Daiwa Zillion SV TW

[ghost]

Looking to pulling the trigger and getting one in left hand, probably in 7.1:1 gear ratio.

 

Those who own this reel, what are your thoughts? What is comparable to Shimano?

[JustJames]

I sold my bantam MGL for Zillion so that I compared Zillion to. I was considering Metanium and Zillion at time.

I like the reel for smoothness and control, I lost the distance and comfort. Bantam palm better than zillion in my s-m glove size. For the fact that you fish in SoCal, JDM aluminum gear should fit you well and the price is just right at the moment. I plan to use this reel for 3/8jig chatterbait other MH use.

Now knowing you that you like smaller reel just like me, Alphas SV TW should be considered. It as comfortable as Curado 70, a lot smoother and a lot more control in the wind or skipping. Better yet get both and you know what I mean.

In this moment I’m waiting for right hand Zillion HD TW (brass gear, made in Japan) to arrive. I hope being right hand I would love it much more than my lefty zillion sv tw.

 

[Revival]

Favorite reel ever.  Love everything about it.  If I never bought a reel again and had to use the Zillion SVs for the rest of my life, I would be happy.

 

Just know that if you go the JDM route, the knobs on the handle are smaller than the US model.  Gears on the JDM are also aluminum vs brass in the US model.

[FishTank]

So far when you factor the JDM price and the overall quality/performance,  it might be the best reel I ever used.  Time and abuse will tell. 

[casts_by_fly]

I did this exercise a couple months ago. If you look for my started threads there is one about spending my money on a reel. I have a chronarch and a bunch of abu Garcia of all shapes and sizes. The jdm zillion was suggested based on the exchange rate and getting something special.

 

real world results are that I find it very comparable to the chronarch mgl. Both are aluminum gearing, similar weight and shape profile. Both have a slightly shallower spool profile.  Casting is effortless for both and both will cast further than you should be fishing away from you. Both are incredibly silky on the retrieve. The jdm zillion has small knobs and I think a shorter handle.  Mine is an 8.1. My chronarch is a 7.1 and has the American shimano handle and grips. I paid basically the same price for a jdm zillion and a used but excellent chronarch.  At the same price I would call them dead equivalent to me and I am happy to interchange them (gear ratio and usage aside).

 

thanks

rick

[Jrob78]

If you consider performance vs price (when purchased from Japan) it might be the best reel on the market today. I have 2 of the sv's, a HD and a Silver Wolf. The HD is my favorite of the bunch but the others are right behind it and the sv's are a fair amount cheaper. There are a bunch of glowing threads and posts about this reel.

[waymont]

GREAT reel In every way you want your reel to feel, operate, look. Super smooth, and solid feeling.

[Cbump]

I have the jdm zillion sv and it’s the best reel I’ve ever used. Just got the jdm zillion hd in which could give It a run for its money. We will see. 

PS I’ve never held a US model Zillion and if It wasn’t for this forum telling me, I would have never known the knobs were smaller. It’s a non issue to me. 

[casts_by_fly]

1 hour ago, Cbump said:

I have the jdm zillion sv and it’s the best reel I’ve ever used. Just got the jdm zillion hd in which could give It a run for its money. We will see. 

PS I’ve never held a US model Zillion and if It wasn’t for this forum telling me, I would have never known the knobs were smaller. It’s a non issue to me. 

 

Do you have Shimanos to compare with?  i agree the zillion is an awesome reel and I'm happy I have it.  I don't know that I can call it better than a chronarch.  Both are incredible reels with not much between them.  I'm curious of what others are looking at in reels that I'm not.

[FrnkNsteen]

I don't have many higher dollar Shimano reels to compare with. The only thing I can compare to is the Shimano Curado MGL and DC, and a 2018 Bantam MGL.

 

I like the Zillion much better than the Curado DC, and quite a bit better than the Curado MGL, though I still like those reels. The Bantam MGL is a better comparison for me. I'm throwing chatterbaits with the Bantam on a Dobyns 736cb glass and I love that whole setup, but lean more to the Zillion throwing cranks and spinnerbaits and find myself reaching for it more.

