Bantam A

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Re: Bantam A

Post by Cranky » Thu Jan 27, 2022 4:27 pm

It’s actually right on Shimano’s website. Go figure. *shoulder shrug*

I have the Conquest 100 with and without it. Unlike most of the “hyper” and “infinity” talk these days… it’s one feature that to me is a tangible and immediate improvement. It evolved from the heavy-load cranking saltwater reel market and it’s a feature I like a lot. It alone might actually talk me into buying a new Bantam… add in 150 size MGL3 spool and the line guide spacing… I’m a fan. My 2 cents.

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Re: Bantam A

Post by ss30378 » Thu Jan 27, 2022 5:58 pm

I agree with Cranky, the infinity drive actually has a different feel, to the point where i didn't think the reel was actually a 7.4 ratio until I counted the spool rotations. Add that and a casting improvement and I'm in on a new bantam.

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Re: Bantam A

Post by SSS » Thu Jan 27, 2022 8:12 pm

Shimano coming out with boring reels. This Bantam A with a special looking color would've been so much cooler.

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Re: Bantam A

Post by DirtyD64 » Fri Jan 28, 2022 5:16 am

Cranky wrote:
Thu Jan 27, 2022 4:27 pm
It’s actually right on Shimano’s website. Go figure. *shoulder shrug*

I have the Conquest 100 with and without it. Unlike most of the “hyper” and “infinity” talk these days… it’s one feature that to me is a tangible and immediate improvement. It evolved from the heavy-load cranking saltwater reel market and it’s a feature I like a lot. It alone might actually talk me into buying a new Bantam… add in 150 size MGL3 spool and the line guide spacing… I’m a fan. My 2 cents.
How does the Conquest cast/feel compare to other reels you have? I have only ever owned a Chronarch MGL and all other Shimano's are spinners. I really want to try the HG 100 Conquest. I notice it has a crazy low line capacity, which I like, just hope it can finesse cast around what the 2020 Metanium MGL can. I am sure if you notice the Infinity Drive between Conquest models, I will for sure feel it after only using the Chronarch MGL (which some proclaim is buzzy/geary).

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Re: Bantam A

Post by ss30378 » Fri Jan 28, 2022 3:06 pm

DirtyD64 wrote:
Fri Jan 28, 2022 5:16 am
Cranky wrote:
Thu Jan 27, 2022 4:27 pm
It’s actually right on Shimano’s website. Go figure. *shoulder shrug*

I have the Conquest 100 with and without it. Unlike most of the “hyper” and “infinity” talk these days… it’s one feature that to me is a tangible and immediate improvement. It evolved from the heavy-load cranking saltwater reel market and it’s a feature I like a lot. It alone might actually talk me into buying a new Bantam… add in 150 size MGL3 spool and the line guide spacing… I’m a fan. My 2 cents.
How does the Conquest cast/feel compare to other reels you have? I have only ever owned a Chronarch MGL and all other Shimano's are spinners. I really want to try the HG 100 Conquest. I notice it has a crazy low line capacity, which I like, just hope it can finesse cast around what the 2020 Metanium MGL can. I am sure if you notice the Infinity Drive between Conquest models, I will for sure feel it after only using the Chronarch MGL (which some proclaim is buzzy/geary).
The 21 conquest will run right with my 2020 Metanium (JDM model) when it comes to casting. I use both with weightless 5" senkos and smaller t-rigs and I think they are so close the rod they are on and which line I'm running has more to do with the casting performance than the reel does. I've had a few chronarch MGLs and I actually like those reels quite a bit but the Metanium beats it in just about every category except for cost. I've had a bad run with the 2020 Mets going geary on me quickly but I think I have them figured out [-o< . My latest Met is extremely smooth (new zillion level smooth) has been out a few times with some good fish and heavy resistance baits on it and has stayed smooth longer than my previous ones much so I'll continue to see how it does long term.

