一番傑作.....: Which One is Better?

Daiwa Ryoga or Shimano Conquest?

A timeless question...
Asked by countless over years...

These two round baitcasters has been the subject of debate among anglers since Ryoga's launch.

Ever since then, people are still asking for opinions even until today.

Google on the subject and you will know what I mean...

When I was scouting for a round baitcasting reel years ago, I too, was in such dilemma myself.

Both have their own cult following.
Both has it's own unique pros and cons.

Eventually, I'm glad that I chose the right one...
Enjoying every cast with my Ryoga now.

According to a popular online tackle store which specializes in JDM fishing gears, the prices for both these reels are such (as of the date of posting):
Daiwa Ryoga 1016: USD 567
Shimano Conquest 100: USD 477

At this point, I should declare to all that I'm a Ryoga user, who also happens to having tried the Shimano Conquest 100 on a few occasions before.

Now, before I start listing out my opinions, I will like to ask Shimano's fanboys to stay the fuck away if you can't stand criticism on your gayish golden reel.
Leave this blog NOW and go do some reading of your own kind here.

The reasons on why I chose Daiwa's Ryoga over Shimano's Calcutta Conquest are listed below.
It's all my own personal hands-on opinions without going into figures and specs like ball bearing count, max drag, etc.

You may choose to agree with me or deem me as being biased but to tell the truth, I don't really give a damn... On the contrary, even till this day, I'm really glad to have chosen the Ryoga in the very first place.

1. Looks
Personally, I'm not really a fan of metallic gold color...
Sure, it looks unique but any deep scratches will reveal the silver underneath that golden shell since it isn't forged from real gold. (duh!)
It's perforated side plate not only look hideous, it also allows dirt and water to enter the reel freely where the centrifugal brakes are located.
Ryoga's swept back star drag and handle crank looks much cooler than Conquest's plain Jane.
Everything about Ryoga's machine-milled frame screams 'heavy duty'!

2. Performance
Ryoga cranks smoother than Conquest. There's no arguing this fact. Even when straight out of the box, the difference in smoothness is prominent.
Although many claimed that the Conquest can achieve a further casting distance than the Ryoga (it's a fact), I found out a way for Ryoga to achieve longer spool free-spin than the Conquest with only $3 without the need of any modification.
In my opinion, rod's action affects casting distance more than anyone realised. For this reason, I will not touch on the subject of cast-ability any further.
Ryoga also has line-out clicker.

3. Usability
Conquest sports a centrifugal braking system. Nothing wrong with this system. It serves it's purpose. Thing is, to adjust the brakes, one will have to unscrew the side plate and remove the spool retainer to reach the pins. Reverse the procedure after adjustment is done.
This procedure is really troublesome if one keeps changing lures with wide range of weights.
With the Ryoga's magnetic brakes, all it needs is a click of the brake dial. Nothing more.

4. Ergonomics
There's no arguing that the Ryoga feels better in the hand compared to Conquest. Maybe it's due to the fact that it sits lower on the reel seat than the Conquest creating the impression of a smaller reel.
When I held both reels in my hand, the Ryoga weighs a tad heavier.
But once mounted on a rod, the Conquest is actually the heavier one. Strange...
This might have something to do with the design of the main housing and overall shape/angle I guess.

Above points alone are already enough to make me decide on the Ryoga over Conquest.

Fanboys may argue that the fact that Shimano is still producing it's Conquest after a decade proves that it's a champion reel.

Well, let's just say that I'm too skeptical to spend this kind of money on a 10 years old technology...

There's also once when my Ryoga starts having problems with it's anti-reverse.
The cranking felt loose with some excessive free play to my liking.

Although it's not spoiled, just a common worn anti-reverse pawl and/or plate, I bought another brand new one anyway since ordering the replacement part from Japan will take 2 months.

A brand new Ryoga 1016H. Again.
I refuse to settle for any other option as nothing out there beats the Ryoga, IMO.

When it comes to my toys, I'm an absolute perfectionist.

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There was once a Conquest user who asked me:

'If your Ryoga is so good, then why you still spend so much money to modify?'

The question was fired at me in a mocking attitude.

Firstly, he was the one who seeked my opinion in the first place.

Secondly, I had sincerely hoped that as a friend, I should prevent him from wasting his money on a lesser product.

I kept my silence as said Conquest user was a friend of mine.

'Was'.

I sacked him from my list of friends when I found out that he had been bringing large groups of anglers to some fishing spots and happens that I witnessed for myself on more than one occasion.

Besides a fishing spot wrecker, he also starts taking me for granted.

I remember once when he accused me of spoiling my Ryoga while attempting to service it myself.

Truth is, the anti-reverse components had worn off and there's this thing about me that I simply just cannot stand my toys not functioning at 100%.

He has absolutely no fucking idea of how many fishes big and small, both open sea offshore and reservoirs, that my previous Ryoga had subdued before I decided to retire it.

His antique Conquest pales in comparison...

Enough ranting.

Back to topic:

Why am I spending so much money to modify a reel?

Money spent modding is enough to buy a parallel imported Conquest.

Don't get me wrong.

A Ryoga in it's stock form can easily outperform the Conquest. (bring it on, fanboys!)

It just need a $3 tweak, like I said earlier.

But why settle for less when you can have more? lol

One may ask why would I take apart a perfectly good reel, throw some parts into the storeroom for eternity and replace them with new ones that in all reality it didn't really need?

Answer is pretty straightforward:

1) Weight reduction

2) Greater casting distance

3) Enhanced smoothness

4) Increased cranking power

5) Cosmetic improvement

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And finally, here's how my Ryoga looks like close up: