I've fished with both and I put the Induron 400 to a good test this summer in the surf for stripers. The reels at this point are not bad but they are not equivalent to a Calcutta 400. Considering that a Calcutta 400b retails for $219 and an Induron 400 goes for $99 I wouldn't expect the same performance anyway, its a big price difference. It would be more appropriate to compare the Induron to the Cardiff A series.

So, here's the mini review if you will...

Drag - Decent but not amazing. They have fairly smooth startup and will set to a decent tension. They can get a little jerky if you lock them down hard. Someone is going to argue with me about this and tell me that the drags are totally smooth but they are only really average IMO.

Casting - Good. The freespool on the reels is excellent but the spool is relatively wide which cuts down on distance. The thumbar that goes all the way across the back of the frame is kind of wierd to get used to at first but the reels do cast well.

Gearing - Not that great IMO. You have to really turn the handle with this reel, it doesn't just spin freely. I've also had trouble on all my Indurons with the anti reverse. Like you'll clip your lure and tighten the line and then after running the boat around you'll find a bunch of slack in the line because the reel was letting out a little bit of line every time it got jarred. The handles feel shorter than the Shimano stuff and the paddles are on the small side which can make it harder to grind on fish.

Misc - I tested earlier versions of the Induron from a few years ago. They were not good. It was like the old Silver Shimano Corsairs, they were just very hit and miss. The one I got this year (IDx series) was better and it survived 8 or 10 trips to the saltwater casting heavy baits repeatedly. But its still a $100 reel and you shouldn't expect that just because its gold and looks like a Calcutta that its going to perform like one. When you get into this price range, no matter what reel you buy there's a chance of getting a dud or having some issue. I've heard it on the Indurons and I've heard it on the Cardiff Series A's. If you can swing the $220 for the Calcutta 400b, that would be the thing to do IMO.