metanium mgl vs daiwa steez

[coolcraigster26]

Anyone used both? Trying to decide between these 2. I have mostly used shimano and dont have any experience with daiwa reels. I had my mind made up on the Met mgl but i keep hearing people talk about the daiwa steez as a top of the line reel. Just wanting some help with my decision before spending this much on a reel. Thanks guys

[LgMouthGambler]

Steez is flagship when it comes to Daiwa. Havent heard any complaints of that reel anywhere. The Metanium MGL, here are what I have had issues with. 1) The gears get very gritty after a while, and become noisy. 2) The pinion bearing tends to go bad and create grinding prematurely. 3) The spool bearings go bad prematurely. 4) I dont care for Shimanos use of a plastic levelwind pawl either. Makes it cheap to me, especially for it supposed to be a "flagship" reel from them.

Either way, they are 2 very different reels, and perform tatally different. Ergonomics are completely different as well.

[coolcraigster26]

Steez is flagship when it comes to Daiwa. Havent heard any complaints of that reel anywhere. The Metanium MGL, here are what I have had issues with. 1) The gears get very gritty after a while, and become noisy. 2) The pinion bearing tends to go bad and create grinding prematurely. 3) The spool bearings go bad prematurely. 4) I dont care for Shimanos use of a plastic levelwind pawl either. Makes it cheap to me, especially for it supposed to be a "flagship" reel from them.

Either way, they are 2 very different reels, and perform tatally different. Ergonomics are completely different as well.

Thanks for the reply
So your saying the daiwa is the better reel?

[LgMouthGambler]

If you wany MY personal opinion on it....the Steez is a better built, better performing reel.

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[cortman]

I have both a Metanium MGL and a Daiwa Steez Limited SV103XS. The Met I've been using for about a year and the Steez about a month. 

It's a little early to tell but so far they are pretty dang close. I love the casting distance I get with the Metanium and the micro gearing is butter smooth. I've honestly never had a problem with it. Can't talk about bearings as I upgraded the ones in the Met (thanks again LMG).
The Steez is super smooth of course and very palmable, nicely sized. Feels solid with no flex, same as the Met.
It seems to me the Metanium may just so edge out the Steez when it comes to heavier baits and heavy work, but currently they both do the same job for me and they're both great.
To be honest I would go for whichever one you can get a better bargain on. I would be shocked if you'd be disappointed with either.

[coolcraigster26]

I wish i had a place locally that carried the Steez so i could hold one to see what it feels like.

[LgMouthGambler]

I wish i had a place locally that carried the Steez so i could hold one to see what it feels like.

If you do, you wont be disappointed thats for sure. That sucker is  and beer. 

[Mike Cork]

I've just written a review of the Metanium, it's in edit right now and should publish next week on the main page www.ultimatebass.com

I've only got a couple months on it but I settled in on using it as a frog reel so it's seen a years worth of normal casting in a matter of three months. I'd highly recommend it. I have not seen any of the problems LgMouthGambler has seen.

I can't recommend it over a Daiwa as I don't own the first Daiwa to compare it with. I would sell a Daiwa if it was given to me, I just don't like the way they feel in my hands. Nothing to do with the reels performance.

[FloridaFishinFool]

I can't recommend it over a Daiwa as I don't own the first Daiwa to compare it with. I would sell a Daiwa if it was given to me, I just don't like the way they feel in my hands. Nothing to do with the reels performance.

Same here Mike. I don't like the way Daiwa feels or operates. Not saying they are bad, I just do not prefer them.

As for the plastic level wind pawl claim, I have just questioned two other Shimano reel techs here in the shop (Shimano warranty repair facility I work at) and none of them said it is made of plastic. I was told it is made of Zirconia ZrO2 ceramic material which is half the weight of steel but harder and stronger and will not wear out like steel pawls do and has less friction than steel on steel. So to some of us this is an improvement over the steel- a step up, not a step down.

Like it has already been said, go with what works best for you and what you can get the best deal on. It is really a matter personal preference since both will do basically the same job.

[fishballer06]

As others have said, you're not going to be disappointed with either of these reels. You're talking the flagship reels from the two top fishing reel companies in the world.

As someone who owns 3 Metanium's, I can't say I've seen the issues that LMG claims either. You'll see dud's from every company that manufactures something. Some companies produce more lemons more often than others. Shimano and Daiwa are generally the least likely companies to have an occasional lemon.

[LgMouthGambler]

Didnt know you can cut into material that is harder than steel with a knife. Guess i have a really sharp knife.

