Daiwa Steez A II

I ordered one yesterday in 7:1

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Hard not to impress, smooth, easy casting, excellent retrieve and comfortable.  

BUT-T-T-T is it 30% worth more dollar-wise than the Zillion 1000 or comparably priced HD?

I could say a big MAYBE on both for different reasons on each reel:

1.  On the Zillion 1000, if there are several techniques like BFS, skipping jigs, that are precision, it could be worth it.

2.  The price between the Steez and the Zillion HD are more comparable (current monetary market) so for this one, I’m going to say unless you’re really targeting big fish in heavy circumstances, I might give the nod to the Steez.

It may seem silly but I prefer the Braking dial location on the Steez over the zillion 

it’s my one peeve on the silver wolf as well 

but that’s just me 

@goldrod My hand covers the sideplate, it doesn’t really affect me.  It’s hard for me to adjustments to the brake on the fly.

Got it in today 

used a Steez ex spool simply because i didn’t have a need for another boosted spool 

@blitzdr  yeah neither does mine its more of an ascetic preference i guess.

As I spend more time handling the Steez, I’m developing a greater appreciation for it and some of it is related to the “hand feel”.  Going back almost 20 years to when the Steez was introduced there was something I didn’t like about it but I just couldn’t put my finger on but it wasn’t actually my finger.  It was my whole hand and what my whole hand couldn’t wrap around was the lightness of the reel.  It was TOO light.  According to Daiwa press release at the time of introduction, it weighed 5.5 oz!  The Steez A II weighs in at 6.8 oz.  The TD-Zs many of us were using at the time were over 6 oz.

It wasn’t just the weight of the reel though, it was how the reel felt in hand.  It didn’t feel sturdy.  Whether it was plasticky or magnesium-y, it didn’t feel aluminum-y.  The Steez has real hand feel, like structural integrity.  

When I hook into LMB over 8 lbs, I don’t want to feel surprised or relieved about a reel about how well it handled the fish.  I want absolute confidence in a reel’s performance.

Does that make sense now?

Thanks

@blitzdr 

absolutely.  

Okay, so I went “Tourist” with the knobs … and 90mm carbon handle

@blitzdr nothing "tourist" about it. Very nicely done.

@blitzdr I'm generally with you on overly light reels, as they tend to feel less stout than I prefer, but the Steez was much better/more refined than, let's say a Revo MGX that had a VERY "hollow" feel to it. I've always preferred a reel with more "mass" to it, but I'm still a huge fan of the platform as it's proven itself time and time again.

My 3rd Steez A II came in today.  Will be getting it “water ready” tomorrow.

First 2 LMB on Steez A II 

first of the year on the Steez Ligntning: