QED

Motor oil? Haven't heard that term in ages but it worked well for me. YMMV

Early generation carbon composite ultralight reels from Ryobi. Caught a lot of fish with these in middle school. Still work fine to this day. Ryobi sold its fishing tackle business in 2000 so it no longer makes or markets reels.

I'm a huge fan of 4" curl tail worms. I mostly fish UL/light gear so those baits are a staple. But on the downside, if you fish where there are bream/panfish, you'll get a lot of spurious hits from them. Where they work, they work extremely well, but they are frustrating in bream/panfish waters.

Casting 4’6” UL (pistol grip) 6’3’’ BFS (split grip) 6’3” M/F (split grip) Spinning 4’9” UL (Tennessee handle) 6’7” ML/F (split grip) All but one rod/reel combo weigh <= 8.1oz. UL spinning rig is 6.5oz. This is actually my most used working set. Most baits are between 1/16-3/8oz with the majority at the lighter end. I have heavier gear but only use that when strictly necessary. Casting rods are all Shimano, spinning rods are Fenwick and Shimano. Reels are Shimano and Daiwa.

I'm stating that the longer term durability of a NEW gearset compared to an older one is unknown since the former hasn't been around long enough to empirically compare to the latter. My experience doesn't factor into that. Also, the hyper gears have a different gear geometry but I haven't seen it noted in Daiwa marketing hype that the new gears are made of a different material. "Duraluminum" is just a portmanteau of durable and aluminum but it doesn't specify a unique aluminum alloy.

I'm aware that the newer "Hyper Drive" gears have a different tooth profile and a different lateral angle cut hence they are indeed a bit smoother. But you implied (whether intentionally or not) that the 2019 CT SV gears were somehow deficient in terms of wear compared to the 2021 iteration. But that isn't supported by facts since the 2021 version just came out. I've extensively used the 2019 CT SV for just under a year and the gears are as smooth and slop-free as the day I bought it, so they wear just fine. The 2021 hyper gears are nominally smoother due to their updated design, but the 2019 CT SV doesn't have any notable gear wear issues under use. So I reiterate that it is a tough call to choose between the two versions given the ~$200 price difference. I have both, so I don't have a dog in this fight.

I have five Vanfords (or six if you count the Soare CI4+, which is pretty much the same but made for JDM) and I haven't encountered the issue described by OP.

Were you a beta tester for Daiwa on the 2021 CT SV? Daiwa only announced it back around August and availability was, to put it euphemistically, very scarce even as recently as November. Daiwa USA wrote earlier this week that it's a new release and they don't have parts or PDF schematics yet (in response to a query I made to them regarding some technical info).

The part numbers for the pinion gear and drive gear unit are different between the 2019 and 2021 models (in both cases 8.1:1 gear ratio and RH models). I’ve used the 2019 version for almost a year and haven’t experienced any notable gear wear or increasing slop. We’re having severe storms right now so I haven’t been able to try out the 2021 version.

The high end models often use more exotic materials that can result in lighter overall mass and better fit and finish. But it is clearly a case of diminishing marginal returns. One would be hard pressed to demonstrate that a $720 reel is ~3x better than a $240 reel. But as with all hobbies, it is nice to have some esoteric options.

Per Daiwa ad copy: dual-bearing, supported pinion gear keeps everything in precise alignment. Functionally, this reel seems to have just minor refinements compared to the 2019 iteration.

The Hook Up Tackle, thanks to @MN Fisher.

That's a reasonable conjecture, but I haven't had any issues with the 2019 version. Honestly, I'd be hard pressed to recommend the newer model over the older one given the ~$200 price delta.

Just arrived. What's new vis-à-vis the prior CT SV TW 700XH? Not much. Cosmetics, better pinion bearing, finer gears, and longer handle. But it's sweet nonetheless!

Amazing! Haven't seen them at retailers. Good on them - they were pioneers. Edited to add: Just ordered some old school worms to help support them. Hope they stick around for another bazillion years!

OK, you've stumped me there! The Creme brand was pretty much gone when I started fishing.

Shimano used to make forged aluminum casting rod handles as well. They branded it colfor as a contraction for cold forged aluminum.

Lew's was an innovator way back when, so let's give them credit for that. Their contract manufacturers were Shimano and Daiwa(?) (possibly others) and the CMs knocked off the Lew's features and improved upon them. Fast forward to the present and the Lew's reels are fine for their price points and they represent an excellent price/performance value. At the extreme high end, Lew's isn't a player but my most recent Daiwa reel purchase (arriving tomorrow!) cost close to $800 including tax and shipping and I don't anticipate that it will be 2x or 3x better. YMMV

Slightly off topic but the use of the introductory "so" is not a new thing and if F. Scott Fitzgerald used it, then so can you: https://www.npr.org/2015/09/03/432732859/so-whats-the-big-deal-with-starting-a-sentence-with-so

Looks like Rather Outdoors LLC. They also own Strike King. https://fishingtackleretailer.com/around-the-industry-in-8-paragraphs

Rebel sold a boatload of these lures, so they are readily available on the auction site. Some sellers sell them in sets so you buy them in excellent shape for just two or three dollars per lure.

Many thanks @MN Fisher! It's on the way 2nd day air. Edited to add: TW was very prompt and easy to deal with in connection with cancelling my [overdue] prior reel order from late October. Was able to request cancellation and receive a prompt acknowledgement over email.

I looked at all the usual reputable vendors and didn't find the specific reel (2021 Steez CT XV TW 70 XH) in stock. The 7.1:1 gear ratio version seems to be generally available though.

Prescient remark. Availability now pushed out to 12/31 (from 12/15 and 12/3 originally). Guess I'll just get a lump of coal for Christmas this year.