Have had this reel for a while and also acquired a 2012 Catalina 4000h. the Catalina shares most of its parts with the Saltiga which is of similar weight and both are considerably lighter than the Z series equivalents. The differences in grams are:
Saltiga Z Catalina 2012
body 395 305
spool with line 115 87
spool knob 16 11
handle/arm 106 48
totals 622 451
In the body the obvious item Daiwa did to save weight is to change the rotor from aluminium to Zaion. I've not opened either reel so don't really know what changes Daiwa may have made to the thicknesses of the gears inside but I think the majority of the weight saved is in the rotor. It's a shame that when Daiwa came out with the upgrades that they changed the thread sizes of the handles. I would have loved to use my Catalina's handle on my Saltiga Z to save that 60 grams. There are aftermarket suppliers for the handles and spools but don't know if there will be much saving in weight. Realistically or readily only the handle/knob and spool are the only things to be replaced.
Does anybody know who has stuff that can lighten my Z overall?