Request: conquest 400 old vs new

[callejer91342]

What's up guys looking for any opinions on the new conquest vs the older model. I have the older model and thinking of getting a new one. I've held the new one at the store and it feels crazy but I wanna hear what people have to say that have actually fished both. I searched the forum didn't really see too much info comparing them.

[swole_t]

I'd like to see a comparison between the 2 also

[flyforfish21]

I can give you some insight from working on both reels. 

 

Before we start, I have NOT fished the new conquest, only worked on it, bench tested, and made a few casts. 

 

The newer conquest has the following upgrades from the previous model:

 

-X-Ship (micro-module) gearing. 

-Dual Bearing supported pinion gear

-Dual levelwind bearings

-Smaller footprint/sideplates

-Bearing supported handle. 

 

Not an upgrade technically:

-Non-disgengaging levelwind

 

the one I worked on, also had Carbon fiber drag, BUT, not 100% certain it comes stock. 

 

What all the above means, is the newer conquest will feel more refined out of the box. It will be smoother overall, and doesn't really need many upgrades to begin with. Stock bearings are usual Shimano quality. 

 

That being said, the one I have worked on, had an issue with the level wind system. The design of the Idle gears at the base of the driveshaft CAN slip. It means you won't need to replace idle gears very often, BUT, leads me to believe it will potentially slip on larger fish. It could have been an isolated incident with the one reel, but wanted to let people know what I've come across. 

 

The older Conquest/TE line has a soft spot in my heart, those reels are very solid, and perform well. They can also be upgraded/tuned to perform even better. 

 

Time will tell how the new reels will hold up, but they are still so new to the market, they've got to be put through the ringer first. 

 

Any questions, give me a shout, i'll do my best to answer/explain anything. 

 

The above is purely personal opinion, so take it for what it's worth. 

 

Geoff

[callejer91342]

I've been hearing that they don't have as much torque as the older models anybody have any experience with that. Maybe the gear ratio has something to do with that

[iay]

I've been hearing that they don't have as much torque as the older models anybody have any experience with that. Maybe the gear ratio has something to do with that

 

I just got my 400 this year so I can't comment on the power. I did have my 200 for the last 1.5 years, and I have hauled in anything from 1/4 pound bass to 15 pound Northern Pike and Bluefish, and I have never thought it was lacking power. The heaviest bait I have thrown was 6 oz I-Slide 262T and didn't have trouble with it at all. 

[clh121787]

Don't have an older conquest but I have a 400te, and a new conquest 400. The te has more cranking power for sure.

[callejer91342]

Can you explain what you mean by cranking power. Is it just the gear ratio that you are feeling giving you more power or is it something else

[igl00jx]

Can you explain what you mean by cranking power. Is it just the gear ratio that you are feeling giving you more power or is it something else

Had two of new bigger Conquests: 301 and 401. Same reel, but 401 has the wider spool/bigger line capacity.

Cranking power was lacking in my hands. I like fishing 9" slammers cranked and felt that there was strain reeling in the bait. My Pluton and Ryoga 2020 in 5.1:1 did not feel underpowered by this bait.

Had an opportunity to own 2 Shrapnels and an OG Conquest 401. They did not lack power whatsoever compared to the 2015 Conquests.

Unsure if it was the gear ratio or handle, as the Shrapnels come with 90mm handles and a 6.2:1 ratio. The older Conquest did not lack any power whatsoever.

For glides and baits with minimal water resistance, the CQ301/401 were great reels. For anything with water resistance such as the diving Slammers and the like, I'd look elsewhere.

Hope this helps in your decision.

[clh121787]

Can you explain what you mean by cranking power. Is it just the gear ratio that you are feeling giving you more power or is it something else

cranking power or torque or how much effort it takes to crank in a big bass or lure that catches alot of water. Like james said his og conquest which i bekieve is internally identical to my te 400, had more cranking power than the 2015 conquest. But the cranking power imo. Is the only edge the older model has on the newer model. I wouldn't hesitate on buying another 2015 conquest. Can't go wrong with either

[swole_t]

Ive been fishing the new conquest 400 for a little while now. I actually fish my baa on it. And to me it's works good for that bait. Imo the new conquest is a great reel. It has a very unique combination of power and speed. It brings in 30 inches per turn from a 5.6 to 1 gear ratio. I don't think there are a whole lot of reels with that combination. Normally you would have to get that kinda speed from a higher gear ratio/weaker reel. And of course it's the smoothest reel I've ever used. However I recently bought an older model conquest 400. I haven't used it yet, it's being tuned. But I plan on useing it for my baa and high resistance baits, not because the new conquest is in adequate but because I'd rather use the new model for baits I plan on fishing at a higher speed.

