Casting Reels

I am looking at starting to expand my surf fishing equipment cache.

I notice that most people seem to start with small reels and start to buy bigger ones after they get spooled by a freight train or two. I figure that I might as well skip the first step and skip the frustration.

What I am curious about is what are the biggest reels you can cast effectively. I do not have a kayak so I will be casting all baits.