Does anyone have one? I'd be interested in your critique on it. I don't own a DC reel but have some Shimano Curado 150 mgl M's , Diawa Zillion's and Tatula SV TW 150's. I'm not really interested in throwing extremely light BFS lures but more for smaller crank baits when it's windy. Watching numerous Youtube videos, it gets very high ratings for being as good the more expensive DC's. It's only $200 from Japan Lure Shop. I don't know if it gets hit with a tariff.

Unless you are casting into the wind all the time, I would get the US XT without the DC. You can get it for $145 at Omnia. US warranty and no tariff charges. 

 

Love Japan Lure Shop though. 

I would 100% get one.   I have a couple and they are one of my fav reels.  They shouldn’t even have the slx name as they’re much more above that.  They cast a mile and palm extremely well and are smooth as glass.   I don’t need DC braking so it wasn’t appealing to me however I was curious how it was because on paper it looked great.   You won’t be disappointed.  
 

I use them as much as my Zillion SV reels if not more  and I like it a lot better than my 2019 Antares 70.  (But FishTank knows my frustrations with that reel)

7 hours ago, Tarpon Hunter said:

It's only $200 from Japan Lure Shop. I don't know if it gets hit with a tariff.

 

From Japan Lure Shop?

 

Yes, expect a tariff, and it will be collected by a shipping company. You will pay Japan Lure Shop for the reel plus shipping, and then the shipping company will collect "duties, fees, and taxes". 

I just bought and received it from Japan Lure Shop. The reel was $180 with $20 shipping, total. It got here in 4 days. Can't beat that with a stick! I wish I knew about this web site before this, I could have saved a ton of money. I paid $350 for a Daiwa Zillion SV TW on Tackle Warehouse before they went to $400. You can get it now on Japan Lure for  $220 + $20 shipping. Looks like the tariff hysteria is BS. The shipping company was FedEx

I’ve order from JLS a bunch and they’ve always used fedex. A month later I get a customs and service bill from them so watch for that. 

36 minutes ago, Tarpon Hunter said:

Looks like the tariff hysteria is BS. The shipping company was FedEx

Don’t get too excited, you are most likely going to get another bill coming your way.

DC5 brakes, yeah it's cool but not needed.

DC4 brakes, no.  

 

I can't remember which one it has.

5 hours ago, Tarpon Hunter said:

I just bought and received it from Japan Lure Shop. The reel was $180 with $20 shipping, total. It got here in 4 days. Can't beat that with a stick! I wish I knew about this web site before this, I could have saved a ton of money. I paid $350 for a Daiwa Zillion SV TW on Tackle Warehouse before they went to $400. You can get it now on Japan Lure for  $220 + $20 shipping. Looks like the tariff hysteria is BS. The shipping company was FedEx

Be aware the JDM zillion has aluminum gears. No they don’t break more easily than brass but it’s something to note. Makes the reels slightly lighter though. 

18 hours ago, MiceNReets said:

I’ve order from JLS a bunch and they’ve always used fedex. A month later I get a customs and service bill from them so watch for that. 

Oh joy! Why don't they just hit us up front? Who is the bill from, US Customs or FedEx? This just posted. This guy has some very interesting videos. 

 

36 minutes ago, Tarpon Hunter said:

Oh joy! Why don't they just hit us up front? Who is the bill from, US Customs or FedEx? This just posted. This guy has some very interesting videos. 

 

I’m in Canada.  But the bill always came from fedex.

I just bought a reel from Digitaka in Japan. They ship for free. They told me up front when I put the reel in the shopping cart that since the elimination of the de minimis rule that they would pay half the tariff fee. The reel cost to me was $328.85 & that my half of the 20% fee would be $32.89. So my total was $361.74 with free shipping. Done deal. Shipping by Fed Ex.  

Off the tariff subject.... I plan on using this for light wind resistant crank baits like Rapala DT 4's and 6's. What rod brand and action would you guys recommend.

On 11/8/2025 at 5:28 PM, webertime said:

DC5 brakes, yeah it's cool but not needed.

