FrnkNsteen

I like a little slower rod for bladed jigs as I want to give them a second to have time to clamp down on moving baits before setting the hook.

I saw a video that explained that theory well to me. They said there are times when using a moving bait that the bump you feel is just them inhaling the bait as it is moving by. Too fast of an action could allow a fast set to pull the bait away before they close down on it. Personally I believe I have a better hook up ratio with slower rods than with faster ones.

I have a Champion XP 734 running buzzbaits and like it for that. I haven't tried it on bladed jigs, but feel it would probably do well. For regular jigs, a faster rod might be more ideal, but I think it would still work. Would be good for swim jigs too!

There's bad reason the Dobyns XP 744c "Jig Special" rod is a faster rod than the 734. I believe there is some overlap between them and you would be fine though!

I'm assuming the Mach One setup is a spinning reel and rod, and it sounds like you have a good feel for that.
 
In regards to the casting setup.... Don't put too much emphasis on that the DC version would be all that much better. I bought a couple versions (SLX DC and Curado DC) when they first came out because I thought they would help my wife learn to cast a baitcasters better. They really did not. She actually did better with my smaller Daiwas like the SV 70 because they tend to have more easily controlled braking. The thing I found about the DC reels I had is they worked well if doing full harder casts for distance, but struggled if your casting motions were lighter or jerky, like most newbies tend to be.
 
In regards to your setup. I have no idea what your baitcasting experience is so I am going to start as assuming it is very little, so please don't let it bother you if I simplify things too much.
 
My suggestions are this... First, I believe the SLX XT has the external dial on the centrifugal brakes,... so open the side cover and set the brakes so all the internal weights are turned on and then set the dial on the outside so it is turned up near max. 
 
Then look at the Dobyns rod you have and see what the suggested lure weight range is and pick a lure or casting plug that is approximately in the middle of the range. So if the Rod's lure weight range is 1/4oz to 3/4oz, pick a lure that is approximately 1/2oz. Choose something like a jig or just a barrel weight that is dense and does not catch a lot of air. This will cast more consistently.
 
Set the spool tension on the handle side of the reel so that when you have the rod at a slight upwards angle and press the clutch button and lift your thumb, the lure slowly falls to the ground without the spool over running line off. This setup is much tighter than I, or most experienced baitcaster users have theirs set, but it seriously helps reduce over runs while you get the hang of things.
 
Now go out and practice your casting while focusing on making smooth casts,... even if they are pretty short at first.
 
Spinning reels tend to teach bad habits of using your wrists to snap the cast out there farther. With your baitcaster, you want to focus on smoothness and eliminate snapping of the wrist. Practice smooth overhead or side arm casts that are hard enough to load up the rod to let it help you cast it out there, but without snapping the wrist and slingshotting the lure out there. That snapping the rod and causing a slingshot effect is what causes a lot of backlashes. Start with making slow lazy lob casts like you are pitching a softball or shooting a free throw
 
As you start to feel more comfortable, start putting a little more into the casts while still focusing on staying smooth!
 
Then when you feel more comfortable,  you can start to turn down the brakes little by little and you can also then start to reduce tension on the spool control knob to loosen everything up. Getting used to baitcasters takes practice. There's no way around that or magic reel that will make you better. That SLX XT gets good feedback from people. I don't have one, but I have quite a few SLX MGL that have basically the same braking systems. 
 
Practice, practice, practice. Focus on making smooth casting motions and keeping a light touch  on the spool with your thumb during the cast and it WILL come to you.

Agreed! I have always liked the Daiwa Regal spinning reels. I don't currently have any as I have replaced them with Fuegos and up to Tatula, Ballistics and Shimano Stradics and Vanfords.
 
I've had Regals going way back to the old Regal X and Regal Z reels from the 90's up to having a couple newer versions as recent as a year or two ago. To this day I think it's hard to beat the lower priced Daiwa reels like the RG, the Revros, and the Regal reels. My experience with them has only been in the 2000 and 2500 size. I don't know how well a 2500 will handle 4lb braid though. 
 
I used them for #2 and #3 Mepps and Aglia spinners up in Ontario for smallies, but I used 10 or 14lb Berkeley Fireline. That fused Fireline holds up surprisingly well to the toothy Northerns and Muskies and is very limp once it wears in and starts to turn gray.

It looks like that is part of the flange on part 27 that keeps the inductor and ramps seated in the spool, under spring pressure from part 28. Looks like part of the flange is broken off. Don't know how that would even happen.
 
I wouldn't think there would be much chance the rest would break off, but if it did, it doesn't look like there is anything else to stop the whole assembly moving towards the brake magnets.
 
If that were to happen, I don't know if there would be anything keeping your spool controlled and you may get a bad backlash as mentioned above. The bigger issue might be the inductor spinning into the magnet at high rpms and possibly causing damage, but can't say for sure.

Wow! That's pretty cool. I expect someone figured it was better to give them out to people who could use them than scrap them out if they are going to stop supporting them.
 
Pretty cool! Rebuilds a bit of my opinion on them, which has been lacking lately! Good for them!

Depends what line you are running. Capacity is listed at 105yrds of 10lb, or 85 yeards of 12lb.
 
Can you cast a normal crankbait 85 yards? I've never had an issue with outcasting my capacity on mine. My normal casts are maybe 30 - 40 yards (90 - 120ft) at the most.

Agreed.... Keep them in the pack and hang them on a wall next to a picture of him so you see it often and remember.

I have a Sierra SUF740C that I picked up last year.
 
I have a Tat SV on it with a Rays spool I bought from someone on here, but I haven't even spent enough time with it to catch a fish yet.

U-40 just sits on the surface and seals. I don't leave it heavily wet when applying and wipe off the excess then. If dried, I would either try cleaning it with a magic eraser, or lightly sand with fine sandpaper and then re-seal it.

My guess is they had a break while extruding, then missed it when transferring from the master spool to the smaller saleable spools.
 
We have a braiding department where I work, and this is a common occurrence to keep the equipment running, but just got missed when preparing the final product.
 
In our braiding process they usually mark the area so it is easily visible later. Nothing here may mean someone forgot to mark it and it got missed later.

Thanks! I just saw that someone was selling a Ray's spool for a 2020 Tat SV on the flea market, so I may go that way as an option.
 
I also tied some 6lb line on the Lews Pro SP and then tied on a 1/8oz Rapala Cappie crank and was kind of amazed how far it would cast it this morning.

I'd say match them up however they seem to work best for you, but if it were me, I'd start with the following:
 
6.2 Curado on HMG M Mod (Cranks?)
6.4 Silvermax on the Field Stream MH Mod
8.5 Curado K on Lews xfinity 7'4" H F (Jigs)
7.2 Curado on Veritas MH F (Spinnerbait maybe)
Lews Carbonfire on the Fenwick Eagle
 
If things don't balance well rearrange to what feels best
 

There is no standard for a rods power rating. Different rods at a same "M" or "MH" can have very different power levels and different actions. Some rods run heavier or " Faster" than others.
 
In your case, it's quite possible that the Triumph rod is a little lighter power or has a little softer tip so it casts better, while the Mach 2 might be a little heavier with a faster tip and not cast as well.
 
My advice,... Play with them and see what they work best at and use them for those techniques.