Review of the Daiwa Steez SV 6.3L

The Daiwa Steez SV is the pinnacle of Daiwa freshwater bait-casting reels targeted for bass fishing. This fishing reel debuted in 2013 with its revolutionary Stress-Free Versatile (SV) technology which promises longer casts with lesser backlash. This was quite a bold statement for a baitcasting (BC) reel!

A) Background

While researching for a new reel to purchase for the year, I skimmed through on the "New Products" section in Daiwa Japan's webpage. Having already owned the Daiwa Zillion J Dream, this new reel which I purchase must already supersede this already renown reel. The only reel which can outperform the Zillion would be its superior brother, the Steez.

Having already resisted the urge to break the bank for this reel for a couple of years, I will need something revolutionary besides the ever popular Magforce which most Daiwa reels utilize. While researching the new products section, the new Steez SV and T3 SV reels were featured.

These reels would be using Daiwa's new Stress-Free Versatile (SV) technology which promises more efficient casts at a wider range of lure weights from 3.5g (1/8 oz) onwards. This is a real winner due to the fact that I am always alternating between my PX68 and my Zillion J Dream depending on the lures of the day. I believe this technology was adapted from the T3 Air which was released earlier. This SV technology is derived from the new spool design, meaning that you will get the SV benefit by just purchasing the SV Spool (the correct size for your reel) and fitting it into your current Steez, T3, Ryoga (1000 size).

Initial research on YouTube for the reel reveals very promising and intriguing videos. Videos were showing staff casting and skipping lures without the use of the thumb! (Yes you heard me right! The spool stops automatically after the lure hits the water!) Of course there is some form of skepticism on whether the distance of the cast and whether any other compromises were made.

YouTube video on the Steez SV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiNtQV7CQAw

The final nail in the coffin would be the fact that almost all Japan online tackle shops were not selling any of the SV reels (Steez SV or T3 SV) due to the lack of stock and the raving reviews which these reels were having in Japan.

The final question would be either the T3 SV or Steez SV. Having already decided to dedicate the Shimano Vanquish for Saltwater purposes, the 12 ball bearing on the Steez was a clear-cut decision over the 8 ball bearing T3. The only issue would be when will the new stock of reels arrive.

While religiously checking my favorite online tackle stores daily, I finally spotted stock for the Steez SV in October 2013 and made the purchase. My dream for the Steez has finally come true.

 

B) Unboxing and Specifications

The reel arrived 3 days after placing my order via UPS (which is considered very fast from Japan to Singapore) and I eagerly ripped open the packing. Within the box contains the following items:

1) Daiwa Steez SV 6.3L reel
2) Daiwa Steez reel pouch
3) Reel Oil
4) Reel Manual

After purchasing a few reels from Daiwa and Shimano, I guess the packagings do not differ by much except for the additional Steez pouch which is included. But for about S$700 for its flagship reel, I guess it is something that is expected rather than desired.

The Steez SV 6.3L features the following specifications:

1) Weight: 150g
2) Line retrieve per turn: 66cm
3) Maximum drag: 4kg
4) Line capacity (mono): 12lb (40-80m), 14lb (35-70m)
*Note that the line capacity depends on the application. Finesse purposes should use the shorter length. i.e Finesse usage on a 12lb mono line should be 40m instead of 80m. There will be a larger capacity for braided lines due to its smaller diameter compared to mono.
5) No. of ball bearings: 11/1
6) Spool bearing size: 3x10x4 & 3x10x4
7) Spool weight (with bearing): 12g
* Note that the spool bearing has been changed to Hedgehog Studio "Kattobi" Spool Air Bearings

Weight is noted as 151g instead of 150g with the possibility of the additional weight derived from the change in spool bearings.

C) Look and Feel

The Steez SV is made up of Magnesium alloy which is similar to the that of the Daiwa Px68. Although this results in a lightweight body, it loses its corrosion resistance thus making it only suitable for Fresh Water purposes. The body of the reel feels very sturdy and solid as compared to that of a T3 which uses Daiwa's Zaion material that gives it a more plastic feel. The reel comes in a very attractive gunmetal color with a striking gold spool.

