New technology reels vs older

[king fisher]

I used Ambassador's for 40 years.  I started with bass size reels in the 70's, then for 30 years I would  wear out one or two 6500 C 3 models every summer fishing for Salmon in Alaska.  When I moved from Alaska I used a 5500 for most of my fishing.

 

4 years ago I decided to try a smaller modern reel.  Members here recommended I try a Tatula CT which was priced $100 at the time.  I hadn't owned a Diawa reel since 1976.  I had a cheap Diawa spinning reel back then.  The line wore a groove in the bail of the reel, and I constantly lost fish due to frayed line caused by this groove.  I was just a kid and didn't have the money to buy more line all of the time and parts for the reel were not available to me.  After loosing a big bass I still have nightmares about, I saved up money for my first baitcaster.

 

Since many members here recommended the Diawa CT  I thought maybe 40 some years was enough time gone by to give a  Diawa another try.  The CT was so much better than any baitcaster I had fished before, I couldn't imagine a reel could get any better. Then last year I bought a new Zillion from Japan.  I am now a broken man.  The Bait Monkey has won.  I will never by a budget reel again.  So the simple answer to your question is, no I don't prefer older reels.

 

I am sure that the top of the line Shimano, and Lews are as good as the Diawa, I just haven't had the opportunity to try them.  Even the less expensive modern reels I have tried are far superior to any older reels I have used.  Maybe there hasn't been much advancement in quality in the past 15 years, but there sure has been a big improvement in the past 45 years.  

[Bigbox99]

I've got Daiwa and Shimano reels from over 20 years ago and current examples and there does not appear to be any difference in technology.  Magforce V works just like Magforce Z and the SV Boost seems like an approximation Magforce Z without the centrifugal activation.  It's like a Magforce Z emulator running on SV operating system.  Don't see much difference between my VBS 50e and SVS 70 Shimanos other than an external dial.  Even modern features like the hyper armed housing found on the excellent  Zillion TW SV 1000 is more of a return to tradition than a new feature.  20+ year old Daiwas just had an aluminum side plate and a double supported pinion.  Even the Shimano DC brake was found on reels dating back to at least 2006.  The only evolution I see is a shift to smaller reels enabled by a reduction in spool diameter to 32 mmor even 30 mm.  We've had 33 mm platforms like the long lived Alphas from 2003 to 2019 but only recently did it become mainstream to accept a decrease in line capacity from a 36 mm or 34 mm spool to a 32 mm as the norm.  There has also been a shift to shallower light weight spools becoming mainstream.  It's not that they didn't exist before but were in the enthusiast realm.  

[F14A-B]

One thing that Shimano has done recently, they have improved the clutch and return spring to provide longer life with the heavier weights some of us throw. Also the drags have been improved greatly. Carbon discs are now used and also aid in longer life overall.. bearings have been improved and the aftermarket makes even better and more durable bearings available. To be clear, Daiwa and DOYO, have these improvements as well.. 

[GetFishorDieTryin]

I carry an old Penn 704 around as a back up.  Its not particularly fun to fish, even packed with a ton of grease the clicker is loud enough to be annoying.  Not very smooth, particularly heavy in comparison with modern reel and just tolerates braid.  What it does do is work, whether its been dunked or full of sand its just goes.  All i do is purge the grease and reapply and its good as new lol.  I caught my first 40+ as a kid using it, so its cool to break it out sometimes and just have it with me as JIC reel that wont fail.