Preamble

 

I own or have fished with many current production reels from low to high priced. It has been my opinion for some time that few if any top end units actually deliver on what either marketing departments or hyperbolic internet criers claim they do. However, that doesn't mean I think they aren't worth their asking price. More on that later. Essentially, spending on the highest end reels doesn't provide the revelatory fishing experience one might expect based on the hype they get. My focus when grading performance focuses on consistent, repeatable casting performance. Think of a reel you'd prefer to fish in a tournament or at night. The nature of how I fish means I prefer reasonably long casting reels on rods ranging between 7-7'6".  Measurable differences between low profile bait casters regarding distance casting is generally negligible in real world numbers, even if Internet reel testers proclaim that one reel blows another away by outdistancing it by 5 feet. As far as I'm concerned this is great news for people who love fishing but have budget constraints. If that's you then don't fret. You'll be just fine with what you can afford.

 

Well-meaning discussions on internet forums regarding quality vs price often spiral out of control, but thankfully nothing quite as bad as it used to be on the net. Here at BassResource most posters who might be otherwise inclined to drop their gloves tend to temper their worst impulses when this subject comes up, whether their snobbery points up or downward. Regardless of different tastes, I doubt many could argue in good faith that they wouldn't have caught most of the fish they have caught using an ABU Black Max instead of a very expensive reel. I'm talking about use in typical freshwater bass fishing environments. All of this is old news to posters who've ridden this price vs quality rollercoaster time and again and have come to terms with the truth. Having said that, there's more to life than utilitarian exercises. For some people a reel is simply a thing that winds in line, and for others it's much more. Pride of ownership has its place in fishing too, even if for practical purposes the gap in actual fishing performance between price points is closer than ever before.

 

 The fact that I've formed the opinions expressed above seems to run contrary to purchasing a $359 reel, but I'm value oriented. It's true that I didn't take the "buy once cry once approach" to fishing gear purchases, but I'm curious and needed to satisfy that beast. With that I see the Zillion G as a value purchase. I like the idea of owning another heirloom quality reel that competes well in this regard to Daiwa's flagship Steez at nearly twice the price.. The Zillion's build elements tick all the boxes, so it should be good to go for some time.

 

Initial review and quick test.

 

I didn't expect the Zillion G to be this compact. I'm not overly concerned with reel size, but this was a neat surprise. People who enjoy playing reel-dress-up may wish to bling it out, but I'm fine with it's shape. Looks cool enough for me. I have a spool of 15lb Tatsu ready to go, but chose to spool it up with Sufix DNA Copolymer, which is quite stiff. Better to sacrifice the Sufix during a test run. I oiled the spool bearings, then mounted it on 7'3" MHF OB2, then headed down to a concrete-bulkhead-ringed and defrosted park pond. I brought an un-weighted Fat IKA, Beast Coast Miyagi Swimmer, and a Spro rat 40. A south wind was blowing 12 mph, so good for a fast test.

 

IKAs cast like a bullet and cast far, and it did. I was able to get the brakes down to 4 casting directly into the wind on a high arc cast. Things got squirrelly, but with one click up on the dial the brakes kept things in check. No problem bombing out the Miyagi either. The retrieve was silky smooth, but the Rat is a better test. This reel is definitely smooth and quiet during retrieve on a midrange resistance bait like the 40. Very nice. "Of a piece" would be a good way to describe it. Overall, it feels, and is quite a bit more free-casting compared to the Tat SV, and it's definitely less "fall off a cliff" touchy when the brakes are lowered near the redline. I like this. I like a little warning before a spool blows up when I'm pushing it. 

 

I tossed a handful of midrange target casts and pitches and all was well. I thumbed it, but didn't need to raise brake settings above 5. I imagine setting 8 will be mindless-casting-mode for most lures, but I had limited time and I was freezing on this day. This nature of this pond is such that it doesn't allow for a proper skipping test, but I really didn't buy the G with this in mind. I can skip with most of my other reels without the aid of SV or DC gimmicks. Just like the rest of my reels, I'll come to completely understand what its wheelhouse is over time and use it there. I'll certainly entertain a few of the alternative spool options floating around. There are plenty of choices available for this 34 mm spooled platform, and this reel can be many things with a simple spool swap. A poster here claimed the brake dial's location causes it to change settings when he palmed it. No such issues here.