DC4 brakes, no.  

 

I can't remember which one it has.

SLX DC XT is iDC5

Knock on wood but I still haven't heard from customs. I'm very impressed with the reel especially in the wind. I tested it against my Curado MGL 150 and it was night and day. Throwing a weightless Texas rigged 4" senko in windy conditions I could get 90' without a hint of backlash. The Curado was prone to backlashing and distance suffered. I was throwing it on a newly purchased Cashion Element Z2 6'10" ML rod. For only $129 I was very impressed with how beautifully it casted, even with 3/8 oz spinnerbaits.

 I liked the DC option so much, I went ahead and bought a Scorpion DC from Digitaka since that seems to be hassle free. Should come this week I hope. 

 

 

On 10/31/2025 at 1:29 PM, Tarpon Hunter said:

I'd be interested in your critique on it.

I bought two about a year ago. They’re light, and cast very well. Build quality is typical Shimano.  I bought a Lews Custom Pro earlier this year that also has a backlash control system. 
 

I fished them side by side for six months. The Lews’ system works better in the wind, sacrificing some distance compared to the Shimano.

 

If the Lews weren’t $300, I’d pick it over the Shimano, but for roughly 1/3 less money. The Shimano is the better choice.

On 11/9/2025 at 10:16 AM, Dwight Hottle said:

I just bought a reel from Digitaka in Japan. They ship for free. They told me up front when I put the reel in the shopping cart that since the elimination of the de minimis rule that they would pay half the tariff fee. The reel cost to me was $328.85 & that my half of the 20% fee would be $32.89. So my total was $361.74 with free shipping. Done deal. Shipping by Fed Ex.  

How long did it take for you to receive it?

Longer than normal. Instead of the usual three days it took 5 days. 

On 11/8/2025 at 1:47 PM, MiceNReets said:

I’ve order from JLS a bunch and they’ve always used fedex. A month later I get a customs and service bill from them so watch for that. 

This video is long and a horror story but at 20:00 he says DHL told him if it's a single item under $800 there is no tariff. 

 

 

On 11/9/2025 at 12:16 PM, Dwight Hottle said:

I just bought a reel from Digitaka in Japan. They ship for free. They told me up front when I put the reel in the shopping cart that since the elimination of the de minimis rule that they would pay half the tariff fee. The reel cost to me was $328.85 & that my half of the 20% fee would be $32.89. So my total was $361.74 with free shipping. Done deal. Shipping by Fed Ex.  

@Dwight Hottle 20%? Are you sure? The tariff rate with Japan is 15%. 

On 11/18/2025 at 3:50 PM, Tarpon Hunter said:

This video is long and a horror story but at 20:00 he says DHL told him if it's a single item under $800 there is no tariff. 

 

 

@Tarpon Hunter that used to be true until a couple of months ago. It was called “de minimis”. It meant anything under $800 was exempt. Unfortunately that’s no longer the case. You can google de minimis and read what it was and what happened. 

@woolleyfooley yes I’m sure.

22 hours ago, Dwight Hottle said:

@woolleyfooley yes I’m sure.

Huh, you’re right. I just checked and they’re charging 10% now. It used to be 7.5%. Still better than 15% in any case!

On 11/19/2025 at 6:17 PM, Dwight Hottle said:

@woolleyfooley yes I’m sure.

My mistake. That video was 7 months ago. I didn't realize it changed on Aug. 29. I'd buy from Digitaka to minimize any hassles. I still haven't heard from FedEx about more $$$ with my Japan Lure Shop purchase.

After almost 4 months FedEx finally caught up with me and I had to pay $32/reel tariff

On 11/9/2025 at 2:13 PM, Tarpon Hunter said:

What rod brand and action would you guys recommend.

I'd pick something pretty soft. I switch between a 7' Tatula (ML/R), 6'9" G. Loomis (GL2 811 SBR), and Douglas 7' M/M (ERA C704M). The Loomis gets the most use. Douglas' ERA series fishes well above its $99 price point.