Problems w/ Zillion SV TW

[DirtyD64]

I am selling mine. Not sure what is rock solid about this reel - the whole gear side is plastic. Bought another SV103 and TD Zillion with couple of HLC spools instead.

That's not plastic.

You can call it Zaion, CI4+ or whatever fancy marketing name. At the end of the day it looks like plastic, it feels like plastic, it flexes like plastic.

It's more stout than plastic. The new Chronarch MGL is basically solid plastic then. I know they don't flex bad. At least the Zillions have an aluminum frame, but to be honest for the fishing I do, a Chronarch MGL is rock solid too. Nothing wrong with good carbon composite... No rust or corrosion to worry about either.

[poisonokie]

I am selling mine. Not sure what is rock solid about this reel - the whole gear side is plastic. Bought another SV103 and TD Zillion with couple of HLC spools instead.

That's not plastic.

You can call it Zaion, CI4+ or whatever fancy marketing name. At the end of the day it looks like plastic, it feels like plastic, it flexes like plastic.

Whatever you say, buddy.

[AngelRod_101]

I ordered a Zillion SV TW H a few months ago for $180 through a vendor program, but so far, although i like the reel it has been really problematic for me. When i first got it i was amazedby its smoothness and casting, but as the weeks went by i started noticing problems. First, when retrieving line, the line guide will not reach the left side by 1 mm enough to unevenly spool the line and although its not a problem for some, its a pet peeve for me, specially considering that this reel is a $300 reel. I sent it to Daiwa to get this foxed since they said it was a line guide spacer missing..... it still does it. I also noticed i got a small paint chip on the side plate part where my thumb goes..... so far that paint chip has increased to a big spot about 1/4 inch in diameter along with multiple smaller ones all around the main contact areas. Take note, i understand reels get "boat rash" and some of mines have it, but on this case, only the top layer of grey paint has chipped off and only on the sideplate area, no other part in the reel has had that problem.
The next problem which really altered the performance was that the spool lip somehow got dented. Its not a big dent but i can feel it scraping on the edge and the casts arent that consistent any more. I also sent the reel back for this issue (along eith the line guide problem) only to have the same spool return because " didnt mention anything about the spool on the form although that was the main reason i sent it back.
Another problem has been the over all cranking of the reel. From fishing daiwa tatulas and T3s and SV103s i expected a completely smooth feel or what they call "air rotation". But that only lasted a few trips. Now i have constant gear contact as well as the main shaft flexing a bit under load. And once i actually hook into a fish, its kind of useless trying to use the reel to crank him in due to the fact that you get a really nasty flex in the handle and you feel the gears unalign thenselves and you loose cranking power. I have noticed this many times whike fighting fish and have given up trying to even crank the handle while fighting fish other than to pick up line. I now only use the rod to fight fish with this reel which is okay, but it gives me no confidence once a big fish is on the line.
The last problem which really ticked me off was that the rubber insert on the thumb release fell off when i touched it with wet hands. It seems that the glue they use isnt too good with water. I have now used super glue to put it back on but it looks messy.

Over all, this reel has been on many trips with me salt and freshwater alike, and is still on my arsenal along with many shimanos (chronarchs metaniums curados)and cheaper Tatulas and Lexas and excelers and i have one word to say about this reel that i wouldnt say with the others: FRAGILE.

[Real Pudd legend]

Sorry to hear all those issues you are having, my zillion sv has been a joy to fish with and I can't complain one bit. Retrieve and casting is awesome !!

[DirtyD64]

Sorry to hear all those issues you are having, my zillion sv has been a joy to fish with and I can't complain one bit. Retrieve and casting is awesome !!

Second that, my god you must have gotten one HELL of a lemon. Where exactly did you buy this? Maybe someone refurbished a beat up one... I just can't hardly imagine my reel being anything like that. By design alone those main shaft issues shouldn't be occuring, nonetheless a dented spool out of nowhere...

[Hogsticker2]

In my experience, spool lips don't dent unless dropped. Some of the SLP spools use what appears to be a softer metal, and I could possibly see it somehow getting tweaked or deformed, but the Daiwa G1 spools seem pretty solid.

[AngelRod_101]

Sorry to hear all those issues you are having, my zillion sv has been a joy to fish with and I can't complain one bit. Retrieve and casting is awesome !!

Second that, my god you must have gotten one HELL of a lemon. Where exactly did you buy this? Maybe someone refurbished a beat up one... I just can't hardly imagine my reel being anything like that. By design alone those main shaft issues shouldn't be occuring, nonetheless a dented spool out of nowhere...

I ordered it through my Jobs vendor program so it came straight from Daiwa USA. I have a feeling that maybe i did get a true lemon. And the shaft/gear issue is strange. I tested it out today after posting this and as i hooked into a fish and tried cranking i can feel the gears all of a sudden being really rough and theres clicking like when you turn a ratchet ever so slightly.

[AngelRod_101]

In my experience, spool lips don't dent unless dropped. Some of the SLP spools use what appears to be a softer metal, and I could possibly see it somehow getting tweaked or deformed, but the Daiwa G1 spools seem pretty solid.

Yes, spools get dented from dropping, i have seen it happen to some of the higher end Lews, but all of my maintenance i do over a foam mat for the same reason that i hate my reels getting bumped when theyre not in the water and i dont ever remember dropping the spool onto something hard. I have fished with other SV spools and none have ever gotten any of these issues what so ever.

[DirtyD64]

Well send me one for $190 and I will tell you how mine works out, just in the name of testing though...

Honestly, I'd have sent it back. Wish you had pictures, would love to see if I could figure this debacle out...

[AngelRod_101]

Well send me one for $190 and I will tell you how mine works out, just in the name of testing though...

Honestly, I'd have sent it back. Wish you had pictures, would love to see if I could figure this debacle out...

I have pictures but sadly it keeps saying file size is too big. But dont get me wrong, the reel performs fantastic, just not to the Daiwa Zillion expectation i had and defintely not better than a tatula type r.

[Sore Thumb]

You say the reel performs fantastic? Sounds like a lemon. Send it back.

[DirtyD64]

You say the reel performs fantastic? Sounds like a lemon. Send it back.

Yes, now I am confused... I would name my Zillion as performing good, a steez/metanium fantastic performing, but not any reel with symptoms you described. I'm not targeting anything negative towards you, just confused and wish I could help. When anyone reports problems with a generally well liked reel, it draws attention. There are just so many problems that even Daiwa can't resolve, it leaves me having trouble even fathoming where to start even imaging what is wrong.

[AngelRod_101]

You say the reel performs fantastic? Sounds like a lemon. Send it back.

Yes, now I am confused... I would name my Zillion as performing good, a steez/metanium fantastic performing, but not any reel with symptoms you described. I'm not targeting anything negative towards you, just confused and wish I could help. When anyone reports problems with a generally well liked reel, it draws attention. There are just so many problems that even Daiwa can't resolve, it leaves me having trouble even fathoming where to start even imaging what is wrong.

Aahh well i guess i mean fastastic in the way that it does what Daiwa says it would do ehich is zero backlashes even in wind, easy lire skipping, smooth drag, light weight, and its still a fun reel to use because of this, it just has many defects in its build.