The Steez SV has a very low profile body which sits closely onto the rod to give greater comfort while fishing. The reel's height from the reel seat is at approximately 4.5cm which is about a 0.5cm lower than the Zillion J Dream. I believe the Steez also sits slightly lower than the Px68 which is actually a size 50 reel. The reel can be compared to Shimano's Aldebaran (Core 50) which is an extremely low profile body. The Steez feels very refined and balanced on my Megabass Destroyer rods whereby the whole casting setup feels almost weightless.

The most obvious difference between the Steez SV and older generation Steez would be its metallic handle which is a very sleek and in a simplistic design and the Zaion star drag. These could result in the Steez SV weighing lesser than the original 103 version (by 5g) and also the 100 version (by 10 - 15g).

The Steez comes with a clicking star drag and also a clicking mechanical break.

At only 150g, the reel is very very light but at the same time feels very strong and sturdy. This is very crucial for hardcore anglers who perform hundreds of casts in a single trip and also have to lug their equipment for long distances when you are trekking to your fishing spot.

Overall, the Steez SV looks good and feels really great! It is a real striking reel which immediately captures the attention of the angler. With its trademark "Steez" printed on 8 parts of the reel, there will definitely be envious people around when you fish together with your buddies.

D) Casting and Pitching

Does the Steez SV really live up to its Stress-Free Versatile status? There was only one way to find out! To maximize the performance of the reel, I pre-bought a set of ceramic bearings from Hedgehog Studio and strapped them onto the Steez SV with a 10lb Suffix 832 Advanced Superline to put its name to the test. Do note that this review would be with the upgraded ceramic bearings.

Casting
As I do not currently have any specific numerical data, all the information stated below would be more of an approximate and judgment. Do note that the testing conditions may be different (i.e wind) and cause a different result. In addition, I ain't no professional fisherman or caster so performance by other anglers may differ. 

I paired this Steez SV spool with a Megabass Destroyer P3 F3-67X Eiger Northwall for finesse purposes and also the Megabass Destroyer P3 F4-610X Elseil for other applications.

After 6 months of testing, I can only conclude that this reel is a real casting machine! Lures which I cast range from 7g (1/4 oz) until 21g (3/4 oz). Normally I would be using a Magforce rating of 5-6 for a 9g lure on the F3-67X rod but now I would be using only a rating of 2. The previous reels which I have used on the F3-67X were the PX68 (upgraded with the Finesse spool and Hedgehog Studio Air bearings) and the Zillion J Dream (upgraded with Hyper Long Cast (HLC) spool and ZPI ceramic bearings), and both of these reels are literally collecting dust / sun tanning in my room.

Can the Steez SV cast a further distance than my other reels? The answer (for me) would be not much of a significant difference. The maximum distance which I got for a 9g jerkbait while using the PX68 was really about 40m (a rough ball park figure) and this was matched by the Steez SV (although the exact distance is unknown but I'm pretty sure that there wasn't any significant difference between both of these reels). But the real benefit is this... the success rate. To cast at the maximum distance with the PX68, I needed a low Magforce rating which results in about a guaranteed backlash when a slight wind blows, or a 20% backlash rate with no wind resulting in me using only being able to hit that distance maybe once every 15 casts. However, with the Steez SV, that distance is reached almost 12/15 times. This is a true meaning of Stress-Free Versatile.

There are times which a backlash would occur, either due to a sudden wind or me lowering the Magforce rating to a ridiculous level. However these backlashes are very slight which most of the time when you unwind the line, there are no knots being formed. i.e, when one line wraps against another and the backlash is cleared after the cast.

Just how easy it is to cast the Steez SV? After using the Steez SV for 6 months, I was once required to switch back to the Zillion J Dream for saltwater fishing and I was spending most of my time clearing backlashes until I got used to the old spool system. Just the sheer pamper of the Steez SV made me realize how forgiving the reel for casting and also the enjoyment in spending more time fishing than correcting your backlashes.

The same issue occurs when I'm casting 1/2 oz lures with my Steez SV compared to the Zillion J Dream with a HLC spool. I would perhaps be able to hit that ultra long distance at a much lower consistency with the Zillion compared to the Steez SV.

