Hey guys, 

I have heard mixed things about this and wasn’t able to confirm when taking it apart. Just wondering if anyone knows for sure or could tell from this picture. 
Thanks, 

Bryce 

If it’s a Hyper-Drive reel it’s an aluminum side plate. 

4 hours ago, Brycecover said:

I have heard mixed things about this and wasn’t able to confirm when taking it apart.

You could just scratch the surface on the inside somewhere smart and you'd know instantly.

3 hours ago, F14A-B said:

If it’s a Hyper-Drive reel it’s an aluminum side plate.

Unfortunately, not true. After this reel came out a member here checked this for me and his was plastic. At least the spool bearing is no longer held in by that pressed in star washer like they used in the CT series.

I don't think they do.  They say that it has the hyper armed housing concept on the image in the Daiwa website and that used to be defined as an alimimum frame, handle side plate and aluminum set plate (part of the non handle side plate that cam locks into the frame) but they also say that "this model has an aluminum frame".  So basically no, it does not have the hyper armed housing concept but they really really wanted to say that it does so they redefined hyper armed housing concept to mean an aluminum frame.

 

Tatula 100

 

Alphas 

 

The Tatula 80 gets an aluminum handle side plate since it's based on the Alphas but no alumimum set plate.

 

OP, here’s another link on the “new” Tatula 100. Remember, this reel has been around for a decade, but the aforementioned thread speaks on the latest Tat 100. 

4 hours ago, Bigbox99 said:

I don't think they do.  They say that it has the hyper armed housing concept on the image in the Daiwa website and that used to be defined as an alimimum frame, handle side plate and aluminum set plate (part of the non handle side plate that cam locks into the frame) but they also say that "this model has an aluminum frame".  So basically no, it does not have the hyper armed housing concept but they really really wanted to say that it does so they redefined hyper armed housing concept to mean an aluminum frame.

When the first promo vid came out, they flat out claimed it has a metal side plate. I screenshotted the image from that vid at the time because the text at TW didn't specifically mention it which they sometimes do. TT had them in stock at that time and whoever I talked to couldn't tell by doing a fingernail tap test. Perhaps it actually being plastic is less of an issue with the new gear cut? I guess we'll find out over the course of time.

48 minutes ago, PhishLI said:

When the first promo vid came out, they flat out claimed it has a metal side plate. I screenshotted the image from that vid at the time because the text at TW didn't specifically mention it which they sometimes do. TT had them in stock at that time and whoever I talked to couldn't tell by doing a fingernail tap test. Perhaps it actually being plastic is less of an issue with the new gear cut? I guess we'll find out over the course of time.

Yeah and on the Japanese site they also had the pic of the Zillion frame and side plate as an image for the hyper armed housing concept and this is probably the origin of the confusion.  Daiwa will often use what is basically a stock image as a symbol for one of their features.  They have been using the same Magforce Z image since forever and in that pic is shows a short shaft spool from their super free system but they will use the image on Tatula and such.  

 

Also, there is an aluminum handle side plate Tatula 100.  The Kage 150 SV and Salamandura 150 SV Boost.  Even though they are 150s they use the Tatula 34mm spool platform and a deep SV spool like the  Coastal 150 SV and Tatula 150 SV instead of the larger Tatula 150 platform.

On 1/3/2026 at 10:23 PM, PhishLI said:

You could just scratch the surface on the inside somewhere smart and you'd know instantly.

Unfortunately, not true. After this reel came out a member here checked this for me and his was plastic. At least the spool bearing is no longer held in by that pressed in star washer like they used in the CT series.

Unfortunately I thought that might be the case just based on feeling it. Thank you everyone for the information 

For light duty 70-100 size reels, I think the importance of metal handle side plate is a little overrated. See how smooth the OG Alphas platform reels stay even after many years, and it doesn't have that.

 

 

 

16 minutes ago, newapti5 said:

For light duty 70-100 size reels, I think the importance of metal handle side plate is a little overrated. See how smooth the OG Alphas platform reels stay even after many years, and it doesn't have that.