The conquest is on another level though when it comes to smoothness and refinement and tolerances however, it's only downside other than cost is the extra weight and some folks don't like round reels. If you can get past that it's like the swiss watch of fishing reels.

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Re: Bantam A

Post by DirtyD64 » Fri Jan 28, 2022 6:54 pm

ss30378 wrote:
Fri Jan 28, 2022 3:06 pm
DirtyD64 wrote:
Fri Jan 28, 2022 5:16 am
Cranky wrote:
Thu Jan 27, 2022 4:27 pm
It’s actually right on Shimano’s website. Go figure. *shoulder shrug*

I have the Conquest 100 with and without it. Unlike most of the “hyper” and “infinity” talk these days… it’s one feature that to me is a tangible and immediate improvement. It evolved from the heavy-load cranking saltwater reel market and it’s a feature I like a lot. It alone might actually talk me into buying a new Bantam… add in 150 size MGL3 spool and the line guide spacing… I’m a fan. My 2 cents.
How does the Conquest cast/feel compare to other reels you have? I have only ever owned a Chronarch MGL and all other Shimano's are spinners. I really want to try the HG 100 Conquest. I notice it has a crazy low line capacity, which I like, just hope it can finesse cast around what the 2020 Metanium MGL can. I am sure if you notice the Infinity Drive between Conquest models, I will for sure feel it after only using the Chronarch MGL (which some proclaim is buzzy/geary).
The 21 conquest will run right with my 2020 Metanium (JDM model) when it comes to casting. I use both with weightless 5" senkos and smaller t-rigs and I think they are so close the rod they are on and which line I'm running has more to do with the casting performance than the reel does. I've had a few chronarch MGLs and I actually like those reels quite a bit but the Metanium beats it in just about every category except for cost. I've had a bad run with the 2020 Mets going geary on me quickly but I think I have them figured out [-o< . My latest Met is extremely smooth (new zillion level smooth) has been out a few times with some good fish and heavy resistance baits on it and has stayed smooth longer than my previous ones much so I'll continue to see how it does long term.

The conquest is on another level though when it comes to smoothness and refinement and tolerances however, it's only downside other than cost is the extra weight and some folks don't like round reels. If you can get past that it's like the swiss watch of fishing reels.
Yeah the weight doesn't bother me. Have been really enjoying my Zillion TWS w/ DIY spool recently. It is a huge reel but very powerful and actually quite smooth with the 7.3 gears (did NOT like the 9.1 gears). I figure I will be more than pleased with a Conquest. I did get on the Japanese Amazon site though and there were a ton of bad reviews and incidents concerning ordering a new Conquest... Maybe just one mad customer?
Either way, I got to thinking, this Bantam has a 35mm spool right? Is it not being geared more toward heavier duty work? What are the other spool sizes (height/diameter) of popular Shimano MGL reels???

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Re: Bantam A

Post by ss30378 » Fri Jan 28, 2022 8:11 pm

I usually stick to JLS or digitaka for ordering reels and haven’t had any issues.

Spool sizes for MGL reels:
29mm- new Aldebaran bfs
32mm - Aldebaran MGL and 16 Aldebaran bfs
33mm- 21 Conquest
34mm- Antares 70 and Metanium and 18 bantam
35mm- New Bantam

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Re: Bantam A

Post by arrowslinger1 » Fri Jan 28, 2022 9:59 pm

ss30378 wrote:
Fri Jan 28, 2022 8:11 pm
I usually stick to JLS or digitaka for ordering reels and haven’t had any issues.

Spool sizes for MGL reels:
29mm- new Aldebaran bfs
32mm - Aldebaran MGL and 16 Aldebaran bfs
33mm- 21 Conquest
34mm- Antares 70 and Metanium and 18 bantam
35mm- New Bantam
Are these widths or diameters?
If they are widths- have diameters changed?

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Re: Bantam A

Post by DirtyD64 » Sat Jan 29, 2022 5:39 am

ss30378 wrote:
Fri Jan 28, 2022 8:11 pm
I usually stick to JLS or digitaka for ordering reels and haven’t had any issues.