Just the considering the fact that the Steez SV is able to cover the lure weight range of 2 of better Daiwa reels makes it a real winner. In addition, the Steez SV is able to hit the same maximum distance of both reels and yet at a much higher and more consistent rate makes it a casting machine to me and quite honestly, the best BC reel I have ever casted. Thanks to the Steez SV, I can finally say that most of end of my spooled line is finally getting to touch water.

Pitching
Pitching is a technique which some of us might use quite a bit in Singapore due to the enclosed and overhanging obstacles. The issue with pitching would be the general low speeds of the casts and the sudden deceleration of the bait resulting in a high chance of a backlash.

Pitching is something which I do mostly with rubbers and smaller baits and with the PX68 (with the finesse spool), I was able to pitch but can only do so at a higher Magforce break resulting in a shorter cast. With the Steez SV, I feel that reel behaves a little like a reel using centrifugal breaking (i.e Shimano reels) and it manages to control these low speed pitches very well without sacrificing distance.

Besides pitching, skipping of softbaits are much much much much easier with the Steez SV compared to my other Daiwa reels.

To conclude the section on Casting and Pitching, I would say that the Daiwa Steez SV is in a league of its own. But to be fair, I have not used the T3 SV which utilizes the Magforce 3D breaking system with the SV system. However I am confident you will not go wrong with either model if the systems act the same way. The only drawback of this is that it now takes a longer time to retrieve your lure due to the sheer distance you will be casting at.

I am definitely not a strong distance caster but further research on YouTube have shown that people have casted the T3 SV until the end of the line which is a further testament to just how good this reel is at casting. Numerous review sites and personal testaments have also indicated this reel to be top-notch for throwing both big and small lures.

YouTube video on casting the T3 SV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjZ0thEIbzY

E) The Steez SV Spool

Initial thoughts on the SV Spool are that it is a light and shallow spool (lower line capacity) which could contribute to its alleged amazing casting abilities. In addition, the spool inductor requires a much lesser force to be extended and it can be extended with a radial (circular) instead of just a vertical (or pulling) force as compared to my other Daiwa spools. The lighter spool with its new spool inductor might result in lesser inertia and a more effective magnetic force resulting in a better application of the magnetic breaks (these are just my thoughts, do correct me if my understanding is wrong). Something I find particularly useful on this spool would be that there is a slit in the middle of the spool to prevent any initial slipping of line during the initial spooling on your reel.

A simple insight to how Daiwa Magforce works would be that there is a magnet on the side plate of your Daiwa reel. When you cast the reel and the spool starts spinning, there is a metal piece (inductor) which will protrude in accordance to the speed of the spool. The faster the spool spins, the further the metal piece will protrude into the magnets, thus creating a stronger magnetic force and slowing down the spool to prevent backlash. This can be seen in the attached YouTube video link. An example would be the I'ZE Hyper Long Cast spool which features a very strong spring resulting a much stronger force to move the spool inductor into the magnetic field which results in much less breaking.

When I first started using a BC reel, I had read online that people often mention to adjust the mechanical cast control knob of the reel (that small knob above the drag on Daiwa reels) until the point when you drop a lure on the ground during free spool, there would not be a backlash formed when the lure hits the ground. However there is another school of thought (this will be referred to as the second or later method) whereby the cast control knob should be adjusted to the exact point whereby there is no horizontal adjustments in the spool and that it sits just nicely during free spool. How the cast control knob works is that it adjusts a long plastic probe to push the spool into the reel's side cap. Therefore the more tightly you turn the cast control knob, the more the plastic probe will push the spool to the bearing sideplate thus reducing the free spool ability. With the second method, the limitation of the backlash would be purely adjusted by the Magforce break setting. The SV technology requires you to use the later (or second) method for you to fully maximize your casting distance and this is something which is widely publicized (unfortunately in Japanese) in Daiwa Japan's webpage.

With the SV spool's inductor , I believe that the extension of the metal inductor is more reactive compared to other Daiwa spools and results in a more controlled cast thus giving its Stress-Free name. 

