jejenkyns

Complete agreement with this astute post

I have many guitars, hifi and pro audio equipment, sound recording equipment including old and new microphones and compressors. I have problems too.

I have a great setup this year. It feels complete. Still, my mind is begging for a new rod. I have no need for a new rod. I'm tossing around rods I want, as well as replacing the ones I own that don't absolutely blow me away. It's the baitmonkey. And everytime my beautiful wife ticks me off (god I love her) the baitmonkey digs in a little harder. My needs are met and then some, and yet I'm dreaming of dropping $$$ on **** i don't need. Maybe what I need is help.

Anyone have this rod? Are you liking it? Can you compare to Steez 7'6 the one? Or P5 Flyssa?

Is the Dark Sleeper really a step down in power? I've always wondered how the two rods compare. I own a DS btw, considering a Daemos

Well I figured I'd revive this thread just to let everyone know I've totally fallen for the Zillion. My hands just got used to it and I'm now just fishing with it, not camparing, fishing. And it really is a dream. It hasn't left my Dark Sleeper and I've really just been carrying around that rod and my windbusters, occasionally bringing my super destroyer out for heavier stuff. No love lost for the Met, but man the Zillion was a great purchase and I'm just loving it's consistency and smoothness. I think my favourite thing about it is just how lovely it feels to wind under load, and the smooth feeling of line coming off the spool. I'm smitten, ditch the d**n chrome thing though...

I have a windbuster. I bought it because I love free rigs and it's often described as THE free rig rod. FOr me? Not THE free rig rod, but it will do it just fine. On the other hand it is incredibly versatile and there isn't much of anything within it's weight range I wouldn't throw on it. It shines for me on jerkbaits, particularly 110 jr, but 110 as well, topwaters and shakeyheads, also paddletail type stuff within it's weight range. Big versatility is the ultimate draw for me. With regards to the handle? I LOVE the handle, it's my favourite spinning handle of all time. Many don't agree, just know, there are some of us that LOVE the p5 spinning handle.

Likely no, but maybe? I have the models from that line that interest me. I have the 7'6MML, which suits my needs but doesn't blow me away, and the 7'0 MMH which I love. Based on those rods I'd consider interesting models in a new, refreshed, lineup, BUT the added price is certainly a push towards other brands. I don't own any NRX models and this does more to push me to consider them as options, rather than nudging me towards more Daiwa. At this point, I really enjoy my Megabass rods and on a pricepoint basis, they are looking better than ever right now.

more rods. I like the rods. Reels are reels. Don't get me wrong I like the reels too, but if I had the opportunity to buy a new rod I'll do that and just swap reels.

I have to admit I'm falling in love with this reel pretty fast. I checked the spool tension today. There is just a touch of side to side play. It's just about exactly where I would set a reel on my own. Does this sound about right?

I don't particularly baby mine. I just teat them normally. No problems. I have broken 2, both in accidents that were my own fault or the dawned universes fault. I was happy to have the warrant and personally would rather pay for it.

Mine didn't, it's tight as anything I could imagine, so is the zillion. both are and were perfect out of the box. No play anywhere.

Everyone feels differently. And I think I'm in the minority based on what I've read.The point I was trying to make mostly was how positive I feel about the reel, how pleasantly surprised I am at how much I like it. So our opinions aren't that far off either It's mostly the shape of the side plate. The met side plate follows the contours of my hand. The Zillion forces my hand into a bit of an awkward position and I can feel the underside of the reel rubbing against my palm. It's also a little long for me to really hold the rod the way I'm unused too. Small hands I guess. Braid to leader. I will look into this. Didn't realize this. Might be cool to get a BFS spool. Curious, what makes the long cast spool a long cast spool?

Lol. Do tell. What spool options should I look into? I'm untrained!

hahah, I don't hate it at all. I just find it big. I have it on a p5 Dark Sleeper at the moment and it makes the whole setup feel bigger, like I'm bringing a bigger rod than I need. It's a strange feeling, clearly the rod hasn't changed in size. I'm going to move it around and see if it finds a natural home on another rod. If not I may trade it off one day, orn not. Who knows. I'm certainly having fun with it. I'm really pleased with what they have done with the brakes.

I keep my Shimano reels free of spool tension, I tend to leave either a touch of side to side play or just at the point where it stops. I haven't opened them or adjusted the spool tension in years. I don't have any issues with their performance.

I will take a look at the spool tension at some point, for sure. There is clearly tension on the spool, as they intend from the factory. There is clearly not much room to go down in braking. There is no side to side play on the spool, but I'd expect that from the factory. That said, I'm bombing casts to what I consider to be my personal maximum distance, I couldn't expect any more out of any gear, or my own body. This isn't a problem by any means, quite the opposite. Using my thumb is a matter of reflex and not an indication of a problem with the performance of the reel. Rod and lures familiar and are fine. I don't see an issue, I'm not having problems. I'm really impressed! From my reading, the impression seems to linger than Shimano will outcast Daiwa, even the Zillion with the Mag Boost brakes. I'm just not experiencing this either. Re: Shimano, I have small hands... don't read into that.