Spool sizes for MGL reels:
29mm- new Aldebaran bfs
32mm - Aldebaran MGL and 16 Aldebaran bfs
33mm- 21 Conquest
34mm- Antares 70 and Metanium and 18 bantam
35mm- New Bantam
Thanks, had no idea that the Conquest was actually shorter than the Metanium 2020. I know everyone thinks I am crazy when I ask how well the Conquest will finesse, but it is just a question to determine how well it will do with lures toward the lighter range. As far as the Bantam goes, I do not remember then original being the best finesse reel, looks like they are totally diverting from that possibility with the new model. Would still like to see if anyone could post a side by side to compare line guide to spool length...

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Re: Bantam A

Post by ss30378 » Sat Jan 29, 2022 5:51 am

arrowslinger1 wrote:
Fri Jan 28, 2022 9:59 pm
ss30378 wrote:
Fri Jan 28, 2022 8:11 pm
I usually stick to JLS or digitaka for ordering reels and haven’t had any issues.

Spool sizes for MGL reels:
29mm- new Aldebaran bfs
32mm - Aldebaran MGL and 16 Aldebaran bfs
33mm- 21 Conquest
34mm- Antares 70 and Metanium and 18 bantam
35mm- New Bantam
Are these widths or diameters?
If they are widths- have diameters changed?
Those are diameters

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Re: Bantam A

Post by HobeyBaker » Sat Feb 12, 2022 12:46 pm

I ended up ordering one of these for a cranking reel. I needed something with cranking power and the infinity drive pushed me over the edge.

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Re: Bantam A

Post by twiggen » Wed Feb 23, 2022 5:41 pm

ss30378 wrote:
Fri Jan 28, 2022 3:06 pm
I've had a bad run with the 2020 Mets going geary on me quickly but I think I have them figured out [-o< . My latest Met is extremely smooth (new zillion level smooth) has been out a few times with some good fish and heavy resistance baits on it and has stayed smooth longer than my previous ones much so I'll continue to see how it does long term.
I too have a 2020 Met that went buzzy / geary on me in a matter of months no matter how many times I disassembled and regreased, and compared to my 21 Conquest it's like a night / day difference :crying: If you don't mind sharing your wisdom, how did you finally "figure them out"?

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Re: Bantam A

Post by ss30378 » Wed Feb 23, 2022 7:42 pm

twiggen wrote:
Wed Feb 23, 2022 5:41 pm
ss30378 wrote:
Fri Jan 28, 2022 3:06 pm
I've had a bad run with the 2020 Mets going geary on me quickly but I think I have them figured out [-o< . My latest Met is extremely smooth (new zillion level smooth) has been out a few times with some good fish and heavy resistance baits on it and has stayed smooth longer than my previous ones much so I'll continue to see how it does long term.
I too have a 2020 Met that went buzzy / geary on me in a matter of months no matter how many times I disassembled and regreased, and compared to my 21 Conquest it's like a night / day difference :crying: If you don't mind sharing your wisdom, how did you finally "figure them out"?
Sure can.

Back story I had 3 JDM metanium XG reels all go geary very very quickly (within a couple hours use on one of them) and it was buzzy to the point i actually put new gearsets in them and sold them off. I have a habit of opening the reels up right away and adding some shimano star drag grease to the gears right out of the gate. They all still went geary, loved everything about the reels except for the durability aspect. I don't use braid or lock down my drags, all of my mets went bad on 10-12lb line with drag set to let big fish run. Needless to say to have this happen was disheartening.

Not letting good judgement get in the way I put aside my feud with the MMs and wanted to try and figure them out so I ordered a 4th Met XG along with a few other MM geared reels. Talking with the local reel tuner he said a lot of pinion bearings were going bad very quickly causing the geary feel and another thread here on TT showed the Met drag pressure plate was very soft and getting deformed very quickly potentially causing the issue. So my guess is the MMs require such tight tolerance any load deflection that can cause a misalignment will cause the buzz to happen.

