This is a crazy thread.
I pulled out two old 33’s this weekend to rebuild for the wife.
I’m talking probably twenty years old.
Those things were casting better than my bait caster.

To the OP,
Your problem is decades old.

Twenty years isn’t old for a Zebco. I fish with some from my childhood that are 50 years old. Oh no - I guess that makes me old.

Get the diawa silvercast. I think they are like 34 bucks. Way better than the zebcos.

I am looking for a short rod for my 7 yr old any suggestions? Does anyone make like a 6ft rod for a spin cast

I guess I'm really old, I can remember a time when that was all there was, closed face reels. The open bait casters were around but you hardly ever saw someone fishing with them. The premium grade reels were the Zebco 33, the Johnson Century, and ABU Garcia 170. I have the first two and use the Johnson Century to pitch finesse jigs. I have it mounted on a five and a half foot medium action Ugly Stick and it will launch jig about as far back in a pocket or under a dock as you want to go.

So I took my little boy out fishing at I got him a new Zebco push button reel. What I was surprised about if after I would cast it about 50% of the time when you started to turn the handle the line would not engage and start to bring in line unless I held the line with my left hand and pulled on it a little and the started reeling. I fished with these as a kid and it was so easy but today was a pain. I don’t remember these being a problem but it’s been a long time. Is this normal or is it defective? User error?