Conquest BFS 2023

[John G]

This is why I haven't replaced my 14 CQ 200 with a newer model yet...this 4.8 brass MM went buzzy on me being the least oft used reel in my arsenal and with nothing over 1 oz. I even used my standard TDZ US Trail, old PT33SH reels, Zillions, Z2020/Z200, Millionaires, all harder and more often and with heavier weights and none had gear failure.

This said, the new CQ 200 HG and another Bantam HG are still on the radar so long as I can secure another set of gears for it.

It's like dating a super model... beautiful, high maintenance, and sometimes breaks down unexpectedly and with no repair parts available. Lol.

I'm really surprised that Shimano doesn't have more repair parts available for the Conquest Series. Those were Flagship reels and now they're nothing. If you go to Hedgehog Studios Website, they give you a link to fill out a form on Shimano Japan's Website and Shimano Japan's Website has a description by their older reels that says "Unrepairable".

[tincanary]

I'm really surprised that Shimano doesn't have more repair parts available for the Conquest Series. Those were Flagship reels and now they're nothing. If you go to Hedgehog Studios Website, they give you a link to fill out a form on Shimano Japan's Website and Shimano Japan's Website has a description by their older reels that says "Unrepairable".

I think it has to do with the laws in Japan. To my knowledge, Japanese manufacturers don't have to provide replacement parts for products as soon as it is discontinued. Here in the states, manufacturers are subject to the Magnuson-Moss Act which governs warranties of consumer products and bounds the manufacturer to keep replacement parts available for a period of time after the discontinuation of a product.

[John G]

I think it has to do with the laws in Japan. To my knowledge, Japanese manufacturers don't have to provide replacement parts for products as soon as it is discontinued. Here in the states, manufacturers are subject to the Magnuson-Moss Act which governs warranties of consumer products and bounds the manufacturer to keep replacement parts available for a period of time after the discontinuation of a product.

I didn't know that. I'm going to start buying a few spare parts for my older reels. I started yesterday by buy some Core 50Mg-7 gear sets for my Aldebaran Mg-7's. I know that we have heard for years that they are the same exact reel just a different name and a different color and I do hope all of the internals are the same.
I'm going to do that with the other reels that I have that I want to keep. BTW, I've already been snooping around eBay at Ambassadeur 1500C's and I'm already under the impression that they bring more than 2500C's.

[kakaryan]

I hope the 23 Conquest is better than the 17 Conquest BFS. I’ve owned one for years and thought is was as good as it got until I bought a Millionaire CT 70. The 17 Conquest is literally a toy compared to the Millionaire. Just wish Daiwa would release a BFS Ryoga. If anyone wants to buy a 17 Conquest BFS with avail spool I know a guy

A toy? Please elaborate more......
The Millionaire CT is just a Millionaire with spacer to adopt a smaller dia. spool which the the platform itself is so outdated.....
I have owned most if not all of the best variants of this platform, naming I'ze Light, Ringa SSS and the Monoblock. They are still fine to today standard but the later Conquests are more advanced.

Do you not own the 17 Conquest BFS or at least that platform in 100 or 200 series reels? You must not because I do and have dissected every part on that reel and I can assure you without any doubt it is not built to withstand any sort of abuse or even daily wear for very long. The reel I own along with many others goes geary very very quickly and I’ve never fished nothing but 1/8oz plastics on it. 2nd is it’s full of plastic parts and put a little pressure on that levelwind guide and tell me that’s a good idea. 3rd is spool engineering with Shimano reels in general is absurd. They use a shaft through pinion design that is just plain stupid and they redesign every spool so that no spool will work on the next generations platform or any other models. Didn’t even know that was a thing till I made the unfortunate mistake of buying this reel and it being the first and only Shimano reel I ever owned. The only other Shimano thing I’ve purchased is a Shimano rod and it broke a month after buying it. It actually fell apart in my hands. If you hold the Millionaire in any iteration next to the conquest you are either blind or extremely touched in the head if you can’t see which one is gonna last for years. I really don’t know how to make it any simpler than that. It just is what it is. I own 3 2018 Ryogas and 1 silver ryoga that eats the lunch of any Conquest made including this current model. The only reason I could rationalize someone buying a conquest over a ryoga would be if needing a 300/400 size reel but I think I’d rather buy a 200/250/300 Daiwa Luna instead. With those you might have to change out the anti reverse bearing once but any human that can use a screwdriver or wrench can do that in 10 minutes for less than 10 bucks. Tell me if those Conquests are gonna last pulling deep cranks or swimbaits. I can assure you they won’t. Just look up the amount of people that’s had the gears blow out and get geary right after buying the reel although the Conquests don’t do it no where near like the other reels. Shimano is very aware of the issue which is why they added the extra bearing to the new Conquests but it goes much deeper than that. All it takes is having a Engineering or mechanical background, a digital caliper, and a few brain cells to see that the tolerance specs from Shimano is not up to Daiwa standards. Maybe the standards from Daiwa 10-15 years ago? If I didn’t like Daiwa I wouldn’t be looking to go to Shimano next. They are way on down the line in my book. It would be JDM Abu Garcia after Daiwa

