What are they going for

I have one. They are nothing special

About $200

Thanks, T.W. has it @ around 2 c notes also .

How would you say it compares to the Curado K?

I just got a curado k and have only used it one trip. It's smoother than the z but the z is a lot lighter (not sure about casting distance yet). I've only thrown small cranks with my z but my tatula ct type r's will cast just as far. If you put after market bearings in a curado or tatula no doubt they would out cast a z

Holler at me in 5 or 10 years and we'll see if it still lives up to the hype.
I know my shimano's have.

IMO casting distance is not a defining parameter of a reel. I'm more interested in longevity, how it fits in my hand and appearance. I have 2 Garcia 4600's and 1 5500 and couldn't tell you how old they are ( not older than me though, lol ) but neither have been in the shop. I use the 5500 for c-rigs and the 2 4600 for worm and jigs. Until recently I had several Quantum 1310's for other use which I bought new around 1990. They finally got a little " loose " so I replaced them with Johnny Morris reels. Haven't used them long enough to form an opinion but can honestly say I never bought a reel for casting distance. I did own a Shimano Calcutta once and it performed ok but I have no intention of paying $200-500 for a reel.

Casting distance isn't a metric you care about....but you buy them for appearance? Say what? Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot. It's a dang fishing reel, not an art object! ...are you hoping your fishing trip date will be impressed?

Yep you read me right, I won't by a red reel, what's it to you and what the hail does Whisky -Tango-Foxtrot have to do with anything ?

I'm not saying I agree with getting a reel for appearance, but...

Why do folks get these high dollar bass boats and deck them out/make them look sharp..? It's just a damn boat, not an art object.

Maybe some folks just like things that look good! It's their money, if they want to spend it on nice stuff for their hobby, than they shall do that

Wow, a reasonable response. Not a what tha f- - - response. I merely expressed my thoughts and opinions on reels didn't mean to offend anyone. Guess flippin out comes natural to him.

I agree. I don't care about casting distance. My Lews are capable of casting much further than I normally cast them. I didn't know anything about these reels until I saw this post so I looked them up. Almost everything that I found was about casting distance. I did see the bearing does not require any lubrication. I would be interested in hearing about them after they've been used for a full season to see if their bearing is an improvement over the traditional bearings long term or just a sales gimmick.

As far as colors go, I wouldn't want that color if given a choice but it wouldn't stop me from buying one either. Mine aren't going to look like that for long anyway. Mine all have boat rash and I don't mind it at all.

What was humorous about your post is that you pontificated all the technical things you look for in a reel, and then tossed in a wild-card (appearance) in such a way that it appeared to be a priority in the decision. Does a pretty reel that can only cast 30 feet still get your nod too?

I believe appearance was 3rd in my preferences so don't know what made you think it was a priority unless you just wanted it to be, nor do I know why you really care one way or another. Money not coming from your pocket. I only mentioned 3 expectations. Is that " pontificating" ?