Anyone have some time on the new Alphas 800

[SSS]

The top panel is plastic on the new Zillion much like the Z200/2020

The top on the z2020 is aluminum. On the Zillion it is plastic, tho.

You’re so right. I just put a Z200 back together too.

Yea, i saw a guy on youtube who stripped the original paint and mirror polished it. The reel looks so much nicer than original.

The zillion or Z?

The Z. With the plastic top and palming side plate, the zillion wouldn't be a good idea for doing this.

But for the Z, the guy mirror polished the the handle side plate, top and bottom of the frame, added some red accents on the star drag, etc and custom painted the palming side and the nose piece of the frame in red. Easily one of the better looking reels i've seen.

[Just_Bass]

Talking about Alphas 800, have anyone use this reel for frogging with 30lb braid. I sold my last Curado 70 and wonder if this reel have enough drag and will not loose the smoothness?

[dragon1]

The top on the z2020 is aluminum. On the Zillion it is plastic, tho.

You’re so right. I just put a Z200 back together too.

Yea, i saw a guy on youtube who stripped the original paint and mirror polished it. The reel looks so much nicer than original.

The zillion or Z?

The Z. With the plastic top and palming side plate, the zillion wouldn't be a good idea for doing this.

But for the Z, the guy mirror polished the the handle side plate, top and bottom of the frame, added some red accents on the star drag, etc and custom painted the palming side and the nose piece of the frame in red. Easily one of the better looking reels i've seen.

I posted pics of my "polished Z" back in about 2010. The paint doesn't have to be stripped, you can polish to a shine with a microfiber cloth and auto paint polish.

[SSS]

You’re so right. I just put a Z200 back together too.

Yea, i saw a guy on youtube who stripped the original paint and mirror polished it. The reel looks so much nicer than original.

The zillion or Z?

The Z. With the plastic top and palming side plate, the zillion wouldn't be a good idea for doing this.

But for the Z, the guy mirror polished the the handle side plate, top and bottom of the frame, added some red accents on the star drag, etc and custom painted the palming side and the nose piece of the frame in red. Easily one of the better looking reels i've seen.

I posted pics of my "polished Z" back in about 2010. The paint doesn't have to be stripped, you can polish to a shine with a microfiber cloth and auto paint polish.

Yea i remember you mentioning your polished z. How did you polish it over the paint, tho? The one i saw looked like a polished alphas ito.

[dragon1]

Yea, i saw a guy on youtube who stripped the original paint and mirror polished it. The reel looks so much nicer than original.

The zillion or Z?

The Z. With the plastic top and palming side plate, the zillion wouldn't be a good idea for doing this.

But for the Z, the guy mirror polished the the handle side plate, top and bottom of the frame, added some red accents on the star drag, etc and custom painted the palming side and the nose piece of the frame in red. Easily one of the better looking reels i've seen.

I posted pics of my "polished Z" back in about 2010. The paint doesn't have to be stripped, you can polish to a shine with a microfiber cloth and auto paint polish.

Yea i remember you mentioning your polished z. How did you polish it over the paint, tho? The one i saw looked like a polished alphas ito.

The Z2020H isn't really painted like the Deps versions, it was more a matte finish. I didn't polish the USDM Z200 however.

In so far as how I did it... SCHITELOAD of elbow grease my friend. Lol

[smalliesteve]

Adding drag pressure could be done with adding a larger surface area drag washer as stated above or a larger drag star to tighten things down a bit more but I haven't had the need for anymore.

I know it's counter-intuitive, but adding surface area to the friction material will not increase your drag force. Drag force is dependent on the clamping force from the drag star, coefficient of friction of the drag materials (+ grease if used), and effective radius of the friction material. The last factor is why they use that skinny ring of friction material instead of a washer with a center hole that just barely fits over the driveshaft.
Effective radius is the radius at which half the area of the friction material is outside the radius, and half the area is inside. If the inner circle of the material gets smaller, the effective radius follows it and you actually reduce the drag (assuming friction material and clamp force stay the same).

[Just_Bass]

I was waiting the 800S to be available, been checking Digitaka every day. End up ordered Ray’s Spool not for BFS but for regular bass lure with 10-15lb braid or 8lb mono without worrying about backing. I hope I made the right choice since I already have 3 Alphas (2 left 1 right)
Surprisingly This Alphas cast 15lb braid very well once you get the brake right (dial at 6-7 for me) I can cast fat Ika or Senko 40yds easily and require very light thumb. I have to use backing almost 2/3 full to get only 100yds or 15lb braid.