One thing which I noted is that when you turn the spool inductor past a certain threshold, it will get stuck in a fully extended mode and perform like a fixed inductor instead of a moving one. There are times which after a long day of casting (or whipping) my lures and when I open the reel's sidecap, I realized that the inductor is locked at its full extension. I would then have to manually adjust it back by unwinding the inductor cap. For anyone who has the Steez SV spool, it would be greatly appreciated if you guys could share if this is common or whether mine has an issue with it. I find this to be an area of concern (if this is standard amongst the SV spools) as you would need to be constantly checking to see whether your spool's inductor is stuck and you are not gaining the yards which you want in your casts.

F) Drag

The Steez SV utilizes Daiwa's Ultimate Tournament Drag which promises a smooth consistent drag when fighting fish. This Steez SV follows its predecessors by using multiple carbon and metal drag discs (about 7 discs in total, of which 2 are carbon) compared to other reels (such as the Zillion J Dream and the Ryoga) which use just 1 carbon disc.

When testing the Steez SV at maximum drag, I was able to achieve a constant 8lb (about 4kg). The drag was smooth and constant to ensure that your prized catch doesn't throw the hook.

However, I do feel that the drag system of the Zillion J Dream is just a notch smoother (and more powerful) than the Steez SV. This could be due to the fact that the J Dream uses a more simplistic drag system consisting of only 1 carbon drag.

Nevertheless the Steez SV has a very smooth drag which is one of the best which I have ever used.

However I have heard certain feedback (currently unsubstantiated), that to reduce the weight of the Steez, the gears being used in the reel were made of aluminum instead of the more durable brass gears used in the Zillion. This, I heard, results in a possibility of a faster wear down of the lighter aluminum gears in the Steez.

G) Retrieve

The Steez reel is an extremely well built reel with 12 ball bearings to enhance the smoothness of the reel during retrieve. The retrieve is almost effortless and you do not feel any of the gear movements when winding. It is definitely one of the smoothest reels I have ever used.

Due to its high quality and précised engineering, the reel feels very refined and tight. The gears didn't have any free-play or horizontal allowances resulting in the reel being extremely sensitive. Coupled with its rigid Magnesium body, any vibrations on the line is enhanced and magnified through the reel to the handle knobs. I could literally feel the terrain of the lake while using softbaits or any divers.

This reel is one of, if not, the smoothest and most sensitive BC reel which I have used today.

H) Conclusion

 If you don't mind splurging your extra cash to purchase Daiwa's flagship BC reel, this reel will be one which will stay on your rods for a long long long time. Just the joy of endless casting and the smoothness of the drag and retrieve will make you realize that the money was well spent.

This SV technology, is in my opinion, not another marketing gimmick by these fishing companies, but more of a breakthrough advancement which ensures that your lure gets to your target when you need it to without any backlash and wasted time clearing them. This is really giving you the bang for your buck. For you guys who already own the older generation of Steez, you can just purchase the Steez SV spool to harness this new SV technology.

There is a quote that states "You should always buy good gear so you only need to get them once". I made the mistake of getting the Zillion and always constantly eyeing the Steez.

Pros
1) A very very very light and well built reel
2) Breakthrough SV technology
3) Very smooth retrieve and consistent drag
4) Sensitivity at its best
5) Be the envy of all fishermen

Cons
1) Very expensive
2) Not saltwater proof (take the T3 SV if price and corrosion resistance is an issue)
3) SV spool has a small issue which sometimes can cause the inductor to be stuck due to hard casting

Note: Daiwa will be releasing another 2 Steez models which uses the SV technology. One with a faster retrieve ratio of 8.1 and another which is tailored for finesse fishing.

Daiwa Steez SV with 8.1 retrieve: http://all.daiwa21.com/fishing/item/reel/bait_rl/steez_ltd/index.html

Daiwa Steez SV for finesse (and it looks really sexy): http://all.daiwa21.com/fishing/item/reel/bait_rl/steez_ltd_tn/index.html

As this is my first reel review, I really appreciate any feedback on whether additional information should be included in this or further write-ups. Thanks!