TD Zillion upgrades?

[MiceNReets]

Hey everyone.  Just acquired a new to me TD Zillion 100SHA on trade.  Appears to be in good condition and I plan to put it into rotation this year.   For those that have these reels, what are some upgrades that you’d recommend?  
 

So far I’ve ordered a set of carbontex drag washers for the reel.   

i know I can google up upgrades but I figured I’d bring this up again to see what upgrades were actually worth it in the end and with use over time. (If that makes sense??)

 

thanks in advance for your suggestions. 

[jtesch]

I’ve tuned several OG Zillions and to me the most important upgrade is the spool and bearings. Japan Tackle is the place to go for a spool. The HLC spool is a good one for heavier lures or the PE special isn’t bad. Original spool is not great for what was a pretty high end reel

There really aren’t that many spools available for a reel that they sold a ton of. Used to be able to get a TD Z 100 spool and it was a great upgrade but they are super hard to find now

[bulldog1935]

Swapping spool bearing requires a tool to remove and reinstall the spindle pin.  

Japan Tackle will also install your bearing on your new spool if you don't plan to buy the tool.  The right tool can also be tricky.  If the spool bearing is recessed in the spool, the Billings and Hedgehog tool design won't reach it - only the Daiwa SLP tool can reach that pin.  

Jun at Japan Tackle also has very good English, and is very helpful with questions.  

Also plenty of spool choices for Zillion, along with good bearing choices.  

[MiceNReets]

18 hours ago, jtesch said:

I’ve tuned several OG Zillions and to me the most important upgrade is the spool and bearings. Japan Tackle is the place to go for a spool. The HLC spool is a good one for heavier lures or the PE special isn’t bad. Original spool is not great for what was a pretty high end reel

There really aren’t that many spools available for a reel that they sold a ton of. Used to be able to get a TD Z 100 spool and it was a great upgrade but they are super hard to find now

 

thanks for the replies everyone.   The handle I want to upgrade as well.   Any suggestions on handles?  I’ll look into the drag star.   Make it look less dated as suggested.   
 

I have some carbontex washers on the way and ordered some ceramic bearings.    I’ll see how the stock spool does before upgrading.  Can’t wait to test this reel out once the ice clears up here.    Thinking of slapping it on a Dobyns Champion 734c OR a 7’3 medium heavy evergreen combat stick.  ?? 

[bulldog1935]

Daiwa SLP Works sells some nice handle upgrades.  

My favorite double handle is the Avail offset ESD STi2 (titanium spindles), and I like the big Avail A knobs (out of stock at JT)  - not everybody likes these big EVA knobs...

The Daiwa S-size EVA knobs that come on the Steez A handle @BaitFinesse recommended are a good size for baitcaster. 

(I think the Avail handle is notably lighter)

 

Of course there are many I-shaped knob options.  If you like small I-shaped knobs, the Roro wood knobs that Japan Tackle sells look really nice, and they come with the ball bearings.  

 

Any handle that doesn't already come assembled with the knobs, while it will have the screws and shim washers for adjusting out knob end-play, it won't come with the four 4x7x2.5 mm ball bearings you'll need.  

 

SDS who sells on ebay is a great place to look for quality cost-effective handle and knob swaps.  These are SDS EVA knobs on a stock Lew carbon handle, and I like the size and shape of these over flat paddles.  

At the extreme are Livre handles and titanium knobs.  Fortissimo (24 mm) is probably the largest Livre knob you'd want on a baitcaster.  This is the fortissimo knob on a long (60 mm pitch) counter-balanced Livre SB handle.  

While the titanium knob might sound slippery, the pendagonal shape on the fortissimo knob grips well and feels really natural.  There's also an argument metal knobs increase feel through the handle by transmitting light vibration.