16 Daiwa Zillion SV TW

[Schaefer]

Hey guys,
Are these reels still viable today? or is there better for the money?. I'm eyeballing one for about $210CAD. I can't seem to find many worth while reviews on them.
Anyone who owns these have any input?
How do they compare to the Alphas 800?
What are the Shimano "comparables"?

Figured I'd try and get some input here first.

[DirtyD64]

Hey guys,
Are these reels still viable today? or is there better for the money?. I'm eyeballing one for about $210CAD. I can't seem to find many worth while reviews on them.
Anyone who owns these have any input?
How do they compare to the Alphas 800?
What are the Shimano "comparables"?

Figured I'd try and get some input here first.

They are great reels. I have 2. Use one for chatterbaits and the other for flipping/dragging C-rigs. They have brass gears, aluminum body with Zaion side plates, and overall are solid reels. The spool is the say dimension as the newest Zillion, and both toss light lures about the same. I think the new Alphas 800 and newest Zillion are smoother than the 2016 version, but not by a ton. Ergonomics and the brake dial are my only complaint with the 2016 Zillion. I wrote up a long comparison of this reel against the Chronarch MGL. I still have both Zillions and the Chronarch is gone (nothing wrong with the Chronarch, just got an offer).

Some other complaints you will hear is that the 2016 Zillion SV TW was "choked off" and wouldn't bomb max distance. I really cannot tell a difference between the newest Boost spool Zillion or the Alphas 800 versus the 2016 version, maybe a bit. I also miss the clicking drag now that the new Zillion has that. A benefit would be that the 16 version has a metal feel across the T-wing while my newest Zillion has a plastic piece that wiggles just a tiny bit.

I would probably take the Alphas over it because I do more semi-finesse fishing, and the hyper gears are very smooth. The Alphas feels WAY smaller in hand so if you can handle the reduced line capacity that is a win. Not sure there was ever a fully comparable Shimano to this reel, maybe the old Bantam MGL? Just was not ever direct competition to the 2016. The Bantam was higher and a compact reel, the Chronarch was cheaper and a full carbon fiber frame reel.

[KP Duty]

Love my 16 Zillions. I prefer their narrower frame versus the new lower and wider frames Daiwa has gone to.

[LowRange]

I don't like them. The spool is good but the frame palms like a Tatula CT. They're $150 reels tops IMO. Last one I got I picked up for $50 from Japan