 

 

 

I've never had any sort of failure from plastic side plates but I've heard of it.  The AR bearing can crack the side plate and spin in the housing.  The few instances of this I have heard were from Curado 200Ks and a Tatula SV with locked down drags, braid and home run swings on the hook sets.  I like having the aluminum side plate because I fell like it is a higher end treatment vs plastic and is just a nice to have for the money.  Also, akshually the OG Alphas had both aluminum handle side plate and Zaion plastic side plates.  The older reels had aluminum side plates and the newer 15 Alphas SV ect use Daiwa fancy plastic.  I own both and honestly can't tell a difference.

28 minutes ago, Bigbox99 said:

I've never had any sort of failure from plastic side plates but I've heard of it.  The AR bearing can crack the side plate and spin in the housing.  The few instances of this I have heard were from Curado 200Ks and a Tatula SV with locked down drags, braid and home run swings on the hook sets.  I like having the aluminum side plate because I fell like it is a higher end treatment vs plastic and is just a nice to have for the money.  Also, akshually the OG Alphas had both aluminum handle side plate and Zaion plastic side plates.  The older reels had aluminum side plates and the newer 15 Alphas SV ect use Daiwa fancy plastic.  I own both and honestly can't tell a difference.

 

My memory must be failing me, as I specifically remember that it's mentioned somewhere in one of the review articles, also from my personal disassembling experience, that the handle side plate on OG Alphas is not metal. I just couldn't find the proof anymore. I guess I'll need to check my Alphas SV again.

 

But my opinion regarding metal handle side plate stays. Another example is the OG Tatula VS Tatula CT, the latter stays smooth as long, if not longer, as the former does, despite the lack of metal handle side plate. 

 

OG Alphas absolutely does have a metal handle side plate. Almost every single model of the OG alphas does. The only plastic handle side plate is from one of the more recent ones made, such as the Alphas SV 105 or the alphas air stream custom. 

Just like the Pixy, Daiwa wouldn't have used plastic on their quality reels from the early 2000s.

5 minutes ago, Micro Module Police said:

The only plastic handle side plate is from one of the more recent ones made, such as the Alphas SV 105

 

Ah, that must be where I got the impression, when disassembling my SV105. Thanks for clearing that up. It still supports my point I guess, as my SV105 is still crazy smooth after almost a decade. 

Same thing with the og steez. They were all magnesium except the last couple made, such as the limited, the namiki one and the USDM Steez SV from 2015, which all use Zion plates from the original SS SV. 

11 minutes ago, newapti5 said:

 

My memory must be failing me, as I specifically remember that it's mentioned somewhere in one of the review articles, also from my personal disassembling experience, that the handle side plate on OG Alphas is not metal. I just couldn't find the proof anymore. I guess I'll need to check my Alphas SV again.

 

But my opinion regarding metal handle side plate stays. Another example is the OG Tatula VS Tatula CT, the latter stays smooth as long, if not longer, as the former does, despite the lack of metal handle side plate. 

 

The old smooth looking handle side plates are aluminum and the newer ones with the groove detailing are Zaion plastic.  Daiwa did this on a few reels when they were pushing Zaion.  The Alphas got it with the Alphas SV and I belive all subsequent 1st gen Alphas and did the OG Steez with the SS SVs, LTD, USDM Steez SV and the Tatula Zillions.  

This doesn't answer your direct question but might help get at what you are solving for. I have a steez, a stack of zillions, and a couple of the new-style tat100 and tat200's (plus some older stuff). 

The 100 and 200 are absolutely great reels. Look it's not a zillion, but I can tell you that I have a couple of zillions in the backup reel bag and I'm still using the 100's that I could switch out in five minutes.  Related, I can't tell the difference between the JDM and USDM models of the 100.

 

I'm most picky about geariness. Feeling the buzz makes me nuts!. No buzz. 

But right after that it is slop or flex. I don't experience anything like flex under load on the 100's or 200's. There's a little handle slop that seems to always be the case in the Tatula lines. Some from the knobs and some at the shaft.

 

If I had to start from scratch I'd have a couple of zillions for presentations where it would make a big difference and the rest of them would be 100's and 200's. So far the 200's even feel stable on 3-5oz baits, a-rigs, etc. 

On 1/3/2026 at 10:23 PM, PhishLI said:

At least the spool bearing is no longer held in by that pressed in star washer like they used in the CT series.

I love my Tatula CTs but this design choice always bugged me. I hate those little washers lol. 

I have tried the Tat100 fully upgraded to 12 bearings, and its extremely close to my 12bb Zillion. Absolutely worth doing the mod if you care about the smoothness.