Spend my money- want a new baitcaster

[softwateronly]

3 hours ago, A kid from Canada said:

The JDM Zillion will have the Aluminum gears you want, but I would try the JDM Zillion HD which should work well on your Flippin Stick. I don't own one though it's just what I'd be buying. 

 

I just received mine this afternoon.  The size, build, larger handle and round knobs feel great.  It really seems like it's a winner, hope to have more info on it soon.

 

scott

[casts_by_fly]

3 hours ago, dodgeguy said:

Get a Lew's tournament pro LFS.

i handled one tonight. I didn’t care for the aesthetics (the Winn grip material primarily) and it didn’t feel as good as my STX gen 4.  They are basically the same price so I’d go another STX first. 

4 hours ago, ErieCan said:

Can you swing a JDM Metanium MGL? It's an awesome reel (and I'm typically a Daiwa guy). 

 

The 21 Zillion SV is a great reel too. 

is the JDM Metanium mgl the same as the metanium shallow? I don’t see an mgl metanium on digitaka.

[GReb]

1 hour ago, casts_by_fly said:

i handled one tonight. I didn’t care for the aesthetics (the Winn grip material primarily) and it didn’t feel as good as my STX gen 4.  They are basically the same price so I’d go another STX first. 

is the JDM Metanium mgl the same as the metanium shallow? I don’t see an mgl metanium on digitaka.

No it’s just listed as Metanium

[ErieCan]

On 6/14/2022 at 8:49 PM, casts_by_fly said:

is the JDM Metanium mgl the same as the metanium shallow? I don’t see an mgl metanium on digitaka.

 

What @GReb said.  Listed at just Metanium, but it does have the MGL spool.

 

FYI, they have a shallower spool than the USDM version. Still holds more than enough line IMO. Also, the 6.2 and 7.1 ratio models have shorter handles than the USDM versions. The 8.1 ratio model has the larger handle. 

[Columbia Craw]

Doyo Liger. No question about it.

[casts_by_fly]

10 minutes ago, Columbia Craw said:

Doyo Liger. No question about it.

Where can you buy them?

[Dash Riprock]

On 6/14/2022 at 4:36 PM, king fisher said:

     I was happy with my reel arsenal and checked out this thread simply out of curiosity.  Now the Bait Monkey is screaming at me to buy a new Zillion.  Once the Monkey gets this excited the only one that can calm him down is my wife.  Please someone post something about a Tatula CT being all the reel anyone could possibly want.  It might help shut the Monkey up.

Same. I hate it when I read posts like this. 

[txchaser]

One thing not mentioned about the new Zillion, is the SV Boost spool is really nice. It's a two-stage spring, and you get a lot of the SV "I can throw a spinnerbait straight into the wind" but not much of the SV end-of-cast choked off feeling.

I have one Steez SV and it has nothing over the Zillion.

[PhishLI]

1 hour ago, casts_by_fly said:

Where can you buy them?

Not sold in the U.S. market. I think one youtoober claimed he got his through a broker in south america, 

[dodgeguy]

10 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

Where can you buy them?

It's the same reel as a Lew's custom lite. 

 

 

 

 

[Gera]

On 6/14/2022 at 5:36 PM, king fisher said:

     I was happy with my reel arsenal and checked out this thread simply out of curiosity.  Now the Bait Monkey is screaming at me to buy a new Zillion.  Once the Monkey gets this excited the only one that can calm him down is my wife.  Please someone post something about a Tatula CT being all the reel anyone could possibly want.  It might help shut the Monkey up.

 

Feel exactly the same, I'm already in Digitaka.. 

 

Just our of curiosity, what version of the JDM Zillion??

 

[scbassin]

Asian Portal has the Shimano Metanium 20 for $265.24. It has a solid core body plus the MGL spool. I just ordered another one. It's a excellent reel.

[Cbump]

Can anyone link to the JDM zillion please? I’d like to grab one but only see the 20 on digitaka. 

