difference in casting; px68, zonda 10/68

thesleepingforest · Post by **thesleepingforest** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 4:21 am

Hi guys...i'm currently using a alphas R edition paired with a MB F3st-63 destroyer Hedgehog for my finesse baitcasting setup...i'm thinking of upgrading my reel and i have pretty much narrowed my choices down to the pixy px68, the zonda 10R and the zonda 68... my main concern would be its casting...in your experience which would be the best casting reel of the bunch esp even down to 1/8ounce... i'm getting pretty good distance casting tiny rubber lures meant for japanese mebarus on 2.5g jigheads on the alphas R and hoping to go further with such a reel upgrade..hope u guys can help me out! thanks!

damian_megabass · Post by **damian_megabass** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 4:55 am

I'd say go with the PX68 because it's specifically designed to finesse fishing and casting those ultra light 1/8 oz lures. It's still winter here in MN so I haven't gotten to try out my Zonda 68 but you will probably be more happy with the PX68 if you are using it for light rigs only. GL on the decision.

thesleepingforest · Post by **thesleepingforest** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 5:10 am

haha thanks alot damien...but i would not be using it exclusively on ultralight rigs only though...would be throwing jerkbaits up to about 1/2 ounce all the time as well! because of the freshwater fishing in my area, a finesse setup is enough to handle most fishes as there arent many heavy covers around my area thus i'm also using my finesse setup as my all round tackle. I also have a millionaire baycast paired with a destroyer cyclone for the heavier stuffs

its a tough call man!

damian_megabass · Post by **damian_megabass** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 6:33 am

thesleepingforest wrote:haha thanks alot damien...but i would not be using it exclusively on ultralight rigs only though...would be throwing jerkbaits up to about 1/2 ounce all the time as well! because of the freshwater fishing in my area, a finesse setup is enough to handle most fishes as there arent many heavy covers around my area thus i'm also using my finesse setup as my all round tackle. I also have a millionaire baycast paired with a destroyer cyclone for the heavier stuffs its a tough call man!

It's an easy one then, I'd go with the Zonda 68 as it holds more line. The spool on the PX68 is ummm, tiny.

Post by **Nitroman77** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 10:04 am

Zonda holds more line and can handle what your asking for..
I use my zonda with 20/30lb flouro casting and pitching larger plastics..

Schlag · Post by **Schlag** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 10:43 am

I don't own the Zonda, but I have experience with the Alphas ITO-AI and a couple of pixies. I wouldn't expect much improvement on the casting capabilities of light lures, from the Aphas R to Zonda. The Zonda would definitely be an upgrade in appearance. Just wanted to mention that, since you mentioned you were "hoping to go further with such a reel upgrade." Maybe I'm wrong, and the Magforce Z system & the Zonda's spool does allow it to cast further? I doubt it.

Getting either reel (Zonda or Alphas R) supertuned, upgraded brgs, and polished would probably give you the extra oomph in casting distance.

thesleepingforest · Post by **thesleepingforest** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 9:29 pm

Another question guys...i've read on another thread that the zonda 68 is based on the alphas..however on japantackle and another japanese site its stated that the zonda68 is based on the pixy px68 while the zonda 10 was based of the alphas so does that mean that the zonda 68 will cast similarly to the pixy and at the same time handle light rigs better than the zonda 10? Are there any special tuning done to the zondas rotor taper or are they jus cosmetically enhanced reels?? In my area if I were to ship in a zonda 68 it will cost less than a px68 locally while the zonda 10 is about 100quid more than the px68

africanbass · Post by **africanbass** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 2:16 am

thesleepingforest wrote:Another question guys...i've read on another thread that the zonda 68 is based on the alphas..however on japantackle and another japanese site its stated that the zonda68 is based on the pixy px68 while the zonda 10 was based of the alphas so does that mean that the zonda 68 will cast similarly to the pixy and at the same time handle light rigs better than the zonda 10? Are there any special tuning done to the zondas rotor taper or are they jus cosmetically enhanced reels?? In my area if I were to ship in a zonda 68 it will cost less than a px68 locally while the zonda 10 is about 100quid more than the px68

The Zonda is based on the Alphas reels (Both 68 and 10 models).The '68' refers to the gear ratio of the reel,so the PX68 and Zonda68 share the same gears.Their spools differ in diameter and weight and have very different casting characteristics.
The Alphas R -edition and Zonda spools also differ in a number of key areas.Alphas R has magforce V whilst the Zonda has magforce Z.The Alphas R does NOT have a tapered inductor whilst the Zonda has a tuned tapered inductor.The inductor wall of the Zonda is also considerably thinner than that of the Alphas R edition.

The Zonda spool (once spooled with line) will weigh more than the Alphas R (spooled) due to its larger line capacity.

Schlag · Post by **Schlag** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 5:47 am

Nice review of the spools Africanbass! I'm more than happy to be corrected. Didn't realize that Megabass actually placed a tapered inductor in the Zonda's spool.

Stock reel vs. stock reel, can you notice the casting improvement with the Zonda?

africanbass · Post by **africanbass** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 6:37 am

Schlag wrote:Nice review of the spools Africanbass! I'm more than happy to be corrected. Didn't realize that Megabass actually placed a tapered inductor in the Zonda's spool.

Stock reel vs. stock reel, can you notice the casting improvement with the Zonda?

I am going to give the Zonda its first 'on the water' workout this coming weekend.Will post results

africanbass · Post by **africanbass** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 7:16 am

I had another close look at the Zonda inductor,there is a definite taper.I compared the Zonda spool to my other Daiwa spools to see the inductor taper variation.The closest match with the naked eye is the Steez 103 R+ tapered inductor

Pics below,Steez 103 on left,Zonda 10 on right.

angry john · Post by **angry john** » Sat Sep 06, 2014 12:10 pm

This is great info. So I now plan to use my new spool on my alphas into and flexlite rod for small cranks

Megabassjohn · Post by **Megabassjohn** » Sun Sep 07, 2014 7:44 am

I have the alpha type r ... The megabass zonda with a megabass spool and a megabass 10, Pixy with presso spool and I still find myself just picking up the 10 when I am walking down to the dock to throw 1/8 oz plastics.

Coach · Post by **Coach** » Sun Sep 07, 2014 8:02 am

No?

If the rod is capable of going to very small weights (and it is) then this is more than equal to it IME.

Post by **hoohoorjoo** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 10:38 am

I agree with Coach. The Hedgehog Zonda has a finesse spool, but also comes with the stock spool. would be great to serve dual purpose. i have a stock Zonda spool in my Alphas Finesse Custom and it handles 1/8 oz beautifully. Theres a NIB hedgehog zonda iisted in the classified section here. it is one of the reels on my bucket list.

difference in casting; px68, zonda 10/68

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