 

The ONLY complaint I have with the Zillion SV TW is the location of the brake knob. I do a lot of my casting from a palming style grip and I find my index finger contacting the brake knob and bumping up the brakes. I'm learning to hold my index finger in a different way and it's getting better, but still happens occasionally.

[Cbump]

3 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

 

Do you have Shimanos to compare with?  i agree the zillion is an awesome reel and I'm happy I have it.  I don't know that I can call it better than a chronarch.  Both are incredible reels with not much between them.  I'm curious of what others are looking at in reels that I'm not.

 

No, sorry. 

[PhishLI]

11 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

I'm curious of what others are looking at in reels that I'm not.

Real question. So you feel that they're essentially interchangeable? Only marginal differences in braking attitude, curve, user input, and flexibility?

 

Personally, I see them as polar opposites in those respects, and need to think differently using either. One thing I can say is this: If I want to replicate the SVS Infinity MGL experience with a Zillion G, I can simply put the brakes on setting 3 then to lean into managing the spool. At no setting can SVS give me the SV Boost experience, which is as good at it gets at this point in time, IMO. Casting a Met B recently only served to further cement this idea in my head, as wonderful as it is otherwise.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Wow I'm so far out of the loop, took me forever to understand what the heck JDM was.....now that I know the term, where are you guys finding the Japanese made Daiwa models.   My old TD, and Steez reels were all made in Japan, but bought locally brick and mortor.

 

Remind me never to take a decade + off from a hobby, dang

[zpelletier]

8 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

where are you guys finding the Japanese made Daiwa models

Digitaka

Japan Lure Shop

Asian Fishing Portal

I know there’s more Im forgetting

 

if I had money I’d pick up a JDM Zillion HD for sure right now. The price is great and it’s super slick

[AlabamaSpothunter]

2 minutes ago, zpelletier said:

Digitaka

Japan Lure Shop

Asian Fishing Portal

I know there’s more Im forgetting

 

if I had money I’d pick up a JDM Zillion HD for sure right now. The price is great and it’s super slick

Right on, now I finally got it figured out.  Thanks!

[clemsondds]

I have quite a few of them but there are a few situations I would go another route.  For skipping, I still feel the tatula sv 103 is hard to beat...it's easier to control than the zillion in my mind. 

[NorcalBassin]

As a bit of a Shimano fanboy with 15+ of their baitcasters (Curados to Mets/Aldes), I have to say I've been very impressed with the Zillion HD. It's ridiculously smooth, casts well, and a pleasure to fish with. I don't have the sv but with all the raving reviews I imagine it would be more of the same.

[casts_by_fly]

4 hours ago, PhishLI said:

Real question. So you feel that they're essentially interchangeable? Only marginal differences in braking attitude, curve, user input, and flexibility?

 

Personally, I see them as polar opposites in those respects, and need to think differently using either. One thing I can say is this: If I want to replicate the SVS Infinity MGL experience with a Zillion G, I can simply put the brakes on setting 3 then to lean into managing the spool. At no setting can SVS give me the SV Boost experience, which is as good at it gets at this point in time, IMO. Casting a Met B recently only served to cement this idea in my head even further, as wonderful as it is otherwise.

this is why I asked the question in the first place- to see what I could be looking for in different reels.  I’ve fished a baitcaster for over 30 years now so I know how they work and how I like them. This year is really the first year of going into the truly higher end of things and top end attributes. 
 

I don’t have both on the same rod so I can’t do a direct 1:1 on them. I’ve bounced the chronarch across a couple rods since I’ve had it longer. The zillion has only been on one rod (and the chronarch wasn’t on that one). So different lures, lines, and rods make it hard to compare. 
 

what is the SV BOOST experience in plain words to you?  I know what the marketing blurb is, but what lures, weights, presentations does it come into play for you?  I might not be taking advantage of it.  For me, I run reels loose now, negligible spool tension, and turn up the brakes to my liking.  If I’m throwing more than 3/4 oz and throwing shorter I might turn up the spool tension to save my thumb a little.  For both reels I’ve been using them in the ‘normal’ bass lure range of 3/8-1/2 oz most of the time, and the ‘average’ casting range up to 25 yards or so. I have other reels for lighter stuff and both will bomb out just fine, just not for the rods and lures on those rods they are all paired with. 

