Product Insight : Zillion TWS a.k.a. Tatula Z?

[Johnny A]

A few years ago I asked if there was a change at Daiwa, a "buy out" or something. Something beyond the logo change. With the movement of manufacturing from Japan to Thailand and "Red" China, it has been confirmed. As it inevitiably does, the bean counters have taken the company from the engineers in lab coats.
There is nothing wrong with profit. That's what companies are supposed to do. Sacrificing innovation for the bottom line? Well, can rollerball be far behind?

My apologies for overlooking giving kudos for a great article!

[Eric Walsh]

Great read! Thanks for the non-bias assessment.

[USA-RET]

Man, am I ever glad to hear someone else say it. I kept running back to the Daiwa booth and handling the Tatula and new Zillion and asking myself "what's the difference (other than the price?). Memory fades but recall one having a slightly feeler spool while the other had a freer handle rotation. Kept thinking that one would cancel the other's advantages out during actual use.

Really happy to hear my initial suspicions proved out in real world tests.

Great article

[arbogastjunkie]

Great article guys!

[IlliniDawg01]

Ouch.
Hopefully Daiwa can correct their mistake (IMO) with the Zillion sooner rather than later.

What is their mistake that they can correct?

Their isn't anything wrong with the reel. Is it a better reel than the OG Zillion? I would say the TWS equals or betters it in every department except palming comfort.

Daiwa just didn't make a smart marketing decision when they made the base model Tatulas so similar to the TWS Zillion. Perhaps they thought the floating spool would be a huge improvement. Had they stick an SV spool in it that might have been a smarter move from a differentiation standpoint.

DaveJ

[Cal]

Did Daiwa ever actually say that or was it just assumed because of a different name?

It's our understanding that the Zillion TWS was explained to the company's sales reps as a new platform.

Really great article! So does this mean that with a relatively cheap gear change we can fit a standard tatula with 9,1:1 zillion gears?

This won't work because when you change gear ratios, you also need to change the pinion gear. Pinions between the two reels are not compatible.

[NormanD]

Great article. Tackle Tour is awesome.

[bigturtle]

People dont like the TWS Zillion because they dont fit the hand as good as the old one, dont have much(if any) upgrade option as of now, and it performs way too similar to the Tatula.

Other than the palming and upgrades, the TWS Zillion performs better than the old one. Its got a better spool, lighter weight, drag is as good(if not better) as Zillion Type R, handle turns just as easily, and has more retrieve options.
I think the problem lies more with the fact that the Tatula is made a bit too good for its price, rather than the TWS Zillion being sub-par.

[BigG]

The sad thing about the article is that most people won't get a change to read it. Thanks for the great review. I decided early on to upgrade my Zillons and have added an IP 68 and J Dream 79 to go with my Type R and Crazy Cranker. Still want to add another IP 68 or J Dream 63. I sick that Daiwa has gone this route with the Zillion, they should have just retired it.

[IlliniDawg01]

For those that have both, how does the casting of the TWS Zillion compare to a stock OG Zillion? From reviews it seems to cast down to the lighter range better, but which reel bombs a 5/8 oz lipless crank farther?

DaveJ

[IlliniDawg01]

I sick that Daiwa has gone this route with the Zillion, they should have just retired it.

What would be the difference? It is just a name.

Just think of them like this:

Tatula (Tatula)
Tatula Pro/Tournament (Tatula Type-R)
Tatula Tour (Zillion TWS)
Tatula Tour Type-R (Zillion TWS Type-R that will probably come out next year)

DaveJ

[zodiak311]

All I can say is that I have decided to not buy one. Can't justify the price difference vs the Tatula.

[Tavery5]

The bigger problem Daiwa has is that they basically proved that the floating spool design is really just marketing and has little to no real world benefit.

DaveJ

Yes, it was a big mistake on Daiwa's part to create reel variations that permit direct comparison.

Great job, Cal!

Sort of like the Citica, Curado, Chronarch, Scorpion series?

[Boondock]

Rut roe, Daiwa fanboys are out!!!!
So funny people are this brand loyal and not sponsored.

[IlliniDawg01]

Rut roe, Daiwa fanboys are out!!!!
So funny people are this brand loyal and not sponsored.

Don't flame... I haven't seen anyone being a "fanboy" in this thread.

DaveJ