the advantages of a sidewinder are the weight of the reel, or lack of it, and the fact that when fishing in a roll or groundswell you take your finger off the spool and the line runs free, then take the slack back up as you come off the sea. Works particularly well in heavy rolls, everyone elses sinker is bouncing up and down on the bottom but the winders lay steady.
The big disadvantage is gear ratio, there is none. You get used to using your pinky and ring finger for drag quickly after losing a few good fish.
They've been made of wood, hard plastic called bake-o-lite (I can't spell), nylon and aluminum. Every now and then someone revives them.
I still use my bake-a-lites made in the 60's by believe it or not the U-NEEDA REEL Co in Bklyn.
Bill Sullivan
Jones/Debs editor
Nor'east Saltwater