TT Shootout : Zillion TWS vs Chronarch CI4+

Introduction: We've reviewed the Chronarch CI4+ and we've reviewed the Zillion TWS. Nothing gets the collective juices of the TackleTour readership flowing more than a good old fashioned, all scores barred, head to head, specification to specification, performance metric to performance metric comparison. Throw in the industries most heated consumer rivalry - Shimano vs Daiwa - and you have the makings of a TackleTour Shootout!

It's time once again to pit Daiwa vs Shimano!.

The Tests: In this shootout we compare performance, specification, and ergonomic aspects of Shimano's Chronarch CI4+ against Daiwa's Zllion TWS. Scores from their individual reviews are thrown out the window. We are simply going to compare characteristics from one reel to the other and state which reel we prefer in each category. Simple as that so let's get started!

The contenders: Shimano's Chronarch CI4+ (left) vs Daiwa's Zillion TWS (right).

Casting: Both reels were mounted on identical Megabass F6-72X4 Destructions and spooled with the same twelve pound (12lb) Sunline SuperNatural monofilament. For casting tests, we chose a bait that's super easy to cast to hopefully give us a sense of these reels' limits - Lucky Craft's LV500 lipless crank. The Chronarch CI4+ was set to two brakes on inside and the external dial turned to two while the Zillion TWS's brake dial was set to 6.

Both reels were spooled with 12lb Sunline SuperNatural and mounted on identical Megabass F6-72X4s.

This was a difficult metric to assess mostly because it took a while to discover brake settings that were about equal on both reels, but once dialed in I took to casting and found out I could cast to equal distances with both reels. After about a dozen back and forth casts, the sole difference I could discern was that the Zillion TWS required less effort to make a cast.

Casting tests were performed with Lucky Craft's LV-500.

No matter how hard I wound up and let go, max distance was about the same then I came to realize just an easy swing allowed me to achieve the same distance. Casting with the Chronarch CI4+ required more of a consistent motion to achieve the same distance each time. So while one real didn't really cast further than the other, the Zillion TWS required less effort. Advantage : DAIWA

When it came time to tests pitching performances, we switched up to three eighths ounce jigs by Bass Patrol.