[Kelvin]

Bough the JDM version and it went smooth until it didn't.  Had to send it back to japan for repair.  A piece on the sideplate where the screw attaches broke off.  The reel is still very nice but it ran me 75 more than it should.  That said I typically fished peacock bass and clownknife fish with it.  They fight harder and longer than LMB pound for pound.  

[txchaser]

On 8/23/2022 at 7:15 PM, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Right on, now I finally got it figured out.  Thanks!

amazon.co.jp sometimes has great deals on JDM gear too. When I bought the zillion HD that was the best place at the time.

 

2 hours ago, Kelvin said:

Had to send it back to japan for repair. 

In case someone else needs it someday, I think TT and I'd guess @Delaware Valley Tackle can do these sorts of repairs, should be interchangeable parts.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

Last time I was buying big money reels like Daiwa and Shimano, they were all made in Japan IIrc, I know my Daiwas are, as they have it lasered on the bottom of the reel seat.

 

My real question I have now, are the JDM models better than US made versions, or is it more of an exclusivity/collectable/non performance based characteristic?

 

I find it odd these companies would make two different versions of many times the same reel for different countries, yet both are trying to achieve the exact same thing.   Are Americans cheaper than Japanese anglers?  I guess I should start a thread instead of hijacking one, but it's quite confusing. 

[Jrob78]

25 minutes ago, AlabamaSpothunter said:

Last time I was buying big money reels like Daiwa and Shimano, they were all made in Japan IIrc, I know my Daiwas are, as they have it lasered on the bottom of the reel seat.

 

My real question I have now, are the JDM models better than US made versions, or is it more of an exclusivity/collectable/non performance based characteristic?

 

I find it odd these companies would make two different versions of many times the same reel for different countries, yet both are trying to achieve the exact same thing.   Are Americans cheaper than Japanese anglers?  I guess I should start a thread instead of hijacking one, but it's quite confusing. 

JDM means Japanese Domestic Market, which means they are being sold in Japan. Usually the reels being sold in Japan aren't any different than the ones being sold in the US.

 

In some cases the fishing styles of Americans vs the Japanese are different so reels will have small differences, like in the case of the Zillion, smaller knobs and aluminum gears for Japan. I assume this boils down to Japanese anglers liking lighter reels and American anglers liking bigger knobs. The reels are otherwise exactly the same and come from the same factory.

 

Sometimes there will be reels that are sold in Japan that aren't available in the US, and vice versa but overall the reels will be essentially the same regardless of the country they are sold in. The Yen is weak against the dollar currently so JDM reels are cheaper than their USDM counterparts, which is why everyone is buying JDM reels right now.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

2 minutes ago, Jrob78 said:

JDM means Japanese Domestic Market, which means they are being sold in Japan. Usually the reels being sold in Japan aren't any different than the ones being sold in the US.

 

In some cases the fishing styles of Americans vs the Japanese are different so reels will have small differences, like in the case of the Zillion, smaller knobs and aluminum gears for Japan. I assume this boils down to Japanese anglers liking lighter reels and American anglers liking bigger knobs. The reels are otherwise exactly the same and come from the same factory.

 

Sometimes there will be reels that are sold in Japan that aren't available in the US, and vice versa but overall the reels will be essentially the same regardless of the country they are sold in. The Yen is weak against the dollar currently so JDM reels are cheaper than their USDM counterparts, which is why everyone is buying JDM reels right now.

Dynamite post, and excellent explanation.   Thanks!

      

 

 

[LonnieP]

On 8/24/2022 at 9:13 PM, txchaser said:

amazon.co.jp sometimes has great deals on JDM gear too. When I bought the zillion HD that was the best place at the time.

 

 

I agree. I ordered a Zillion Sv for 217 with free shipping last week from Amazon Japan

[Cbump]

I saw the Zillion HD I ordered for $303 on digitaka on Amazon Japan for like $275 ?