My thoughts were to do what I can to address any wear part that could cause misalignment, and mess with different lubes to see if one worked better than another. One thing i noticed with the JDM shimano reels is the permalube they use from the factory doesn't mix well with the star drag grease. All the geary reels when I opened them up after going buzzy had the grease turn to a blackened goo. On a side note I also add the star drag grease to my daiwa reels and it doesn't change to the goo so it's just with the Shimano factory JDM lube it seems. My USDM curado 150 looked to have star drag grease on it from the factory so maybe the USDM mets do too??

Current process that has worked with the Met, Bantam, Curado and Conquest thus far:
-Right out of the box I strip the factory grease off the gears with mineral spirits and a toothbrush
-I wash the gears again with dawn dish soap to get any mineral spirits residue off
-I pull and pack the pinion and main shaft bearings with superlube as its a bit thinner and slicker than the shimano grease. Once it works in it really doesn't add much to rotational resistance to the reel
-I reassemble and re-grease the gears with the star drag grease (I am now testing with krytox gpl227 instead of shimano grease to see if there is any difference)
-I have not had to do anything to address the drag pressure plate as mine have stayed in shape, probably due to the fact I do run lighter drag pressures

So far this process has kept my MM geared reels smooth with quite a few fish on them so far. It may be just luck but I'll watch closely for any change in feel. Now this is not to bash shimano, I've had gears from shimano, daiwa and abu all loose their initial smoothness over time and sometimes it just the fact things wear out with use but I should at least get a full season in with most of the initial smoothness still there in my opinion. On a bright note at least gear sets are cheap for shimanos I guess. I do also think the infinitydrive on the conquest and the new bantam will help maintain smoothness over time a little bit better (in theory) since the load is getting spread out over more than just the pinion bearings but we will see.

Hope this helps , good luck on getting your Met back in shape.

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Re: Bantam A

Post by tdm » Thu Feb 24, 2022 9:12 am

i never had any problems with MM gears, all of my shimano reels when brand new
went from really smooth then developes some random noise but after using it for
at least a little while, everything seems to settle down and get smooth
again, not factory smooth but smooth enough to understand that there's nothing
wrong with the reel. it's like the reel needs a "Break-in" period much like any
thing mechanical. one thing i learned is to never put oil in those bearings when
the reels are new, i'll typically wait for a while otherwise they'll get really
loud and makes all kind of noise.

one way for me to test if the gears are bad (this only applies to reels equipped
with x-ship) is to remove the spool, give it some drag pressure then turn the
handle as if you are reeling in line, feel-listen for any kind of noise and
undestand if the noise are generated by the gear or by the pinion,x-ship or
AR bearings, if it's kind of "raspy" noise and no vibration then for me it's the
bearings, doesn't mean they're bad but could just be noisy and in my experience
the "raspy" noise just goes away overtime or just replace them is they don't,
now if it's smooth then followed by "geary" vibration after every revolution of
the handle then i think it's time to send it in for repair if it's still under
warranty.

the other test is to just put the spool back in, apply a "load" pressure using
my finger on the spool the turn the handle and listen for the same things.

i'm not sure if my ways of testing are good or not but it works for me. i would
think a damage gear set will produce all kind of weird noise other than just a
normal gear meshing noise and yes it can be louder in chronarch and metanium
compare to their aluminum cousins.

i've been there guys and don't let it get to you. i know how it feels :lol:

HG's are the fastest reels i own but have a few 6 ratio and i can tell that
the slow gears are quiter than the higher gears, i've read it somewhere that
XG's typically are more "geary" overall than the others?

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Re: Bantam A

Post by LowRange » Thu Feb 24, 2022 10:13 am

Smooth and silent reels are just nice. If it's going to make buzzing noises under load then it better be sub $200. It I'm paying over $200 then I expect nice. [-( That's just me though. Others are number driven and if the Met and Bantam are the same price then they go for the lighter one. Just got to know what your tastes are.

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