[Tatulatard]

31 minutes ago, Cbump said:

Can anyone link to the JDM zillion please? I’d like to grab one but only see the 20 on digitaka. 

It's the same reel.  Daiwa refers to the reel by the year it was launched.  16 tatula ct, 17 tatula sv, 19 tatula 100 ect.  This is avoid confusion when they have two generations of reels with the same name.  It does not reflect the current year. 

[Cbump]

Awesome thank you

[casts_by_fly]

23 minutes ago, Tatulatard said:

It's the same reel.  Daiwa refers to the reel by the year it was launched.  16 tatula ct, 17 tatula sv, 19 tatula 100 ect.  This is avoid confusion when they have two generations of reels with the same name.  It does not reflect the current year. 

ah, you learn something every day.  I thought it was a Japan market thing as I'd never seen year numbers here before.  I just assumed the year marker was when that specific reel (not that line of reel) was made.

[TNBankFishing]

1 hour ago, casts_by_fly said:

ah, you learn something every day.  I thought it was a Japan market thing as I'd never seen year numbers here before.  I just assumed the year marker was when that specific reel (not that line of reel) was made.

I own a JDM 20 Metanium, 18 Bantam, and 21 Zillion all purchased through Digitaka or AsainPortalFishing. I’ve owned and used multiple Abu’s, Lews, and Shimano reels as well so I feel like I have a solid grasp of what each brand offers. 
 

I’ve put them all through almost an entire year of tourneys and the Zillion is the clear winner, and I wasn’t expecting that. I’ve been a hardcore Metanium guy for a long time as the JDM version was such a great value. I’ve just this spring sold 4 Mets and started moving into only Zillions for my general purpose reels. 
 

Things to pay attention too about these reels:

The new tech is starting to move down the lines. The Tatula 80/70 both have the full suite of Hyper stuff. For your cases the 70 with the SV spool could work. It’s a JDM Alphas with a new color and spider badge. 

Daiwa hasn’t released the Zillion HD stateside yet, and until they do the JDM version looks fantastic. Brass gears, power handle, and the hyper things in a 7oz package. 
 

Use PayPal when possible on JDM sites to eliminate pending charges or holds. Since it’s a purchase out of country sometimes the vendor or your card company will flag the purchase. I’ve always used PayPal and it’s been flawless and gives you peace of mind. 
 

The only reason I own an Abu at this point is the 5 speed in a left hand for deep cranking. The nice thing is both Daiwa and Shimano release 5 speeds in their JDM lines, just waiting for a Zillion HLC with a deep spool. 

 

[casts_by_fly]

40 minutes ago, TNBankFishing said:

I own a JDM 20 Metanium, 18 Bantam, and 21 Zillion all purchased through Digitaka or AsainPortalFishing. I’ve owned and used multiple Abu’s, Lews, and Shimano reels as well so I feel like I have a solid grasp of what each brand offers. 
 

I’ve put them all through almost an entire year of tourneys and the Zillion is the clear winner, and I wasn’t expecting that. I’ve been a hardcore Metanium guy for a long time as the JDM version was such a great value. I’ve just this spring sold 4 Mets and started moving into only Zillions for my general purpose reels. 
 

Things to pay attention too about these reels:

The new tech is starting to move down the lines. The Tatula 80/70 both have the full suite of Hyper stuff. For your cases the 70 with the SV spool could work. It’s a JDM Alphas with a new color and spider badge. 

Daiwa hasn’t released the Zillion HD stateside yet, and until they do the JDM version looks fantastic. Brass gears, power handle, and the hyper things in a 7oz package. 
 

Use PayPal when possible on JDM sites to eliminate pending charges or holds. Since it’s a purchase out of country sometimes the vendor or your card company will flag the purchase. I’ve always used PayPal and it’s been flawless and gives you peace of mind. 
 

The only reason I own an Abu at this point is the 5 speed in a left hand for deep cranking. The nice thing is both Daiwa and Shimano release 5 speeds in their JDM lines, just waiting for a Zillion HLC with a deep spool. 

