Casting: Daiwa's T-Wing line guide system has really made a difference in how easy it is to launch a bait with their casting reels. Hence the pervasiveness of this feature up and down their lineup. The casting experience was enhanced when Daiwa introduced their SV rotor and now with SV Boost, I feel as if they've reached the pinnacle. Casting with two reels that are outfitted with this enhanced braking system, this new Limited Steez and the new Zillion, is effortless. All it takes is a little flick of the wrist to send your bait out to its pending destruction in the mouth of a hungry or angry fish.

Daiwa has found a way to reduce the width of their T-Wing enabled reels and is slowly winning me back

If you read my writeup of the new Alphas SV TW, my disappointment with that reel primarily centered around the fact its casting performance was not as effortless as the new Zillion or this Steez. Daiwa's SV Boost braking system reportedly works in two stages. In the first part of the cast, the rotor extends full on into the magnets like normal, but as your lure is in mid-flight, the rotor pulls back to increase distance. It's a tangible difference. Right when you feel your lure should be slowing down, it's as if it catches its second breath and continues just a tad bit further than you anticipate.

This new non-handle sideplate design with the concealed brake adjustment dial is several years old, but definitely an improvement over previous designs

For me, this difference was more notable with bigger, heavier baits, but I also spent more time fishing the Limited Steez with baits of this type. The typical method of casting big baits is with hard, forceful casting motions in an effort to get your bait out as far as possible. I find this method of casting a little unnecessary but also taxing on the shoulder, so instead, I employ a gentle lob. I may lose an extra five to ten feet in distance, but I've never felt this affects my success ratio. With this anniversary edition of the Steez and its SV Boost, I feel as though I get some of that distance back with even less effort put into my cast. Is that because of the SV boost or the T-Wing or maybe both?

HyperDrive Digigear is an unfortunate term for improvements that can really be felt while fishing this reel

Retrieve: Re-engage the spool after your cast to begin your retrieve and the Steez LTD reveals smooth performance worthy of a flagship. This year, Daiwa threw out a lot of "hyper-bolic" terms to describe their engineering advances. One of these terms was "HYPERDRIVE Digigear." While we can argue ad nauseum the effectiveness of Daiwa's marketing department, what matters here is effort behind this marketing term.

For those who are unaware, that gear between the two springs is the pinion

All Hyperdrive Digigear enabled reels by Daiwa feature redesigned gears. These gears have teeth that are wider at the tip and more narrow at the base than previous generation reels. According to Tom Slater of Daiwa Australia, this design lowers the pressure angle of the teeth when meshing with the pinion gear resulting in more efficient transfer of power. For those who are unfamiliar, the pinion gear is the actual, physical connection between the reel's main gear and spool.

Handle length is a somewhat normal 84mm.

Power: Out on the water, the difference is quite evident not only in smoothness, but actual power. The Steez platform is not one I'd think of for throwing big baits, but the Steez LTD can handle these duties reliably and was actually right at home aboard my Legit Design WSC72H+ slinging rat baits like Hill Country Swimbaits's RioRat and the Spro Rat 50 into tight spaces and cover where I'd normally throw a frog, not a rat bait.

This fish and I discovered at the same time, the Steez LTD has some really good power behind it

Pulling fish and bait out of tight places like that is something I'd normally leave to a reel with a full aluminum frame and brass gear, but the Steez LTD more than held its own. It honestly surprised me.

What this impressive stack of drag washers lacks in max stopping power, it more than makes up for with smooth, consistent, reliable performance

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