pallot on his TV show fight a 100lb tarpon with one. There is no drag on the reel, just a spool overrun adjustment, and all breaking is by hand palming the exposed rim. However, the reel has an Achilles Heel - the exposed spool bearing surface is susceptible to grit and sand. One grain of sand can interfer with the rotation of the wheels and cause scarring of the anodized aluminum surface. Eventually the anodization will abraid off and the bare Al will begin to wear in patches and cause rough running. SAGE warrantied the spools, but under Loop the spools were considered consumables and replacements were $75. However, with meticulous care and cleaning, spool life can be extended. Danielsson briefly offered an elegant solution in nickel-plated spools which were said to be 2 to 10 times more durable than the black anodized aluminum ones, but these ended up being too costly to produce.

I currently run a 1.5 and a Dry Fly, both with the Ni spools, on Loop graphite rods. After 5 years the Ni spools are holding up well.. I wish Danielsson would offer an advanced tribological coating on replacement spools. While these reels seemed popular in the magazines and TV shows I have never seen one on the water in my area.