Daiwa Zillion TW SV vs. Shimano Metanium

[Brett's_daddy]

So, I’ve always wanted a Shimano Metanium…sort of always been my dream/someday reel but now I found a tea good deal on the Daiwa Zillion and wondered if that is Daiwa’s direct competition for the Metanium and how they stack up to each other?

[casts_by_fly]

I have both (as well as a Bantam and Chronarch).  All JDM except the Chronarch.  They are both high quality reels.  They have very different form factors for your hand.  The Met is a tiny reel.  My hand engulfs it on a rod.  The Daiwa is a little bigger and 'poofier'.  The zillion has the daiwa braking system and the SV spool which are idiot proof.  The Shimano takes a little more getting used to, but once you know shimano or centrifugal braking its largely all the same.  I have the MGL spool on all of my shimanos and they all behave the same.

 

I like both and both are excellent reels.  If you prefer the Daiwa form factor then get the zillion.  If you prefer a shimano form factor get the Met.  That said, the JDM zillion is about $50 cheaper than the JDM met or bantam right now.  I've been very tempted.   

 

Zillion on the left in the first picture.

 

 

 

[MiceNReets]

Go for the better deal.   You won’t be disappointed either way.   Unless your metanium gears get Geary.  
 

[webertime]

Zillion man.   I've got 3 or 4 now.  And I love Shimano. 

[JN94]

My vote is the Met

[Reel]

Two good reels but if it's for pitching get the Met.

[FishTank]

Got a weird answer.....

 

8.x:1 > go with the Metanium. Smoother, bigger handle

 

7.x:1> Zillion.  To me, this a better all purpose reel

 

6.x:1 > Metanium for cranks. Zillion for everything else 

 

In reality,  you can't go wrong either way. 

[GReb]

I’ve had a Met 20 since it came out and have 2 of the Zillions as well. Here’s my take. If you need distance get the Met. If you need control get the Zillion.
 

The Met is a little more inconsistent. It randomly blows up for no reason. Im not sure either Zillion has ever blown up. 

 

Both have held up great but the Met gears seem to be getting a little rough however it’s also time to be lubed. The Zillions still feel new but the finish is chipping in several spots and shouldn’t considering how they are handled. Doesn’t bother me but I know others can’t stand for it not to look a certain way.

[Wprich]

I'm a Daiwa casting guy they made the learning curve much easier for me so I stuck with them.  I have 6 casting setups and 4 have zillions on them and I love them.  Can't speak much on the Mets had a Met DC didn't like it so sold it to get my first Zillion.

[casts_by_fly]

I forgot to mention, neither of the reels is a large capacity reel.  The zillion is listed as 40-80m of 16 lb.  The Met is 65m of 20#.  I have 17 lb elite on my zillion which is 0.016".  That's a bigger diameter line for the rating and I can get about 60 yards on it.  With my big rod and a whopper plopper 110 I can just about cast the entire spool.  That's not what that rods for, but it does work well for it.  On my Met I have 16 lb supernatural which is only 0.013" and there is no problem with capacity.  I'd wager I have nearly 100 yards on it.  If I put 17# elite it would have a similar capacity to the Zillion.  If you were thinking of putting anything bigger than 16 or 17 lb test on it, check the diameters of the line and plan accordingly for your needs.

[webertime]

The above is very true.   The Zillion HD version has a deeper spool for ~$50 more or 85 purchased seperate aftermarket. 

[Pogues2300]

I own a couple zillions and one usdm metanium. I mostly own daiwa but the metanium is the best casting, smoothest reel I’ve ever used. Opinions I guess

23 hours ago, GReb said:

I’ve had a Met 20 since it came out and have 2 of the Zillions as well. Here’s my take. If you need distance get the Met. If you need control get the Zillion.
 

The Met is a little more inconsistent. It randomly blows up for no reason. Im not sure either Zillion has ever blown up. 

 

Both have held up great but the Met gears seem to be getting a little rough however it’s also time to be lubed. The Zillions still feel new but the finish is chipping in several spots and shouldn’t considering how they are handled. Doesn’t bother me but I know others can’t stand for it not to look a certain way.

Funny how experience varies. Of my two zillions one is smooth, one is geary… and my metanium is buttery smooth and definitely no random back lashes. 

[MidwestBassAttack]

Personally, I would go for the Met. I had three Zillions and never liked that choked off feeling.

 

The Zillion has magnetic braking while the Met has centrifugal.

 

All going to come down to comfort and which style of braking you prefer. 

[msgf91]

Don't do it! Just get the one you always wanted first or you'll end up with all three like I did. I wanted to get the Bantam after they brought back the name because I had one of the old ones when I was little.  But I got a zillion first because of the pricing. Then when I was about to get the Bantam I saw there was a JDM shallow spool Met and I got that instead. Then I was like I still want the bantam so I got that. The bait monkey sure works in mysterious ways. 

 

All jokes aside they're both great with different strengths. 

 

I retyped this like 10 times because I like all three so much I couldn't decide which one to recommend lol

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bigbox99]

Zillion for all around use because it can handle flouro without line slime at zero spool tension and can also skip.  Met for braid to leader for throwing compact things to the middle of the lake.  

[Bandersnatch]

One is great, the other one isn’t worth even the jdm price. I said it! 
 

by the way, the daiwa is the great one 

[MiceNReets]

52 minutes ago, Bandersnatch said:

One is great, the other one isn’t worth even the jdm price. I said it! 
 

by the way, the daiwa is the great one 

[softwateronly]

^^Y’all drunk^^
 

 

 

scott

[steves191145]

Love my zillion but I have never tried the metanium mgl. Nicest shimano I own is a curado 150mgl  and while it's a nice reel it's not in the same league as the zillion.

[Gera]

This is a difficult one, if not for the sisi handle and knobs the zillion would be the perfect reel. 

[steves191145]

2 hours ago, Gera said:

This is a difficult one, if not for the sisi handle and knobs the zillion would be the perfect reel. 

That's the easiest part to change to your liking

[Bigbox99]

20 hours ago, Gera said:

This is a difficult one, if not for the sisi handle and knobs the zillion would be the perfect reel. 

You can put a 95mm handle with Zillion HD/Tatula Flip and Pitch knobs like knobs on it for $11.  

[Gera]

On 2/17/2024 at 12:00 PM, Bigbox99 said:

You can put a 95mm handle with Zillion HD/Tatula Flip and Pitch knobs like knobs on it for $11.  

I modify Shimano levers... I just love the large knobs they use on their latest models (and longer levers). Its very easy and its also great to have the same feeling all across my reels. 

[Junk Fisherman]

I'm a Daiwa guy who owns some Shimano gear.  If you've always wanted a Metanium then I recommend going with that one.  You're talking about ultra high-end reels with very little performance differences.  I'm a firm believer in scratching that itch and checking off boxes and it seems you've felt this way with the Metanium.  You can always turn around and sell it and swap it out if you want to.