Does anyone know when stores will receive the Daiwa's 50th Anniversary Hyper Speed Zillion?

It's red....

YUCK!

TFP

Ya, I saw that too.

But if you go to Daiwa's web site and look under the reels tab, you will find the Team Daiwa® Zillion™ 4.9 High Power reel with the 12 bearings and 7.3:1 gear ratio and it is NOT red.

Is is only $10 cheaper from what I can find.

My neighbor showed me his Daiwa Advantage® Super-Tuned HSTA Casting Reel today and it has 11 bearings. We played with his new Zillion and the HSTA and I can't tell that much difference between the 2 reels.

Go too TackleWarehouse....

They feel very similar and I agree that the HSTA is a really nice reel. The profile seems to be the biggesrt difference. It was a little odd to me at first because it seems like the HSTA would cut into the Zillion market but so far both reels have sold well.
The new Zillions are red and I have yet to hold one but I should have one soon. I also have a few of the Crazy Crankers(4.9:1 ratio)on order.

With the $140 price difference, I can buy more HSTA's for the same money - which makes the wife happy.

Hard to beat the HSTAs for the money.

A few thoughts on reel ergonomics.

The way a reel feels in one's hand is to a great degree a function of the dimensions of one's hand, thumb, and fingers. I've got a St. Croix AC200 casting reel that is a St. Croix branded version of the Daiwa Millionaire. It's has a frame that is machined from a solid aluminum billet. It's one very tough son of a gun. It's a round reel about the size of the standard Ambassador 5000 in diameter but is much narrower. I love how it feels in my hand. On the other hand (pardon the pun) I've played with a HSTA and it feels quite odd in my hand, and I'm not at all comfortable with it.

The thing here is that I've got big palms, and rather short fingers. Thus, a narrower reel with a large diameter feel quite nice in my hand.

You milage is likely to vary here if you've have longer fingers than mine, and especially if you have longer fingers, and smaller palms than me.

Take a look at the x-ray below. You can count the number of bones in the human hand from it. The human hand has 27 bones: the wrist has 8, the palm has 5, and there are 14 bones in the fingers and the thumb. So what this means in that there is a hugh variation in hands which is why there are many different opinions on what feels good as far a reel is concerned.


TFP

I have the Advantage HSTA's and they are a great reel and I don't think I would trade them for anything. I received the new Zillion cranking reels and they are awesome. I use them for spinnerbaits too and they are smooth as silk.

While I am in here you need to check out the new Zillion rod. When I first got them I did not think I was going to like them because of the foam handle but it is not a problem. The rod is light, very strong and sensitive. I was fishing a Paca Craw with the wind making a bow in the line and a fish hit it and it felt like someone dropped a brick on the line

Where are the St. Croix reels made?

I wasn't able to find them at Cabela's or Bass Pro. Do you have a shop you enjoy to use?

Daiwa makes some St. Croix and Cabelas branded reels.

I can get you a St. Croix via Mack's Discount Tackle in Lindale. It will be a special order item. Also, I spoke with the St. Croix rep a couple of weeks ago. St. Croix is dropping all but one baitcasting, all spinning reels, though they are keeping their high end fly reels. So, if you're wanting a St. Croix AC200, or AC250, or one of their spinning reels you need to act quickly. I've got an AC250 currently on order.

My AC200 was made in Japan, and Mark is correct, My St. Croix branded reels were made by Daiwa for, and labeled for St. Croix.

TFP