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[flowerjohn]

Same here Mike. I don't like the way Daiwa feels or operates. Not saying they are bad, I just do not prefer them.

As for the plastic level wind pawl claim, I have just questioned two other Shimano reel techs here in the shop (Shimano warranty repair facility I work at) and none of them said it is made of plastic. I was told it is made of Zirconia ZrO2 ceramic material which is half the weight of steel but harder and stronger and will not wear out like steel pawls do and has less friction than steel on steel. So to some of us this is an improvement over the steel- a step up, not a step down.

Like it has already been said, go with what works best for you and what you can get the best deal on. It is really a matter personal preference since both will do basically the same job.

Or operates? You're joking right? What daiwa baitcaster models have you fished with and in what way specifically were they inoperable? You should be able to provide a good bit of detail here since you are in the business.


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[coolcraigster26]

Thanks for all the replies. I went to my local tackle shop today and he carries both shimano and daiwa. He had the Metanium mgl in stock but he doesnt carry the daiwa steez. I asked why and he said he didnt sell many of them and he had trouble getting parts for them. He also said they are both good reels. He said as far as build quality they are equal but he said he felt that the metanium slightly outperformed the steez in casting. He said it really just comes down to which company you prefer.  Only daiwa he had in stock was a zillion. Not sure which model but it was silver body with blue spool. I didnt like the palmability compared to the met mgl but i dont know how close the zillion is to the steez as far as ergonomics.

[LgMouthGambler]

Silver body with blue spool. Was the handle blue? If so, that's a TD Zillion Coastal. Nice reel too. Very tough.

The Metanium will out distance the Steez a hair. Mainly because the Steez is designed for more of a controlled casting. Very helpful for lighter baits. So the range of the baits is better with the Steez. Most people don't carry them because there are a select few that will purchase a reel in that price range, so it's not feasible for a store to carry them on hand. It's basically an enthusiast level reel. Parts are not hard to come by in any means, but you really don't have to worry about that with that reel anyways.

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[coolcraigster26]

Silver body with blue spool. Was the handle blue? If so, that's a TD Zillion Coastal. Nice reel too. Very tough.

The Metanium will out distance the Steez a hair. Mainly because the Steez is designed for more of a controlled casting. Very helpful for lighter baits. So the range of the baits is better with the Steez. Most people don't carry them because there are a select few that will purchase a reel in that price range, so it's not feasible for a store to carry them on hand. It's basically an enthusiast level reel. Parts are not hard to come by in any means, but you really don't have to worry about that with that reel anyways.

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Yes i just looked it up and it is the Zillion Coastal. Very nice looking reel. If it had the T wing i might have tried it out. I really like the T wing feature, seems like a good idea. That being said i liked the way the metanium felt in my hand over the zillion. Metanium felt a little more slimmed down. I still wanna hold a steez. May have to wait til i go out of town somewhere and see if somebody has one in stock i can try out.

[LgMouthGambler]

Yes i just looked it up and it is the Zillion Coastal. Very nice looking reel. If it had the T wing i might have tried it out. I really like the T wing feature, seems like a good idea. That being said i liked the way the metanium felt in my hand over the zillion. Metanium felt a little more slimmed down. I still wanna hold a steez. May have to wait til i go out of town somewhere and see if somebody has one in stock i can try out.

Tacklewarehouse has a demo program. Give them a call and see what the requirements are.

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[coolcraigster26]

Tacklewarehouse has a demo program. Give them a call and see what the requirements are.

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Awesome thank you

[FloridaFishinFool]

4) I dont care for Shimanos use of a plastic levelwind pawl either. Makes it cheap to me, especially for it supposed to be a "flagship" reel from them.

Didnt know you can cut into material that is harder than steel with a knife. Guess i have a really sharp knife.

Just for the heck of it- and to double check my boss's word on it- I wrote the Shimano corporation to ask them what the pawl is made of in the Metanium MGL...

Here is the question I sent to them:

"Hello, inside the reel Metanium MGL, part # BNT5115, what is it made of? Plastic or ceramic? Thanks!"

And here is the official response from Shimano corporation concerning the material the pawl is made out of:

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Today, 11:27 AM

Ceramic

I guess that was a really sharp knife! And must have been made of diamond too! 

Well, there you have it. It is a ceramic pawl and better than steel. A step up, not a step down to plastic.