I like Daiwa rods but I'm a Shimano reel guy at heart. The Shimano reels I have palm great and just fit my hands. The Breaking system feels fluid, natural and unobtrusive. Shimano reels are very set and forget for me, I don't touch the dial that much, regardless of lure weight or conditions. Daiwa baitcasters, on the other hand, can be bulky and feel strange on a rod. The magnetic breaking feels intrusive and I'm always trying to get rid of the feel. This affects my "fun". This is true for casting but most apparent when pitching. The experience of pitching with magnetic brakes just doesn't suit my tastes. Too early to do a quick write up with only a few hours on the water? Nah, it's just a reel, So why did I buy a Zillion? Curiosity I guess. I understand the braking system uses centrifugal forces to move the rotor in and out of the magnetic field. I found that intruiging. People speak highly of this reel. Most of all, there is a new tackle shop in my town that is carrying a bunch of great stuff from the Dark Side. I'm invested in supporting their growth. So rather than buy another Met from Japan, I decided to drop some coin on a Zillion they had in stock. So what do I think of it? Well, it is big and bulky and doesn't palm comfortably. It isn't bad, but it isn't a Met or even a Curado. The frame doesn't feel nearly as solid at the Met's magnesium frame. It is a smooth reel, no doubt, very refined feeling. The biggest surprise is the braking system. Daiwa has solved mag brakes as far as I'm concerned. It's not perfect, but it is very close. Casting is so smooth, the way the line feels coming off the spool is very satisfying. I can't feel the brakes in the way that has always annoyed me. Despite what others say, and despite what my past experience with Daiwa reels tells me, this Zillion can absolutely go toe to toe with my Met on casting distance (at least so far in my limited experience). Casting distance isn't everything of course, but from the bank you can only fish where you can reach. Just as important to me, however, is how the reel feels in action, and not feeling those magnets makes a huge difference. Even pitching distance is reliably very good and feels great. I never touched the spool tension (normally that is the first thing I do with a reel) I just left it and started casting on the default position of 6 on the external dial. It just felt great right out of the box. I've backed the dial down to 3 and it is performing every bit as well as I'd expect from a Shimano reel. The clicker drag is an amazing addition. I really didn't expect to appreciate it as much as I do. It's just really great to have visceral feedback on your drag settings, not just when a fish makes a run either. I really like to set my drag so it slips just a little bit on hookset. The audible click is great feedback that everything is dialed in. If you love your Tatula and are thinking about moving up in price, this reel might actually blow your mind, and if it doesn't, it sure won't be a step in a wrong direction! If you are a Shimano fan will the Zillion change your mind and pull over to the other side? No, very likely not, but it is a solid option with some nice features like the clicker drag and the braking system... just. solves. magnetic. brakes... If I were to buy another reel tomorrow I would buy another Met. But this reel has shifted my perspective on Daiwa baitcasters an magnetic brakes in general.

Vanquish 3000HMG

I have this reel and it is outstanding. Honest advice to OP, and it might sound silly; go try some reels out by weight and choose your vanquish based on your findings. I chose this particular model after narrowing down the best feeling weight on the rod I was going to put the reel on and it feels perfect. I imagine all the Vanquish models are outstanding 👌.

I've been meaning to ask you, can the Kasumi 6'11 handle a Karashi? I'm throwing it on the 7'6" Steez and it's too much rod.

I have one and I've been very happy with it. I can't compare the fishing experience with past models in detail but the new one certainly seemed had the same feel as the old one side by side in store. Most reviews I've seen have echoed this: don't lose sleep if you need to replace your old model, but don't rush out to upgrade.

If I were looking for a rod in that price range I'd likely be looking at the Tatula XT rods. Those things are light and nimble and look really fun. I prioritize weight, balance and fun factor over anything else.

Just came across a video that said the DS was just a touch lighter in power than a Diablo Spec R. I've handled that rod and it's too much rod for what I'm looking for so I'm sold and just bought one. Thanks again for your input, I'm sure the Daemos would have been a great rod as well, I think I'm best to err on the lighter rod this time around. Many thanks for your response!

Thanks for your response. I'm definitely looking for a kitchen sink rod, rather than something specific, but I'm looking to throw more on the lighter side of what I've described most of the time. I have a Super Destroyer and it does just fine for me with the heavier stuff. I don't mind throwing down in the 3/8oz range on it, but I'm looking for something that will better serve me on the lighter end, but also give me more length than the SD does. Given your post, I might be better off the DS, even with the weights mentioned I'm probably leaning more towards lighter plastics to boot. I'm probably looking to throw in the 3/8 to 5/8oz range total weight, maybe up to 3/4 at the top end if the rod will allow it, but that is SD range for me anyhow. I also have a windbuster, the ideal rod would sit nicely between them, be as sensitive and let me fish the bottom and throw a spinner as well. Thanks! I thought about the Javelin actually, no one seems to fish the bottom with it, probably for the reason you mentioned. Probably still a good option mind you. I don't need over the top sensitivity or anything, so long as I don't feel I'm muddling in the dark. My other p5's are not the most sensitive rods I own but they are more than adequate for the job.