Hi,

I am in the market for a new 7.1.1 reel for lures between 0.18 - 0.74oz.

I’ve considered both the jdm daiwa 21 zillion SV TW as well as the SLX XT DC. I’m leaning towards the Zillion, but I’m concerned with the fact that it’s from 2021. Does it still hold up to today’s standards? And are there any better alternatives like the salamandura or something entirely different? I don’t have the funds to constantly upgrade my setup when something new hits the market, so I would rather not spend my money on a reel that is outdated, or that will be in the near future.

Thanks in advance🎣

I find any SV reels like the Zillion hard to cast anything light, you won't backlash but very little distance either. Might be the same with the DC reel - anything that holds back against backlash is tough to cast very far. A regular SLX or Tatula 100 would cast farther and more effortlessly, and if you dial it in right shouldn't backlash.

I'd look at Shimano DC reels or Curado HG at minimum. I'd only get the SLX XT with the SVS brakes. Avoid the lower end SLX. Those brakes are no where near as effective as the SVS brakes.

That casting problem with daiwa reels is the magnets are always on so they never have a true free spinning spool. The Shimano Curado (or better) can give you a true free spinning spool that daiwa cannot do - unless the magnets are removed all together, and then maybe.

I really love the SVS brakes on Shimano reels, and if you can spend more start moving up into the higher end Shimano reels. You can pick up a Curado HG series reel used for around $100. New they are around $250+ and they cast great.

Google AI says:

"Shimano’s SVS (and SVS Infinity) is a high-performance centrifugal braking system using internal pins/weights and an external dial to control spool speed. It excels at long-distance casting by applying maximum pressure at the start of the cast, allowing precise, on-the-fly, and tool-free adjustments to manage backlash."

The Curado HG series has been around for awhile, but to date I've seen nothing to surpass them except maybe the DC reels. I am sure some daiwa fans would disagree, but that's the way it goes...

3 hours ago, Hedgehoe said:

I am in the market for a new 7.1.1 reel for lures between 0.18 - 0.74oz.

Finding an accessible rod/ reel combo that'll effectively cast a legit actual 3/16oz total weight up through 3/4 oz is asking a lot.

I purchased the SLX DC XT in order to throw light baits and it has not disappointed me. I was considering buying an Aldebaran BFS or something similar but I knew it wouldn't get used very often and then I would just sell it at a loss once the novelty wore off. I can throw 1/8oz jig heads with a 3" keitech on 8lb mono and launch them 60+ feet no problem. I also throw 7" Roboworms with a 1/16 nail weight neko rigged and can also launch them. This is such a sleeper reel, it took away the temptation of owning a true BFS reel that I probably wouldn't use anyway.

Quite a number of reels can handle that weight range easily - it's the rod you'll have an issue finding.

4 hours ago, Hedgehoe said:

Does it still hold up to today’s standards? And are there any better alternatives like the salamandura or something entirely different?

First, I agree with everyone that the rod is the bigger issue. 5-21 gram rods are more common in the Asian markets that the US, but even then you'll usually find one or both ends of that range are a big compromise.

Line choice is also often a bigger issue than the reel. The line you'd ideally use for 3/4oz is very likely heavy enough to compromise performace at 3/16.

I quoted this part though to get rid of the fear that a new reel will be outdated. Reel technology these days is really good, and honestly has been for years. Companies like Daiwa and Shimano will put out new reels every year with marketing claiming they're the greatest thing, but usually they're simply more specialized and the gains, if they even exist, are often very minimal. You'll find a lot more performance improvements matching the correct rod and line to an application than you will chasing the newest reels.

2 hours ago, PhishLI said:

Finding an accessible rod/ reel combo that'll effectively cast a legit actual 3/16oz total weight up through 3/4 oz is asking a lot.

You are right. I just need a reel that I can use on my 1/4-5/8oz crankbait rod and my 7-21g expride

2 hours ago, PhishLI said:

Finding an accessible rod/ reel combo that'll effectively cast a legit actual 3/16oz total weight up through 3/4 oz is asking a lot.

I probably have to be more realistic then and say 1/4-3/4oz. I have the 7-21g expride and wanted to make sure I could cast light baits on it too

1 hour ago, MN Fisher said:

Quite a number of reels can handle that weight range easily - it's the rod you'll have an issue finding.

