Spinning reel drag

Hey guys, looking at new spinning reels & have it narrowed down to 2 candidates but have a question...

Is there and specific difference in front drag vs. rear drag aside from the obvious?

I'm just wondering if one has a mechanical advantage over the other in terms of durability. I have one of each now, a Shimano 3000? front drag (the one I'm replacing), and a wal-mart special rear drag. The drag location doesn't concern me because it's easy enough to adjust either, just wondering if one's better than the other.

Thanks.

Typically front drag reels have larger washers than rear drag reels, resulting in a smoother drag system.

yup fronts the way to go.rear ones from my experience have been kinda all or nothing. usable,but fronts of the same price range seem to be better quality. 
 
my next one for trib fishing will be a penn sargus.

the only rear drags I liked and still use are the old cardinal C3 made in sweden, still works great

I use both front and rear drag but my clear preference for steelhead is for the rear drag with a fighting drag (shimano). Fighting drag offers me 2 advantages 1) the drag lever on the back rotates from the 9 oclock position (light drag) to the 3 oclock position (tight drag) - it is a quick visual indicator of what the drag is set at, I will change drag often then forget to set it back after catching a fish 2) I don't like messing with the front of the reel when fighting a fish as I have screwed up the line.

A good feature on rear drag would be for down rigging light tackle on spinning outfits.. a shimano baitrunner is a good reel.. i wouldn't go small reels for a rear drag. I do not use my rear drag reels as I learned for myself the difference and for me a smooth drag is essential for any sportfishing.