webertime

I have a bunch of their Blitz (DR, max, max dr). Great crankbaits. Balance and consistency are off the charts. Easily on par with Megabass or Evergreen cranks.

A better investment for the money spent on bearings is an ultrasonic cleaner. Great for getting over packed bearings clean.

I have a 73MH Core model from Cashion and it's nicer than any Fury I've had so I would imagine an icon would be better. The goofy wraps and carbon grip are definitely something that may bug you though.

So you went down the rabbit hole. The stock bearings if properly cleaned and lightly lubed are nearly as good as wizz-bang ABEC 126 bearings. The higher on the ABEC scale the smoother (IE less energy lost to resistance). But there's more too it. The load on the bearing (weight of spool and line) is pretty darned light and more importantly the duration of the rotation (how long the spool spins) is very short regardless of the braking system. So you may see a tiny improvement in distance but is it $20-$70 better? That's up to you. Not to me. Now if the bearing were rotating much longer and a heavier weight then yes you can save energy (watts) but this would be important on say bicycle hubs and Bottom brackets on a high level performing cyclists bike where the wheels/crankset is spinning waaaaaay longer. But a 4 second cast... not much gained.

Dollars to donuts they thought they were putting in the price as yen.

SVF, HVF, SVF Nano, x45... are construction methods. Nothing on Daiwa's site(s) really gets into the type/tonnage of graphite or scrims etc. for their rods. That's just an FYI when trying to figure out Daiwa blanks. They're going to be prettier versions of the 2025 Tatula rods. Retail a little higher gives local shops a bit more meat on the bone for them.

The hook up tackle has a video about the BMG and FMJ that's pretty informative.

Speak of the devil... first rod is the Zillion

A longer handle will help your wrist as well. That rod should be fine.

2 dirty secrets you might find interesting. Sometimes that "rod" you see in the cut out of a reel seat isn't the rod blank. It's a Shim of material that sizes the seat to the blank. EI it's a "extra layer" between you and the blank like the reel seat not getting a cut out. Some production rods that are "1 piece" are actually 2. The handles are build on one section then the blank is glued into that section. It's easier to mass produce this way since a seat and grip can be slapped together then the guides on the blank can be done in line. Then all they have to do is line up the seat and blank vs do that from the start which takes a bit more care in the build process and saves money if there are goofs. My point, that reel seat functionally won't effect the sensitivity of that rod. I'd love to try one.

Like round Ambassador? C3. C4 5500 type? Then yeah that's world's better than a Black Max

No it won't. Tie on 2 ounces. 2oz hanging off the end of your rod with clutch engaged... not going to hurt it. Put thumb on spool, disengage thumb bar. Now your thumb is holding the "strain". Cast. Spool spins on bearings. No strain. Bait lands, you thumb spool. No Strain Retrieve (swimbait resistance), no more stress than a big spinnerbait or crankbait. You watch guys boat flip 7lbers hanging off the end of a rod, that's more stress on a reel than a 2oz bait being cast. To make a larger point, tie on a 1oz tungsten weight, hook and creature (approximately 1.5 oz total). Flip it out and drag through a ton of weeds OR set the hook on a stump. More strain there but thousands upon thousands of guys doing that with 100s with no real problems (REEL problems, Fozzy Bear Face). Or drag a 1oz carolina rig (again about 1.5oz total) through boulders and set the hook on a big ol rock, more stress there... So long as you're not trying to bomb a 1-2oz bait with 50ft of line on the spool and it jerks to a stop or you accidentally re-engage the reel mid cast (we've all accidentally done that) you aren't going to hurt it anymore than any other bait. But those senerios could very well hurt any freshwater reel. Am I advocating a Black Max as a dedicated swimbait reel? Lol noooooo. But to get you by until you decide if big baits are for you, then a "regular" reel is fine. When you get above an ounce the "sketchy" feel of the bait in the casting process has way more to do with the rod.

It is 100% on the wishlist at TW.

I think the lack of sales compounded with "meh" reviews on the new redesign aren't helping. I for one was super excited to see the NRX guys designed the tapers and powers and that we'd get an affordabler (just made that up) 873 type rod. Maybe we did, but the reviews and quick sell off mentioned, I'm now doubting it.

Loooooooong Quality Fluorocarbon leader here (Lake Champlain... WIND!, Zebras, granite, wood). I use some as long as 40ft because I hate braid in wind.

Blue Label is fine. Price per yard/ft isn't terribly different than a 200yd spool of Tatsu. Grab a spool of that and you won't regret it.

White or Pearl if I'm feeling sassy.

Bitters is great. Their color selection will literally break your brain with options.

Digitaka Japan Lure Shop Asian Fishing Portal Reel pricing is like within $10ish of eachother. Availability (the handedness and ratios) vary among them. Aliexpress also has killer deals

A taylor will fix you up

OG Steez on Jerkbait rod OG Fuegos on various random rods OG Zillion on Frog and Flipping rod Citica E on smaller swimbait rod TDZ on Cranking rod For $40-100 each they perform better than anything new in that price range. Get them, clean up replace drags and I'm good to go. I have Plenty of current reels and have no complaints about them but for me I like the OGs on a dollar per performance ratio.

Well, sort of but not exactly. Have you ever used the XF medium St Croix rods? The tip, while extra fast, is softer than what you'd expect from a medium rod (or experienced with other medium rods). But the lower section is definitely a medium. That's sort of like this rod but not quite as tippy, and the taper goes a little deeper in the blank (i.e., it's fast, not xf). Like a MH tip to a Heavy lower, its pretty noticeable the difference along the blank when dragging. I wish we were closer I would let you give it a whirl for a week. I'll shoot you a video of the rod if you want. I did sell my Brailist though so no comparison.

I had a Brailist and replaced it with a 75MH+ Zillion. Zillion is or at least feels a lot lighter (both had a 22 Zillion on them). I drag footballs with both (mostly). The Zillion bends further into the blank when dragging a 1/2oz Keitech jig. But then it transfers into a more powerful lower section. I can't honestly say it's more sensitive than the Brailist is, and I really wanted to. That tip on the Zillion makes it a great 1/2oz carolina rig rod. I'm not 100% sold on it yet but with that said the taper makes it a little more versatile (can throw/work single hook moving baits better than the Brailist). I would love to compare it to the Steez version to see if it is more moderate like the difference between Orochi and Levante.

I love my St Croix Legend Xtreme for jerkbaits (66Mxf) great tip for it. But... no Bueno for jigs the xf tip is too soft for me on the Mxf taper/power. Throwing this out there... Megabass P5 Windbuster?

Lo Float DRT tiny klash (although k9 is cool OP seems to be in the 2 oz range) if you can get your hands on one. Hi Float is a very different bait. Deps 175 can be easily found under 70$ 6" Bucca Trick Shad is getting a lot of love too. Still frozen up here but dudes I trust like it. But your original baits are great too. I'm just adding to your list. Go on a YouTube or Universe deep dive and you'll learn all about them and how they fit your area and style.