[LgMouthGambler]

Funny. You got that response, as their rep wouldnt disclose it to anybody when I asked him on Tackle Tour. Stated it was a material they wouldnt disclose for fear of eing copied. Basically alls he would say that it was some highly tested poly nylon something blah blah blah. Basically a fancy plastic. I called him on it. I got bashed for it. People that apparently work for, and used to work for Shimano started derailing the thread so it would get taken off the internet. Way suspicious to me. Basically, the letter you got is a load of horse chit. My knives are sharp, yes. The pawl some kind of ceramic stronger than metal, no. Shimano wants to cheapen there reels and make like its some kind of improvement,  more power to them. Their parts materials between models and uses of plastic and metal in the worm gear assemblies is too inconsistent, and I aint buying it. To me, their reels are no better than whats being made everywhere else, and You can take that to the bank.

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[FloridaFishinFool]

Funny. You got that response, as their rep wouldnt disclose it to anybody when I asked him on Tackle Tour. Stated it was a material they wouldnt disclose for fear of eing copied. Basically alls he would say that it was some highly tested poly nylon something blah blah blah. Basically a fancy plastic. I called him on it. I got bashed for it. People that apparently work for, and used to work for Shimano started derailing the thread so it would get taken off the internet. Way suspicious to me. Basically, the letter you got is a load of horse chit. My knives are sharp, yes. The pawl some kind of ceramic stronger than metal, no. Shimano wants to cheapen there reels and make like its some kind of improvement,  more power to them. I aint buying it. You can take that to the bank.

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You know I work for a Shimano reel repair facility. Been in business professionally for 31 years now. We are a Shimano warranty repair facility. Both of my senior bosses stated the pawl was ceramic as I reported here to contrast against your plastic claim.

And to just double check them and because I would not want to be putting out any false information on the internet, I wrote to Shimano corporation and asked them directly to which they responded to me as stated.

So let's see... that is 3 different Shimano reps all saying the same thing that the pawl is indeed ceramic.

So who am I going to trust? The company that made the reel, and the people who are officially sanctioned by Shimano to repair them? Or, some guy on the internet who has no connection to Shimano?

Think about it.

As I said, I do not want to put out any false information. And you just ran Shimano down with your own personal opinion that included what I would call false information. You are busted. So just admit it when you are wrong instead of making up some story.

Notice I included the email address to Shimano so feel free to ask them yourself and any of you out there who would like to verify the truth for yourselves.

Shimano goes to a lot of trouble to make great products. They even send their engineers to many of the official Shimano repair shops to inquire directly about issues and problems so they can use that information to build a better product for all of us. Shimano listens to them and to their customers and do try to incorporate that into their future products.

The recent end-user review on the new Curado K is a testament to that innovation:

http://www.ultimatebass.com/bass-fishing-forum/index.php?topic=137486

[LgMouthGambler]

I dont care who you trust, who or what you do, or who told you what to be honest, or how long yall been doing whatever. Im good with what I know and seen personally. Believe what you want. The story is not a story, and I have people that can vouch for it. Have a wonderful rest of your evening.

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[cojab]

OK, this has got me curious.

FFF, being as you work at a repair facility do you have a couple of that part number laying around. Should be easy enough to determine with your own eyes as opposed to a sales reps claims.

A little testing is in order. If you can destroy it with a knife: plastic. If you need a hammer: ceramic.
Eazy peazy.

I'm not trying to add to the disagreement here but I worked in an archery shop part time for a while and repaired lots of bows. I know I didn't always get the strait scoop from the guy who was making his truck payment from the product he was selling.

BTW, no matter if its made of plastic, ceramic, gold, or  , I love my Shimano.

[Mike Cork]

I'm in the I don't care what it's made out of as long as it works category. I also expect longevity. And it's been used for a while now, as a Shimano repair specialist I haven't seen the first worm gear to pawl failure nor have I seen any abnormal wear on the pawl or worm gears. I don't have thousands of cleanings with reels containing this material, just quite a few, so it's just my opinion right now. But so far it's an A+ from me. Ceramic or plastic, both generate less friction than steel on steel, so less lubricant is required. Less lubricant, prevents foreign objects from sticking to the worm gear and causing a failure.

No my real complaint is all the Shimano reels with forward facing pales that allow the line to drop debris on the worm gear  But that's a different discussion.

[LgMouthGambler]

The forward facing pale is kinda a pain sometimes. I really take the time to make sure its free of debris after a trip. The ones I really hated were the earlier ones where the pale faced the spool. Thats when water came shooting at it at high velocity on the casts.  Constant relubing was needed.