ReelDr

Only problem is the 24% tariff doesn’t exist. Also, your link to CBP FAQ’s says nothing about de minimis not applying to Japan. Only PRC and Hong Kong. If you got charged a duty on <$800 from Japan, then the importer screwed you over during the declared value process via one of several shady techniques. Be very wary of retailers telling you prices are going up due to tariffs. This is a lie that gets perpetuated by companies very often to justify price increases. There is no need to ‘talk to someone’ when it comes to tariffs. All current factual information is publicly available to you from HTS.gov Chapter 95 lists all tariffs for fishing gear. Chapter 99 discusses all excess tariffs due to ongoing discussions with other countries trade department and executive orders. Everything else you said though about exchange rates and such is true though.

Can’t blame tariffs for this.

It’s DHL. They’re pretty shady when it comes to importing items and not considering de minimis advantages for the end customer. Chances are your item got grouped by DHL with other similar HTS coded items during an import and the declared value of the import exceeded $800 when grouped and got to CBP for HTS coding on the BoM. FedEx is much better about not doing this to their customers.

I’m certainly not saying you’re wrong. And I do agree that there could be some secondary effects of tightening/loosening the cap on the spool. I have taken down several of these reels to individual parts. It’s definitely different than most other Daiwa’s these days in several ways.

The zero adjuster on the 24 Steez does not connect to a pin that travels through a hole in the pinion to ultimately press against the spool shaft. So in that regard, the zero adjuster has zero effect on spool tension. Having said that, I could see where over tightening on the cap could ‘squeeze’ the pinion in some capacity. Albeit very small.

I catch a lot of redfish on my JDM Zillion SV TW. Big ones too. Handles them fine.

Could be a couple of reasons, but my guess is that screw #56 is a bit loose. This allows the two holes in part #54 to not be well connected to the two slots on part #53. This also then allows the thumb bar to wiggle a little bit.

Thanks for the info. I lost access to the email I used to create the account years ago and emailed Cal and Zander to try and get it updated multiple times with no response.

Does that forum still work for you? I can’t seem to get in or get anyone to respond in years now.

I have a boat deck full of zillions. Theyve been fantastic and I ended up selling all of my Mets to get more Zillions. The noisy gears in the Mets just bothered me. The zillions are still quiet and smooth after years of use. I don’t find casting distance to be that much of a limiter for my use but I don’t do a lot of ‘need to cast a mile’ fishing. Also, I have a few of the new Steez SV TW’s and I honestly think I prefer the zillions.

Thanks for the feedback. I have not fished the 7’3” but I did handle it. The rod felt so good in my hands but I just don’t need another rod of that length/action type. Which is why I was curious about the 7’1”. Seems like I’m still on the fence after reading your description, ha ha. But the monkey can only remain quiet for so long.

Anybody have this rod? Ive noticed the 7’3”MH is typically the model that makes it stateside. I was curious if anyone has tried the 7’1”MH? It’s advertised as high sensitivity and I’m contemplating it for my ‘the one’ rod for senkos, jigs, etc. Just haven’t seen much written about this rod. Thanks in advance.

Right in its wheelhouse.

I’ve never bought one that had any epoxy instructions or anything like that. Years ago, I was doing my own regrips on my golf clubs and had some of that liquid glue they use for golf grips. I put some of that on a few of my JDM rods and it seemed to work fine. However, I haven’t done that in years. These days I just do the friction fit and everything seems to work fine.

Not my first mistake. Not my last, either.

At one time I had Xbites, tachyon shaft, and tequila baccarac in my rod box. I ended up letting them all go for various reasons. Id say the tachyon shaft is the one I regret the most letting go.

That finesse jig model is one of my favorite, if not favorite overall, falcon actions. It’s a sweet 3/8 oz jig/spinnerbait rod. That and the head turner actions are always in my arsenal.

Antares arrived today. A little slower than usual but not bad. Unboxed the reel and it’s huge. No way I can palm this reel with my arthritis. If anybody wants a brand new, never been on a rod, 25 Antares, PM me and I’ll try to work something out. Beautiful reel just way too big for my hands with my condition.

You’re not wrong. But the USDM market is such trash. If it’s not trash, it’s a massive ripoff.

The model numbers, for the most part, won’t match. However, digitaka is a reliable JDM site. Their descriptions are typically very accurate and a good way to judge what you need to buy for your application. I have bought a lot of poison, p5, and steez lined rods from Japan lure shop and digitaka over the years. I have pretty much always gotten exactly what I was shopping for. The only other thing I would add is that a lot of JDM rod models are 2-piece and you have to put them together. I am one that does not mind 2-piece rods and cannot tell a difference between 1- and 2-piece rods. A lot of US fisherman disagree with me though and only want 1-piece rods

Good to hear. Ive got an Antares on the way as well. Oddly enough, my plan is to have my Steez on my Shimano rods and my Antares on my Steez rods.

Mostly this. Not sure if anybody had told Scott or not, but he made a video saying he didn’t violate the solicitation of information rule by telling a story of him calling a guy in North Carolina trying to solicit information from him.

I just ordered a 25 Antares from them. Another thread mentioned delays in shipping recently. Anybody else seeing this?

How much smaller is the CT frame compared to the 24 Steez SV TW and latest gen Zillion? I have both the 24 Steez and Zillions and they both feel about the same to me when palmed. Is the CT frame noticeably different? And can you get a SV Boost spool in a CT?

Interesting on the delay from JLS. I just ordered my 25 Antares from JLS yesterday. I’ll let you know if I have any issues. JLS says they’re shipping FedEx.