WetBlanket

Plat is the store i order the most often from because of their repair parts you can order for reels. They let you choose shipping options. If you don't care about tracking, you can get the reel to your door through air small package for like $9. With tracking its like $15 or something.

So i was randomly checking the prices on the standard Alphas on Japanese sites, cuz you know, low JPY and all, and stumbled on this. PLAT has the Alphas Air SV TW 50% off, making this reel cost $141USD. Like what the hell are those prices😁Ordered an Aldebaran MGL 30 for $160 two days ago, and i don't even need one lol. If not, i would've grabbed this alphas air just to compare it with my custom Pixy.

Always braid with a fluoro leader.

If you can get to $150 the alphas is unbeatable. If you can get it to $200, the zillion is king. Forget the tatulas, slx's, curados and all of this shovelware. Yen is low, JDM reels feast is high.

90mm carbon handle from RCS/SLP/Studio Composite and a pair of Daiwa cork knobs is my fav combo. For larger reels like the Z2020, i use a 110mm carbon handle from studio composite and a pair of RCS power knobs.

Its thin. I know that the 10lb 832 is thicker than a 15lb X9.

I dunno, maybe in the US? But here in Canada, they were always a "side brand" you don't pay attention to unless you can't afford a daiwa/shimano. My very first baitcaster was a quantum accurist from 2003-2004, and even back then, i only got it over shimano and daiwa offerings is because they were less expensive. The difference is that Quantum was pretty big back then, lots of branding all over, and KVD certainly helped them stay in the spotlight. Now, i don't see them at all, its almost as bad as Plueger, a brand that made actual quality, expensive reels back in the early 2000's.

Simply apply a good amount of pressure when you spool your reel. Still, there are some braid that dig more than others, and one of them is the J-Braid from daiwa.

I tried that after seeing how poor the normal retreive is, but the bait spins on itself, it looks so bad.

Am i the only one who refuses to even think of getting the new steez because of its smaller spool? I want the compatibility of the dozens of 34mm spools made by Daiwa over the last 20+ years. I also believe that 34mm is perfect for an all around reel, and i personally don't want to see anything under.

Said it many times, the Berkley X9 is great. Sufix832 or Berkley X9 is all i use, and if both are the same price, i'd go with the X9 because its smoother and more silent on guides.

Well, comfort is very subjective. I like the frame, and you pretty much never see anybody complain about the Zillion frame, so i would certainly not consider it as an uncomfy frame. But of course, if you don't like it how it palms (i for example, can't stand the met2013 frame that's used on Metanium 2013, 2015 and 2016. Worse frame of any reels that i've owned), its an automatic no go. But still, removing comfort that is subjective, the build quality, smoothness and the longevity of those gears far surpasses the SLX/Curado. Since the Curado is a USDM reel, you can't get it for a good price either, so you're pretty much paying the same price than a Zillion, and a Zillion is a much higher end product, that also happens to be Made in Japan.

That doesn't answer the question. If you believe that Shimano has a better deal, what is the reel and price that is better.

Is the Zillion for $190-210 and the Alphas for $150 from Japan the best deals for a fishing reel that we've ever seen? I just can't think of a superior product that was sold for such a good price. These two reels have no real negatives to them, and they're being sold for about the same price as an slx or a curado, both of which are far inferior.

Alphas for that price is a better deal than a Zillion for $210, so that's a nobrainer.

Never even casted a lure with a sin cast

Straight braid as without any leader? No reason to do that. But i did stop using straight fluoro, and was never using mono to begin with.

soldering iron would burn the paint, and it wouldn't look good. And have you tried mend it on slide swimmers or are you assuming it would work because it works on silicon baits?

Tried the LePage Flexible Plastic Adhesive glue, and it worked. Seems to hold well, too.

Even tho i prefer the Orochi, Expride is worth buying over it because the blank on the Orochi XX snaps too easily.

The tats i had and have heard this happening quick did indeed have a plastic/zion side plate.

One thing you need to know is that the Tats might be smooth out of the box, they become buzzy and lose their smoothness pretty quickly, and while frogging this will happen the fastest.

I use the 6.8 ratio on my pixy. No matter if its slow, medium or fast, compared to any other topwater lures i have ever tried, this has an abysmal action. As i've mentioned many times, its like you have a bait that's entangled in your line, and that's the actual action of the bait for $15.

Pull snags with, not use lol.

These come with a snap pre installed, so that's what i used.