Midwest Angler

IMHO, it’s probably the sickest bladed jig rod you can buy. I also use it for mid depth Crankbaits and larger Squarebills. The Expride version is talked about a lot, but I prefer the Adrena. For a glass composite rod, it’s very light (4.7 oz), which makes it very fishable for long days, and the components and build quality are topnotch.

The Steez A and Zillion HD both have aluminum frames, which gives them good rigidity when reeling high resistance (deep crank) or heavy ( swimbait) baits. The Zillion HD has brass alloy main gears, which makes it a little heavier than the Steez A, but also, theoretically, means it will hold up better over time than the Steez Duraluminum Alloy gears. It definitely is smooth. The soft-but-tough nature of brass lends itself very well to high wear gearing. That said, I have both reels, love both reels, and don’t plan to get rid of either one. The newer Duraluminum alloys used in Steez stay very smooth for a very long time, despite what some assume. You made a great choice with the Zillion. Enjoy!

Exactly this. The CT frame is amazing.

I use the 21 Scorpion DC, Curado DC, Met DC 70 and a bunch of Steez and Zillion reels. I like all of them, but I will say the Scorpion is a more polished reel than the Curado. It has a more advanced braking system (iDC5 vs iDC4), more line capacity (120 yds of 14lb vs 90 yds), an extra bearing, and a more comfortable — to me — frame. I believe it’s also slightly lighter and has an MGL spool instead of the Curado’s older S3D spool. I don’t have an Metanium MGL or Antares to compare them to, but in general I find my DC reels to be better long distance casters but NOT necessarily better at dealing with wind than, say my Steez SV TW. YMMV. If you like the Zillion I wouldn’t say you necessarily NEED a Scorpion, but it does seem to check the boxes you mentioned. Mine lives on a cranking rod for many of the same reasons.

I have both reels, and think both are great. Smooth, ergonomic, durable, and great casters. I also agree with a lot of what has been said above. In particular, I’ll echo that the Met does NOT feel like most magnesium reels. Because of the DC module it weighs 6.2 Oz. The aluminum framed Steez is 6.7 Oz — which is an ounce lighter than the Antares, I believe, and really light for a reel in its class. For whatever that’s worth to you. For cranking and rattle traps, I strongly prefer the Steez A based on (1) line capacity, (2) 90 mm handle length, and (3) durability. It really excels at slightly heavier lures from 1/2 oz up. Since it’s a 70-sized reel, I run braid-to-leader on my Met. It’s also a phenomenal jerkbait reel, and the smaller handle is well-suited to that technique. If you’ve used the Metanium MGL, I believe it’s the same frame with a smaller spool.