Daiwa Drops the 2021 Limited Edition Steez SV TW Ahead of Schedule

Introduction: January and February are an exciting time for enthusiast tackle buffs. In a normal year, this is the time Japanese tackle manufacturers debut their new product at the annual Osaka and Yokohama tackle shows. In April and May, we begin to see these items hit our favorite JDM tackle store shelves. 2020 has been anything but normal and its affect is spilling into this year's tackle debuts. At least one manufacturer has taken this opportunity to jump the gun on introductions and not only release information on what they have planned for 2021, but actual product. That's right Daiwa Japan is about five to six months ahead of schedule already shipping their new introductions, and today we take a look at the newly released Limited Edition Steez SV TW 1000.

Few manufactures do "Limited Edition" like Daiwa

Few manufactures do "Limited Edition" like Daiwa, especially when it comes to their flagship models. Since the TDZ was retired back in 2006,Steez has reigned supreme atop Daiwa's low profile baitcasting reel lineup. For this platform's 15th anniversary, we get the Steez Limited decked out in a new finish and a host of upgrades inside.

The Steez Limited SV TW 1000 marks the platforms 15th year

HyperDrive Design: The majority of upgrades are defined by Daiwa's new HyperDrive Design concept consisting of four elements: Hyper Armed Housing, HyperDrive Digigear, Hyper Double Support, Hyper Tough Clutch.

2021 marks the year Daiwa introduces their HyperDrive Design concept

Hyper Armed Housing: Previous generation reels from Daiwa featured metal bodies but not always metal side plates. Non metal side plates. (usually carbon/graphite or a hybrid material like Zaion) help reduce weight and no doubt, costs. Hyper Armed Housing is defined by reels with metal bodies, a metal gear side plate, and metal housing for the spool holder on the palming side plate. In the case of Steez, this means a magnesium frame and gear side plate with an aluminum spool holder on the palming side plate All of this adds rigidity to the reel.

The 2021 Steez Limited SV TW 1000 features a hardened aluminum main and pinion gear for strong, lightweight performance

HyperDrive Digigear: Daiwa doesn't give up much substantive information as to what Digigear really means other than to say improvements to smoothness and durability have been achieved. The 2021 Steez Limited SV TW 1000 features a hardened aluminum main and pinion gear for strong, lightweight performance.

The UTD (Ultimate Tournament Drag) is a multi-disk system designed for smooth, non-studdering performance

Hyper Double Support: This term is being used to call attention to the fact Daiwa is using a two bearing support system for the reel's pinion gear. Typically one bearing in the Zero Adjust spool tension knob and another in the reel's frame where the pinion engages with the spool. This is not a new feature for the manufacturer, but certainly not universal in all their reels. All Hyperdrive Designed reels will have this double bearing supported pinion gear design including the new Steez Limited.

The reel's pinion features double bearing support. The clutch mechanism (white) is also beefed up for better durability

Hyper Tough Clutch: Addressing an apparent point of common failure with baitcasting reels in general Daiwa has redesigned and reinforced the clutch mechanism within their Hyperdrive Designed reels for better durability and toughness.

SV BOOST is designed around a two stage rotor

SV BOOST: Magnetic braking systems are typically considered less sophisticated than other methods of managing spool speeds during a cast. Daiwa has historically debunked those preconceptions with sophisticated rotor designs (the cup located on the non-handle side of the reel's spool). Their SV braking system is the most advanced magnetic system on the market helping anglers manage a surprisingly wide range of lure weights during the cast.

The drive shaft is ported to reduce weight

The manufacturer ups their SV game in 2021 with their new, SV BOOST system. In this new SV, the spool's rotor extends in two stages. During the initial part of your cast, the rotor is in full extension taking leveraging influence from the magnetics (arranged in a cup located in the non-handle side plate) to help mitigate against backlashes caused by the spool's sudden, intensive, high speed, rotation. At some point after that initial surge, the rotor pulls back to lessen the brake profile and extend the distance of your cast.

Each Steez SV TW Limited comes with a unique serial number

All these improvements are subtle and under the hood so to speak. Perhaps the most notable difference with this limited edition Steez is its finish. Normally a manufacturer that leans on different colors and mostly matte finishes, Daiwa, with the limited edition Steez, goes metallic paint giving this reel shine not normally associated with the manufacturer.

The best news about this reel for collectors is that it, along with a few other 2021 introductions from Daiwa, are already available