I have a ? my self since i too have been looking into one.
I here that the older models made are 100 times better then the ones being built today. I friend of mine bought one last year but they didn't have them in stock so they sent him one to fish for the mean time(which I thought was awsome) only thing is that on the first 30" fish he hooked the handle broke.....So im up in the air...Seems to make sense since everyone that tells me they love it has had it for a while. Its a nice reel...thanks
My experience with mine was bad. Customer service was great but the reel always had a problem. I started with a second gen black 27 that leaked from the get go. Send it in ans said it was the oring returned back to me promptly. Leaked again a couple days later. Sent back, they said the side cover was not machined properly. Returned back to me, a week later I blew a clutch, sent back to them, fixed it. Got it back again and again blew a clutch, sent it in. This time I asked for a new reel and told them I did not even want to see another black zb again. They sent me a new silver one. Another clutch and something else. So I said goodbye ZB and hello VS.
On the other hand I did like the drag on it and have heard others have not had problems. Go figure. Maybe it is just me.
I have blown up an emblem, New Saltist, and a ZB in the last 2 seasons. The Dog Fight has been my workhorse.
I have since sold the ZB and gone back to all VS's. I never had the line catch the roller and do not fish sand so the issue people have had there did not come up. I did not like the drag and that was a big factor in getting rid of the reel. It has a progresisve drag which takes some getting used to. I kept finding myself adjusting the drag throughout a fisght as it never stayed where I wanted it to. On my 2nd trip out with the reel, it seized up solid. The reel was fixed and back in action within about 5 days with a brand new clutch, but I was still not happy to know they shipped the 1st generation ZB27's with a known faulty part.
"Out there in the surf is where it's at, that's where the line gets drawn in the sand between those who talk fishing and those who live it."
- a wise man.
I have a much older one (thanks folks ) a 2.2 - since upgraded to a 2.7 with new handle, spool, rotor, drag, etc - that is fantastic with fish into the low 40s in the canal at speed. No sand issues. Twice in 3 years caught a roller so I would get a single pickup in order to pay a little less attention and concern.
) a 2.2 - since upgraded to a 2.7 with new handle, spool, rotor, drag, etc - that is fantastic with fish into the low 40s in the canal at speed. No sand issues. Twice in 3 years caught a roller so I would get a single pickup in order to pay a little less attention and concern.
Hybrid Mode