[iay]

I think the main reason why the older conquest feels like its more powerful is because of the IPT. I changed the gear of my 200 to HG recently and bumped it up from 24 IPT to 30.7 IPT. It still feels extremely smooth but not as powerful as lower gear ratio where I was comfortably pulling in 15 pound Bluefish. The same can be said for the new Conquest 300-400 compared to older ones, the older model only had 25 IPT where the new models are at 30.7; that increase in speed and smaller pinion gear is definitely going to make the reel a bit more uncomfortable to really crank down. I have noticed that I lose more fish with low gear ratios than high gear ratios though.

[flyforfish21]

I think the main reason why the older conquest feels like its more powerful is because of the IPT. I changed the gear of my 200 to HG recently and bumped it up from 24 IPT to 30.7 IPT. It still feels extremely smooth but not as powerful as lower gear ratio where I was comfortably pulling in 15 pound Bluefish. The same can be said for the new Conquest 300-400 compared to older ones, the older model only had 25 IPT where the new models are at 30.7; that increase in speed and smaller pinion gear is definitely going to make the reel a bit more uncomfortable to really crank down. I have noticed that I lose more fish with low gear ratios than high gear ratios though.

IPT has a lot to do with the height and circumference of the spool as well, not only gear ratio. 

 

Think of it this way: Lets say the gears are the same size in a reel. You have a 5:1 ratio and 7:1 ratio, if the gearing is the same size, you have to have more teeth on the 7:1 set of gears in order to reach that ratio. On the 5:1 set, you can have less teeth, more spacing, and more material to "grab" onto between the two gears. That is going to be the added torque you'd feel on lower gear ratio reels. 

 

Losing more fish with the lower gear ratio can happen, as even if you are reeling fast, the line comes in slower, so you are less likely to keep up with the fish at all times. I don't see it happening too often with bass though, faster moving species like Stripers or Saltwater, for sure. That's where the advent of two speed reels came into be. 

 

Geoff

[iay]

IPT has a lot to do with the height and circumference of the spool as well, not only gear ratio. 

 

Think of it this way: Lets say the gears are the same size in a reel. You have a 5:1 ratio and 7:1 ratio, if the gearing is the same size, you have to have more teeth on the 7:1 set of gears in order to reach that ratio. On the 5:1 set, you can have less teeth, more spacing, and more material to "grab" onto between the two gears. That is going to be the added torque you'd feel on lower gear ratio reels. 

 

Losing more fish with the lower gear ratio can happen, as even if you are reeling fast, the line comes in slower, so you are less likely to keep up with the fish at all times. I don't see it happening too often with bass though, faster moving species like Stripers or Saltwater, for sure. That's where the advent of two speed reels came into be. 

 

Geoff

 

Yes I agree with you on what makes IPT. The material that main gear grabs on the pinion gear is going to be smaller with high gear ratio, giving the torque advantage to the lower gear ratios on the same exact reel. Another part that I think has to do is how fast the lure is getting pulled through the water. You should feel proportional resistance based on the speed so that factor along with the gear should contribute to the less torque. I lost two good fish on the Conquest 200 last year because it ran at me towards the bank, and I couldn't keep up :/ so I decided to upgrade the ratio to 6.2, giving me around 30 IPT. It's still extremely smooth, but not as comfortable to crank lures on, I will take the trade off of landing those fish though

[callejer91342]

Dam its sounding like im just gonna have to get both

[iay]

You can also buy Ryoga Shrapnel. It doesn't have very adjustable braking system, but its perfectly fine for big baits. It is a bit less refined than the Conquest, but got much more power to it. I had the pleasure of owning both, and they are very very nice reels.