Some people just don't get the tinkering and mods. It's not for everyone and that fine. Almost everyone has some passion that others don't understand. Cars, Scotches, pens, watches, computers, electronics, sports or music memorabilia, this list can go on and on. Sadly people love to tell other people" what's the point" or "what a waste of money".
Every one feels the need to voice their opinion and go off and spend money on what others think is stupid.
For people who i talk with who don't get fishing gear, I compare reels to Cars. Both Cars and reels are kind of the same in their own way. People love to work on them for performance or just to give them a personal touch. Reels is just a much smaller market, but also much cheaper than car. and car is more widely accepted so people go along with it. Reel mods can get expensive, they often don't increase the chance of catching more fish, but they give your reels (tools for your passion) a nice personal touch, maybe a little smooth or they cast a little further and shine a little brighter. At one point i actually thought it was a waste of money but now i quite enjoy modifying what i have.
Now the nice thing about the internet is it brings people with similar passions together on forums like this. this one is good for local info, but there are many other forums and sites with lots of guys who have a passion for imported gear, higher end products and reel mods.
DropShot’r keep use posted on the work you are doing or if you run into any troubles or questions. I know there is a few people on this site who are willing to offer advice