1/4-3/4 oz might be more realistic. What reel would you recommend for this?

36 minutes ago, brophog said:

First, I agree with everyone that the rod is the bigger issue. 5-21 gram rods are more common in the Asian markets that the US, but even then you'll usually find one or both ends of that range are a big compromise.

Line choice is also often a bigger issue than the reel. The line you'd ideally use for 3/4oz is very likely heavy enough to compromise performace at 3/16.

I quoted this part though to get rid of the fear that a new reel will be outdated. Reel technology these days is really good, and honestly has been for years. Companies like Daiwa and Shimano will put out new reels every year with marketing claiming they're the greatest thing, but usually they're simply more specialized and the gains, if they even exist, are often very minimal. You'll find a lot more performance improvements matching the correct rod and line to an application than you will chasing the newest reels.

Okay, my math might have been off, I have the 7-21g expride and a 1/4-5/8 crankbait rod. Reel needs to fit both.

I’ll definitely try not to shy away from reels that aren’t the newest on the market now, thanks!

23 minutes ago, Hedgehoe said:

You are right. I just need a reel that I can use on my 1/4-5/8oz crankbait rod and my 7-21g expride

Well, that's a horse of a different color then. There are plenty of conventional reels with spools in the 10-12 gram range that'll nicely cast 7 grams and up. Actually, some reels with even heavier spools will do just fine.

The Met shallow spool has been recommended, but your thumb game had better be on point. These are fast reels and not very forgiving. The Alphas SV TW 800S I mentioned earlier has a shallow spool and is a real breeze to fish with. Check Digitaka for pricing. Skips great too, mindless actually. Just crank up the brakes for that and go. For those who feel that any Daiwa with SV brakes is over-braked, turn them down to 2 or 3 and you'll find out differently.

Also, '20-'21 Daiwa platforms could be built exactly the same way for the next 10 years and would hold up nicely to the competition. They're that good. A throwback to the halcyon days of Daiwa.

Yes, the same old 20 whiney cross posters on several different fishing forums and a reel tester on YT would definitely complain about why there's nothing new, and that would no doubt bleed out into the ether to be regurgitated by people who base their second hand opinions on other people's whining. The rest of the world would be quite happy.

I stand by my feedback in the other thread. Those are common bass rod sizes and normal bass reels will be just fine. I suggested a zillion and you said that’s what you were going to buy. I stand by that. A met is a great choice also. If Phish says an alphas is a good choice I’ll believe him on that too.

3 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

I stand by my feedback in the other thread. Those are common bass rod sizes and normal bass reels will be just fine. I suggested a zillion and you said that’s what you were going to buy. I stand by that. A met is a great choice also. If Phish says an alphas is a good choice I’ll believe him on that too.

Yes, my issue was that i would have to order the zillion from Japan and that does get quite expensive when based in Europe. The SLX dc xt on the other hand is common here and doesn’t cost a lot. Buying the jdm zillion from a Danish website would cost me around 600$. Ordering one from Japan would set me back 100$ more than a U.S. customer. I wanted to be 100% certain before spending what is for me, a large sum of money. Especially when there is such substantial overpay.

ah. I don't think you mentioned ordering into europe before. That changes the cost part of the equation as to what is 'worth' getting for a given price point. I can't much help there since I don't know what your costs are. Here in the US, JDM is far cheaper than the US MSRP so it makes a lot of sense.

16 hours ago, PhishLI said:

For those who feel that any Daiwa with SV brakes is over-braked, turn them down to 2 or 3 and you'll find out differently.

I think I've gone as low as 4 with one Daiwa with one lure. Most of my Daiwas are run at 6-8, but I'm not the caster many are. I may not use an SV for maximum distance, but I'm perfectly satisfied otherwise. According to a TT review, the Okuma Hakai gets very good distance. As far as I could tell on the water, my Zillion SV 1000L was getting equal distance with a weightless 10 inch ribbontail worm. Maybe not a true apples to apples as I wasn't using the same rod (unsure of line) but I'm totally satisfied with the results.

If you don't want the SV braking on the 21 Zillion, you can always get another 34mm non- SV spool for it. Maybe from an old T3 1016, or TDZ. That Zillion is very versatile and will last for a long while.