13 Z!

Academy is starting to get them in.

Sorry the pic uploaded sideways.

Which Academy were you at?

Closest one to DFW is Abilene. After that it's Ft. Smith Arkansas. If they were black or silver I'd buy one.

Umm, there is one in Plano and one in Frisco.

I think he means the closest ones that have it in stock. I checked their web site & none in the DFW area have them yet.

Should have been more specific. ONLY STORES THAT HAVE THEM IN STORE. You can order them online from any store.

Gotcha. My bad.

Great reel! Have had mine for a few weeks now and it's living up to it's name and all the hype

This reel is awesome!Will outcast any of my of Shimano reels!

Picking 2 up today!

Meh

Heard they're smooth. Can't wait...

These were at the Waco store, after ordering 2 from Tacklewarehouse ( haven't received them yet ) I looked up YouTube videos and surprisingly people that have had time to use it say they're not all that impressed. And one guy did a casting distance competition between the z and the curado K ( 10 casts each ) and measured it out and the K outcasted the Z all but one time. I have 2 curado K's and they cast really well. From the videos I've seen people are saying it's all hype and that it isn't what it's hyped up to be. The guy also mentioned the curado felt much more refined and that the Z felt a little sloppy. Now I'm second guessing my purchase, guess I'll see when it arrives.

I’ve seen just as many videos and reviews where people are very surprised and happy with the performance of the Z. I picked one up yesterday but it’s a little miserable outside today. Fishing Ray Bob tomorrow so I’ll have a good day on it.

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" ?

I know this is totally irrelavent to this post but someone mentioned the almost forgotten Quantum 1310. Dollar for dollar, some of the best reels ever.

But does the Quantum 1310 look good?! Couldn't resist....

Look reel good and I still have them but it's just not worth what it would take to repair them. I bought them in 1990 so I got more than my money's worth.

My 1310's are shelved due to not being able to find parts anymore. I do have 2 that I let beginners use.

Why did they go with the ugly color?

I kinda like the color the more I look at it, reminds me of campfire coals. Will hold off on an opinion good or bad until those that are using them report back after a year or more. I've learned that its hard to judge any reel by just cranking on the reel handle and making a few casts. If it doesn't feel like new after a year or two without replacing stuff, I'm out because there are older reels that will do that and for the cost of upgraded bearings can cast with the best of them.

The good ole' days.....anybody else remember when Quantum had the series of reels? I believe they were called crankin' reel, pitchin' reel, and rippin' reel. I had 'em all and thought I was a stud...

Still have them, they still all work. Actually have 2 Rippin reels.

For the same reason people PAY for tournament jerseys, PAY to wrap there boats with some companys ad and plaster stickers all over there pickups and boats They have drank the koolaid of the corporate marketing machine that bass fishing has became Appearance is everything, there more worried about what the next guy in line for the boat ramp thinks about there Rig than enjoying a day on the water or catching fish

I'm building a custon rod for this reel, pictures to come. You will drool over this reel after you see the rod that it sits on if appearance is important to you.

Carrot stix?

You couldn't give me a Carrot Stix for free.

Metallic Black blank - Rod Geeks Carbon 4

Reel Seat ACS Painted Black

Black Titanium T2 SIC Guides

carbon fiber here and there with black MHX Winn Grips

Thread colors & some of the trim to match reel

https://voodoorods.com/products/matagi-pts-mpk17-painted-reel-seat-casting-with-ash-hood-mptsmpk17

I'm one of those that aesthetics does matter. I was married to an ugly woman. Sucked the life right out of me. I'm married to a hot one now, who can cook, takes care of me like I'm Tony Nelson, is a great mother to our kids, but, guess what, I still look at her everyday. She's good looking! If she was ugly, being a good cook would matter a whole lot less. I may buy one of those red suckers,they're kinda pretty.

Sounds like you're building a great rod to match the reel.....cosmetics are surely important to you.

Ill choose a sanded, non painted blank and cork handles. An ECS seat. Torzite guides.....and match it to a Steez. All about the performance here.

That does sound nice.

I've built some like that as well. Torzite is overkill though even though I've built three with them. This one will be for flipping docks.