Folks,

Just wondering if anyone  had any experience with either one of these reels.

Thanks in advance for any input.

Al

I don't own the Conquest, but I have and still use the Calcutta reels. They are well built and smooth operators. However, if you've never used a round bait caster, they take a little to get use to. You can't palm them like you do a low profile and I find that when I pick one up to cast after using a low profile, it takes a few seconds to find my "hand memory." They are not the round casters our fathers and grandfathers used, they are much more refined and can be dialed in just as easily as the low profile reels.  If TW still has their demo program, you might try it before you buy it, then if you decide you don't like it, you can send it back. (Not sure how this really works, give them a call.) I do know this about Shimano high-end reels, they are built like high-end Swiss watches and if you take care of them they last. I have a couple of the Calais reels that are over 10 years old and they still perform as good as they did when they first came out of the box.

Go for it, I think you'll like it.