I have already stated which Millionaires/Monoblocks I have so I think I don't need to repeat.

And, for Conquest, I have owned the first 2001 generation to the lastest generation, both DC and non DC, 51S, 51, 101, 201, 401.......the ONLY size I have never had yet is a 300, though, I am eyeing the new 2023 301MD.

You should have an idea how many round reels I have / have had.

If you have been on TT long enough, which probably you aren't, the first gen Conquest 50/51 were hugely beloved and were highly praised that "in the end of the world, there would only be two things that last, cockroach and the Conquest". The tank like build is remarkable and they are built to last. Even after 20 years, my first gen Conquests, including a 401 which I bring offshore with me, are still strong and working flawlessly.

You would rather buy a 300 Luna instead. Do you even notice it doesn't even have an anti reverse pawl? This inlucdes their JDM version the Black Sheep. When the AR bearing fails, it becomes a knuckle busters. And there were plenty.

To each their own.

[kakaryan]

I'm really surprised that Shimano doesn't have more repair parts available for the Conquest Series. Those were Flagship reels and now they're nothing. If you go to Hedgehog Studios Website, they give you a link to fill out a form on Shimano Japan's Website and Shimano Japan's Website has a description by their older reels that says "Unrepairable".

I think it has to do with the laws in Japan. To my knowledge, Japanese manufacturers don't have to provide replacement parts for products as soon as it is discontinued. Here in the states, manufacturers are subject to the Magnuson-Moss Act which governs warranties of consumer products and bounds the manufacturer to keep replacement parts available for a period of time after the discontinuation of a product.

Back in the days I think both the D and S claimed to carry parts for 10years after a model was discontinued. I was still able to order some parts for my I'ze Light in around 2014. In recent years they both seem to have shortened the support period.

Today is 2023 I think asking for parts for the 2001 1st gen Conquest is a big ask....If you check out SL planet, for reels of the same era like the CVZ, many parts have been discontinued as well. Main gear yes, pinion gear no.

https://www.sl-planets.co.jp/shop/p/p00613822/

[dragon1]

"cockroach and the Conquest"...

Wasn't that our very own MHood? Man, I sorely miss the OG TT members from back in the day, all the way back to the BFHP.

[tincanary]

This inlucdes their JDM version the Black Sheep. When the AR bearing fails, it becomes a knuckle busters. And there were plenty.

To each their own.

Let's chock up another win for Abu here. AR bearing made by GRW of Germany. I've had hundreds of Ambassadeur variations in my shop for service over the years, models from 1992 all the way to present. I can count the roller bearing failures on one hand, and it wasn't even that the bearing outright failed. They just got so dirty to the point the rollers wouldn't stop within the cage intermittently, a dip in the ultrasonic cleaner and some oil made them work flawlessly. What kind of crap roller bearings is Daiwa using for their anti-reverse?

[kakaryan]

"cockroach and the Conquest"...

Wasn't that our very own MHood? Man, I sorely miss the OG TT members from back in the day, all the way back to the BFHP.

So true....and ORANGE reels rule.

[BrettTRay]

This inlucdes their JDM version the Black Sheep. When the AR bearing fails, it becomes a knuckle busters. And there were plenty.

To each their own.

Let's chock up another win for Abu here. AR bearing made by GRW of Germany. I've had hundreds of Ambassadeur variations in my shop for service over the years, models from 1992 all the way to present. I can count the roller bearing failures on one hand, and it wasn't even that the bearing outright failed. They just got so dirty to the point the rollers wouldn't stop within the cage intermittently, a dip in the ultrasonic cleaner and some oil made them work flawlessly. What kind of crap roller bearings is Daiwa using for their anti-reverse?

