Zillion SV TW

[LonnieP]

I’m thinking about getting a Zillion SV. I currently have 2 Tatula SV’s and 2 CT’s. Is there a noticeable difference in performance between the Zillion and Tat SV to make it worth the extra cost? I know the Zillion has a free floating spool and the Tatula doesn’t.

[kschultz76]

I have both, the Zillion feels smoother and a bit more refined even though the frame/platform is shared. Zillion definitely has a less restrictive braking profile, but still easily controlled and well mannered. Also has the advantage of many other Daiwa spools and aftermarket spools being compatible so you can swap in spools for more specialized purposes or more line capacity. Only you can decide if the cost is worth it for you. I have one Tat SV but now have 4 Zillions, including a JDM sourced 5.5:1 ratio. 

[FryDog62]

3 hours ago, LonnieP said:

I’m thinking about getting a Zillion SV. I currently have 2 Tatula SV’s and 2 CT’s. Is there a noticeable difference in performance between the Zillion and Tat SV to make it worth the extra cost? I know the Zillion has a free floating spool and the Tatula doesn’t.

I wish I had better news for you... A couple years ago I bought 6 Tat SV TW’s... and one Zillion SV TW for weightless plastics set up.  I really didn’t notice a lot of difference and ended up selling the Zillion for a Steez SV TW.  Yes, I notice a slight difference/positive with the Steez over the Tat for extreme light lures, Zillion was only negligible... but is a nice reel otherwise.. If you’re not looking to skip weightless Plastics, I would stick with the Tat... otherwise it’s a big jump $ to the Steez..

[CrankFate]

17 minutes ago, FryDog62 said:

I wish I had better news for you... A couple years ago I bought 6 Tat SV TW’s... and one Zillion SV TW for weightless plastics set up.  I really didn’t notice a lot of difference and ended up selling the Zillion for a Steez SV TW.  Yes, I notice a slight difference/positive with the Steez over the Tat for extreme light lures, Zillion was only negligible... but is a nice reel otherwise.. If you’re not looking to skip weightless Plastics, I would stick with the Tat... otherwise it’s a big jump $ to the Steez..

Well, at least you've tried these. Most people just say whichever one costs more is better, because it costs more. 

 

I'd get another tat and add bearings and a shallow spool.

[Tennessee Boy]

12 hours ago, kschultz76 said:

Zillion definitely has a less restrictive braking profile, but still easily controlled and well mannered. 

I find this comment very interesting.  I bought a Zillion SV TW earlier this year and I hated the brakes.  It seemed way over braked to me.  I could not stand it with the brakes set above 2 or 3.  Makes me wonder if I got a defective one.

[kschultz76]

2 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I find this comment very interesting.  I bought a Zillion SV TW earlier this year and I hated the brakes.  It seemed way over braked to me.  I could not stand it with the brakes set above 2 or 3.  Makes me wonder if I got a defective one.

Remember my comment was in comparison to the Tatula SV TW, which has a more restrictive brake profile then the Zillion SV TW. Compared to other reels that standard Magforce Z or compared to Shimano SVS infinity reels the Zillion SV TW is going to seem to have stronger brakes.  For me my Zillions will be set to between 6-4 on the brake dial depending on lure and conditions. How was your spool tension set?  To get the most out of these reels properly set spool tension is important, and it’s set differently then most other reels, as in looser. 

 

Most of my bass fishing doesn’t require or rely on maximum distance casting. I value control and accuracy, and that’s what I get with these reels. 

 

Have you flushed and deep cleaned the bearings then properly lubed them?  I did forget to mention that both my Tat SV and Zillion SV have properly cleaneed/lubed aftermarket bearings. But I’d expect similar performance comparison between the two with properly cleaned and lubed stock bearings, and I’ve heard from others this has been their experience. 

 

Perhaps I’m in a minority in my experience with the Zillions, but theyve performed as I had expected, and I prefer them over the Tat SV. Don’t get me wrong the Tat SV is no slouch and well worth it for the price. Everyone’s experience and opinion may vary. 

[Tennessee Boy]

26 minutes ago, kschultz76 said:

Remember my comment was in comparison to the Tatula SV TW, which has a more restrictive brake profile then the Zillion SV TW. Compared to other reels that standard Magforce Z or compared to Shimano SVS infinity reels the Zillion SV TW is going to seem to have stronger brakes.  For me my Zillions will be set to between 6-4 on the brake dial depending on lure and conditions. How was your spool tension set?  To get the most out of these reels properly set spool tension is important, and it’s set differently then most other reels, as in looser. 

 

Most of my bass fishing doesn’t require or rely on maximum distance casting. I value control and accuracy, and that’s what I get with these reels. 

 

Have you flushed and deep cleaned the bearings then properly lubed them?  I did forget to mention that both my Tat SV and Zillion SV have properly cleaneed/lubed aftermarket bearings. But I’d expect similar performance comparison between the two with properly cleaned and lubed stock bearings, and I’ve heard from others this has been their experience. 

 

Perhaps I’m in a minority in my experience with the Zillions, but theyve performed as I had expected, and I prefer them over the Tat SV. Don’t get me wrong the Tat SV is no slouch and well worth it for the price. Everyone’s experience and opinion may vary. 

Thanks @kschultz76.  The reel was brand new and I tried different spool tensions.  It worked best when it was very loose.  I think this real is probably just not for me.  It works okay for short cast.  It drove me crazy when I tried to cast a 3/4 oz carolina rig.  It was easy to cast 25 yards but almost impossible to cast more than 40 yard regardless of how hard I cast.   With my older Diawas,  I would cast all of my line out if I cast as hard as I did with the Zillion. 

