I had been looking for a small, powerful, and silent reel for some time. This is not it. Small,
yes...powerful, yes...silent, it makes a very notable racheting sound when pulled out and a very
loud snap when it retracts. Also, after two trial runs the wire snapped with no way in to repair...
Yes, I agree with you about the very loud snap. I added two small rubber O-rings between the reel body and the metal stopper. That made a miracle and I'm sure it helps the reel to withstand wearing too. Also a small rubber grommet is good. Some reels without locking mechanism use them to make a knot serving as a stopper.