I believe Koyo makes most the roller bearings in Daiwa and probably other JDM manufacturers reels also. I don’t think it was a faulty product that plagued the Luna/Millionaire but I think they were undersized. Looking at some of the roller bearings data sheets you could see the the ratings for max ft lbs reverse load was less than the drag rating on a couple I looked at so you could see where that would be a failure point but someone with more service knowledge than me could probably say more about that than I can. My point is and I’ll stick by it, the 2017 Conquest BFS is not built to the standards the 2019 Millionaire CT is and I’d assume that lumps in the Conquest 100/200 of the previous generation. They feel cheep and there’s too much play in main drive shaft/main gear area which maybe why so many complain of gears going buzzy really quickly. A lot of people blame the micro cut teeth but I’ve got 3 18 Ryoga 1016’s and they are still super smooth.

[dragon1]

"cockroach and the Conquest"...

Wasn't that our very own MHood? Man, I sorely miss the OG TT members from back in the day, all the way back to the BFHP.

So true....and ORANGE reels rule.

Hahaha, yeah Mango... CLASSIC!

[dragon1]

This inlucdes their JDM version the Black Sheep. When the AR bearing fails, it becomes a knuckle busters. And there were plenty.

To each their own.

Let's chock up another win for Abu here. AR bearing made by GRW of Germany. I've had hundreds of Ambassadeur variations in my shop for service over the years, models from 1992 all the way to present. I can count the roller bearing failures on one hand, and it wasn't even that the bearing outright failed. They just got so dirty to the point the rollers wouldn't stop within the cage intermittently, a dip in the ultrasonic cleaner and some oil made them work flawlessly. What kind of crap roller bearings is Daiwa using for their anti-reverse?

I believe Koyo makes most the roller bearings in Daiwa and probably other JDM manufacturers reels also. I don’t think it was a faulty product that plagued the Luna/Millionaire but I think they were undersized. Looking at some of the roller bearings data sheets you could see the the ratings for max ft lbs reverse load was less than the drag rating on a couple I looked at so you could see where that would be a failure point but someone with more service knowledge than me could probably say more about that than I can. My point is and I’ll stick by it, the 2017 Conquest BFS is not built to the standards the 2019 Millionaire CT is and I’d assume that lumps in the Conquest 100/200 of the previous generation. They feel cheep and there’s too much play in main drive shaft/main gear area which maybe why so many complain of gears going buzzy really quickly. A lot of people blame the micro cut teeth but I’ve got 3 18 Ryoga 1016’s and they are still super smooth.

FWIW, the HEG Shimanos, especially the CT and CQ were nearly indestructible, same levels as some of the OG made in Sweden Ambassadeurs, granted without the immense aftermarket and OEM parts support.

[DirtyD64]

Just realized something else about the Conquest BFS; everyone might know it, but not many people have spoken about it.
The reel doesn't include Infinity Drive like the regular 2021 100 and 200 sizes. I'm not sure how much the feature helps, but I think it addresses the old issue of play when/where the pinion and spool shaft interact. This tighter fit contributes to the absolute glass feel of my 100HG, at least I assume it does.
Just something else I was pondering, with an aluminum gear and no Infinity Drive, will the BFS version be noticeably different in gear feel/smoothness?

I really want this reel, but sometimes wonder if I should just get another 100HG for general duty and an Aldebaran BFS or Alphas/Gekka for the light stuff...

[kakaryan]

In true TT tradition, just buy and try.

I have already pre ordered one.

[Smalleyez]

I’ve had every Conquest model including the last BFS and the only one still standing is my Conquest 50. That one along with the Abu 6500C that I bought on 1977 as a 17 year old with my high school graduation money is on the very short “never sell” list. That said I have a great affection for my JDM model 12 Conquest 100 with the swing-open side plate. A very underrated reel, I recently asked Ian Shields to go for it on a super tune and add anything he deemed would make a good real better. It is now exceptional. Al that said, this new Conquest BFS is beginning to call out my name.

[tincanary]

In true TT tradition, just buy and try.

I have already pre ordered one.

I'm tempted, but that means I have to wait a bit longer to build out another 2500C IAR . 2 sets of NOS side plates left in my stash. I'm about $900 each into my others . Is there a 12 step program for this?