 

Anyway, so far so good. No buyer's remorse. I'm quite happy.

Just received my zillion 1000 yesterday. I too was relieved at the size. It looks to be the same size as the Tatula Elite but it feels smaller. Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me. Or maybe the shiny finish just glosses it over. Rednecks do like shiny things like bass boats and beer cans. Jeff Foxworthy got that one right. 

2 hours ago, GReb said:

Just received my zillion 1000 yesterday.

Nice! Share your impressions once you get out there with it. I'm going to try to catch a small window tonight before the rain hits. 20 mph southern wind is perfect for where I'm going.  Hopefully I'll get some bites and give mine a workout. We're back into the freezer again plus high pressure for the next few overnights.

Been using the JDM zillion G for a little over a year and the US version since last summer. Really awesome reels. Stock spool bearings, like every daiwa, needed to be flushed.  I do like the spool bearing guard on boost spools. 

52 minutes ago, iabass8 said:

Stock spool bearings, like every daiwa, needed to be flushed. 

Agree, and definitely on this reel. It's odd that some come in with bearings bone dry like my Tat SV did.

 

I had a surprise short weather window last week to give mine a test run. Right before I spooled on the line I zero'd the brakes, depressed the clutch, then did the old finger-flick freespool test. Even with the zero adjuster backed off the spool stopped spinning quickly. I pulled sideplate and spool. Clear grease was visible on the outside of the inner races and shield junctions of the spool bearings. Stretched for time I just put a drop of oil in that spot on each bearing, then put it back together. After several flicks of the spool things began to open up. The oil cut the grease just enough for my purposes in that moment. A few hours of casting probably expressed some of the broken down mixture even further. It felt fine in the moment. It'll be getting the full treatment next week.

52 minutes ago, iabass8 said:

I do like the spool bearing guard on boost spools. 

It seems like it will help to keep water or debris out of the pinion bearing? I need to take a closer look. What's your take on it?

17 minutes ago, PhishLI said:

Agree, and definitely on this reel. It's odd that some come in with bearings bone dry like my Tat SV did.

 

I had a surprise short weather window last week to give mine a test run. Right before I spooled on the line I zero'd the brakes, depressed the clutch, then did the old finger-flick freespool test. Even with the zero adjuster backed off the spool stopped spinning quickly. I pulled sideplate and spool. Clear grease was visible on the outside of the inner races and shield junctions of the spool bearings. Stretched for time I just put a drop of oil in that spot on each bearing, then put it back together. After several flicks of the spool things began to open up. The oil cut the grease just enough for my purposes in that moment. A few hours of casting probably expressed some of the broken down mixture even further. It felt fine in the moment. It'll be getting the full treatment next week.

It seems like it will help to keep water or debris out of the pinion bearing? I need to take a closer look. What's your take on it?

I’ve taken a few of these completely apart and they are significantly more greased than what Daiwa usually does. Probably finally did something about the dry gear complaints. Excess grease in the pinion area bleeds directly to the spool bearing that seats in the lower pinion gear. Also, Something I picked up on a few years ago, JDM reels will come with the spool pin tips greased. Helps alot after polishing and that shield would stop anything being thrown into the spool bearing. All my shields, stock, had a lot of grease on them.

4 minutes ago, iabass8 said:

Excess grease in the pinion area bleeds directly to the spool bearing that seats in the lower pinion gear.

Yes, mine was generously coated too. Haven't seen that before. Perhaps they've overreacted! Better than bone dry I reckon.

Interesting. I’ve purchased 5 or 6 other Daiwa reels in the last year or two and they were all dry. They were Tatula variants though. I’ll open up the new Zillion this weekend