A Magnetic Personality, the new “EX”treme Steez Spinning Reel
 

Introduction: This coming ICAST Daiwa prepares to introduce a brand new Steez spinning reel which incorporates both a carbon frame material and souped up feature-set to push the envelope in lightweight performance. These new spinning reels leverage Daiwa’s highest end features to deliver superior performance in the harshest environments.

Daiwa's new flagship spinning reel, meet the Steez EX

When it comes to lightweight spinning reels it just doesn’t get much more refined than the Daiwa Steez. The current Steez makes use of a magnesium body, side cover and rotor to deliver a lightweight package that starts at just 6.9oz., making it among the lightest bass spinning reels on the market.

The Steez incorporates a Zaion construction with the company's MagSeal magnetic oil feature

So this season when the company wanted to up the ante in lightweight spinning reel design they were suddenly faced with a new challenge, how would they infuse the new reel with more features, improve durability in all environments and still manage to stay lightweight. The answer was to create a new reel not out of magnesium, but with the company’s carbon composite Zaion material.

Even the spool is ported aggressively

Zaion carbon material is used for the construction of body of the reel as well as the rotor, and while the Zaion material offers similar weight and strength characteristics to magnesium it is not susceptible to saltwater corrosion, making it excellent for both brackish and saltwater applications.

 
A look at Daiwa's Magnetic Oil

To further improve performance Daiwa is including their magnetic oil feature which we first saw incorporated into the Certate last season. The MagSeal™ is a spin-off from NASA technology and utilizes a thin film of magnetic oil controlled by magnetic fields to effectively seal the ball bearings in the reel’s rotor and line roller. This is designed to result in a seal with less friction than what normally would be found with a traditional rubber seal so that cranking on the Steez EX results in a lighter even more friction free feel. As an added benefit the MagSeal prevents water and grit intrusion into the body and line roller.

The Steez EX's handle is beautifully machined

The Steez EX will come loaded with a 13 bearing system (7CRBB/5BB+1RB) and features the company’s Digigear design for speed, power and long term durability. Inside the Zaion rotor is an advanced brake design that reduces premature bail closure when casting. The reel will come with a 5.6:1 gear ratio and in two configurations with line capacities designed for both ultralight and mid-range spinning applications. The wide diameter ABS spool features a titanium nitride spool lip to manage all line types.  

The reel is finished with a power knob for extra leverage

Finishing off this reel is a machined aluminum handle that is sculpted aggressively and topped with a power grip knob for more leverage. To protect this reel each Steez EX also comes with a neoprene bag. If you thought the $499 dollar Certate introduced last year was a premium offering the new Steez EX can be considered an exotic one. It delivers the very best materials and technologies that Daiwa has in their arsenal and comes with a price point that you would expect for such an “exotic” reel. Each Steez EX will retail for $749-799 dollars. That’s right, the new Steez EX is even more expensive than the premium Shimano Stella FE. Anglers won’t have to wait too long to see just how the reels compare as the new Steez EX will debut at ICAST in just twelve days, and start shipping mid-August.