[kschultz76]

31 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

Thanks @kschultz76.  The reel was brand new and I tried different spool tensions.  It worked best when it was very loose.  I think this real is probably just not for me.  It works okay for short cast.  It drove me crazy when I tried to cast a 3/4 oz carolina rig.  It was easy to cast 25 yards but almost impossible to cast more than 40 yard regardless of how hard I cast.   With my older Diawas,  I would cast all of my line out if I cast as hard as I did with the Zillion. 

Sorry it didn’t work out for you, hopefully you did or will find the right reel for your needs. 

[new2BC4bass]

1 hour ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I find this comment very interesting.  I bought a Zillion SV TW earlier this year and I hated the brakes.  It seemed way over braked to me.  I could not stand it with the brakes set above 2 or 3.  Makes me wonder if I got a defective one.

That is possible.  My first reel with an SV spool was the Alphas SV105.  Backlashed more than any other reel I have.  Yet at the same time I felt it was over braked during the middle of the cast.  I sent it to Ian Shields.  Don't know what he did, but he did some work on the spool along with the upgrades I had done to the reel.  Casts fine now.  I think there is a spring that can be changed to improve distance by lowering the braking force.  Don't quote me on that though as I know nothing about a reel's internals. 

[Matt_3479]

Taggin in, I’m also about to pull the trigger on a zillion sv tw to try it next to my tat sv which I don’t like very much but want to try another daiwa before I give up on them

[CrankFate]

34 minutes ago, Matt_3479 said:

Taggin in, I’m also about to pull the trigger on a zillion sv tw to try it next to my tat sv which I don’t like very much but want to try another daiwa before I give up on them

But it’s practically the exact same reel! It just has better bearings a “floating spool” and weighs .30 ounces less!

[LonnieP]

55 minutes ago, Matt_3479 said:

Taggin in, I’m also about to pull the trigger on a zillion sv tw to try it next to my tat sv which I don’t like very much but want to try another daiwa before I give up on them

What is it that you don't like about the Tat SV? I love mine, just want to try something different. 

[Pierce LaFleur]

I just bought one of the new tatulas and i personally hate the t wing on the reel, mostly because i have my finger on the lie whenever I fish and it has to catch-up when ever I reel

[kschultz76]

1 hour ago, Matt_3479 said:

Taggin in, I’m also about to pull the trigger on a zillion sv tw to try it next to my tat sv which I don’t like very much but want to try another daiwa before I give up on them

Before you drop that coin what don’t you like about the Tat SV that you expect will be different with the Zillion?

 

1 hour ago, CrankFate said:

But it’s practically the exact same reel! It just has better bearings a “floating spool” and weighs .30 ounces less!

Just my perspective but I think you’re downplaying the most important and biggest difference here. The free floating means that it has a double bearing supported pinion making for a smoother retrieve especially under load.  But even more importantly the spool is a lighter weight G1 duraluminum spool and a size that makes the reel compatible with a whole inventory of Daiwa spools. Also the Zillion spool has a smaller brake inductor. Don’t like the SV air brake and line capacity?  Swap in an RCS 1016 for more capacity and less braking. Lots of options with the Zillion. 

[Matt_3479]

3 hours ago, kschultz76 said:

Before you drop that coin what don’t you like about the Tat SV that you expect will be different with the Zillion?

 

4 hours ago, LonnieP said:

What is it that you don't like about the Tat SV? I love mine, just want to try something different. 

 

I think I just have a bit of a lemon personally. I bought it as my first baitcaster as everyone here spoke so highly of it and bought one for my dad the same time. Now my dads reel casts a country mile, very easy to set up, and not picky at all. Mine doesn’t cast the best, is absolutely the pickiest reel I’ve ever handled and is more of a headache then a pleasure to fish with. My dad bought a second one and it’s the same as his first one! My brother got the fuego and it casts very very well for the money but my tatula is just a pain. I bought a curado K the same time and it was just such a pleasure compared to my tatula I ended up buying a bunch of shimano reels and I just wanted to try another daiwa for myself before complete giving up on them 

[kschultz76]

1 hour ago, Matt_3479 said:

 

 

I think I just have a bit of a lemon personally. I bought it as my first baitcaster as everyone here spoke so highly of it and bought one for my dad the same time. Now my dads reel casts a country mile, very easy to set up, and not picky at all. Mine doesn’t cast the best, is absolutely the pickiest reel I’ve ever handled and is more of a headache then a pleasure to fish with. My dad bought a second one and it’s the same as his first one! My brother got the fuego and it casts very very well for the money but my tatula is just a pain. I bought a curado K the same time and it was just such a pleasure compared to my tatula I ended up buying a bunch of shimano reels and I just wanted to try another daiwa for myself before complete giving up on them 

Ok so here’s what’s you need to do, call up the guys at The Tackle Trap and ask them about your Tat SV, then send it down to them to have them look it over it, service it, and tune it. They’re authorized to do Daiwa warranty work so if there’s something wrong and it’s under warranty they should be able to help. And if it’s not under warranty they’ll still be able to it resolved for you. A Tat SV should be an easy effortless caster. 

[LonnieP]

Well I decided to go a different route. I was afraid there wouldn’t be a lot of difference between the Zillion and the Tat SV so I ended up ordering a Chronarch MGL . 

[Matt_3479]

1 hour ago, LonnieP said:

Well I decided to go a different route. I was afraid there wouldn’t be a lot of difference between the Zillion and the Tat SV so I ended up ordering a Chronarch MGL . 

You 100% will not be disappointed there!