 

 

Any chance you can compare the height of the reels?  Abus are a bit lower than my Chronarch (maybe 1/4").  Both are more than palmable, but in my rod holder the Abu's fit and nest better (its a snug fit).  Any higher than the shimano won't work.  I'm not sure I could get 4 Shimano laid down together.

[TNBankFishing]

38 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

 

Any chance you can compare the height of the reels?  Abus are a bit lower than my Chronarch (maybe 1/4").  Both are more than palmable, but in my rod holder the Abu's fit and nest better (its a snug fit).  Any higher than the shimano won't work.  I'm not sure I could get 4 Shimano laid down together.

Quick side by side. Don’t have a tape measure handy to give you exacts but overall size on both Shimano and Daiwa is smaller. The Abu might win in total height, but not by much and definitely not width or weight. 

[casts_by_fly]

1 hour ago, TNBankFishing said:

Quick side by side. Don’t have a tape measure handy to give you exacts but overall size on both Shimano and Daiwa is smaller. The Abu might win in total height, but not by much and definitely not width or weight. 

Thanks so much!  Looks like the Diawa is just a touch taller than the shimano?

[TNBankFishing]

It’s a toss up. They both palm really well, but I like the slightly more round side plate on the Zillion. The rear portion just fits my hands better.

[Jim Levite]

The Shimano slx DC is hard to beat. 

[new2BC4bass]

Don't mean to upset the apple cart, but let me throw a wrench in its spokes.  Ask PhishLI and a couple others here about their experiences with the Quantum Tour S3.  Read TackleTour's review (they gave it a 'Great' rating).  Read the reviews on TackleWarehouse.

 

I picked up one thanks to PhisLI's opinion of the reel, but haven't fished it yet.  I trust his opinions and wouldn't mind having one or two more if I didn't already have way more than I need.  Actually I'd probably be better off selling a few I have and picking up Tour S3 reels to replace them.

[PhishLI]

12 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

Abus are a bit lower than my Chronarch (maybe 1/4"). 

I just used a caliper to measure the height of the 21 Zillion and a Chronarch from the bottom of each foot to the the tallest part of the top of their frames. Both measured a skosh over 1 9/16" nominally. Both reels have a center ported reel seat, and 34 mm spools (approximately) that are situated on the frame as low as possible due to that cutout.

 

I understand that you simply ball-parked the ABU's frame height as roughly 1/4" lower than your Chronarch, but if your ABU has a 34mm spool it's hard to see the difference being that great.

 

Anyway, the Zillion is the same overall height as the Chronarch. Hope this helps.

2 hours ago, new2BC4bass said:

Ask PhishLI and a couple others here about their experiences with the Quantum Tour S3.

I'm still a big fan of this reel, as are others on this very thread, but for this exercise most of us are ganging up on @casts_by_fly to get the new Zillion. ?

[new2BC4bass]

5 minutes ago, PhishLI said:

I just used a caliper to measure the height of the 21 Zillion and a Chronarch from the bottom of each foot to the the tallest part of the top of their frames. Both measured a skosh over 1 9/16" nominally. Both reels have a center ported reel seat, and 34 mm spools (approximately) that are situated on the frame as low as possible due to that cutout.

 

I understand that you simply ball-parked the ABU's frame height as roughly 1/4' lower than your Chronarch, but if your ABU has a 34mm spool it's hard to see the difference being that great.

 

Anyway, the Zillion is the same overall height as the Chronarch. Hope this helps.

I'm still a big fan of this reel, as are others on this very thread, but for this exercise most of us are ganging up on @casts_by_fly to get the new Zillion. ?

I don't believe I've read one bad word about the Zillion other than it's finish is too mainstream.  Read nothing but high praise for the reel.  Would love to have one myself, but it would be a waste of money unless my circumstances change.  I haven't been able to get out much the past 4 years, but I kept buying rods and reels.  I've got about 30 or so reels, and around 25 rods that I haven't fished yet.