410 vs 400

[Syd]

Hello everyone. I have been wondering about the difference between these two reels and I’m sure the answer would be the same for the 310 vs 300
I haven’t taken a 10 apart yet but I was wondering what the difference is between them and anything special I need to watch for. I believe there are bearings in the handle shaft and I’m thinking also at the base of the rotor. Do all the other parts interchange? Thanks Syd

[Wallace Carney]

Hi Syd,

The simple answer is yes they are as you described however, any time you want to compare similar Mitchell reels, like 400 vs 410, go to a schematic of each reel.

The bearings you speak of will be shown and as far as any parts being compatible, if they have the same exact part number, then yes they are interchangeable.

I hope this helps you understand the mechanics behind the different reels and if not, then please ask.

Kind Regards,
Wallace

[GreatLaker]

Hello everyone. I have been wondering about the difference between these two reels and I’m sure the answer would be the same for the 310 vs 300
I haven’t taken a 10 apart yet but I was wondering what the difference is between them and anything special I need to watch for. I believe there are bearings in the handle shaft and I’m thinking also at the base of the rotor. Do all the other parts interchange? Thanks Syd

Syd,
As we have said many times here at the MRM, Mitchell reel models changed over time. Furthermore, the models were not all introduced at the same time in the U.S. nor were they introduced at the same time in other countries around the world. What was happening in the USA was not necessarily going on in Europe, especially France. To complicate things even more, not all models were exactly the same around the world. There were different distributors world-wide. Here in the U.S. we had Garcia.

The 300 model was the most popular model Mitchell made and was sold world-wide (83 different countries).
The 310 was an ultra-lite model which was introduced way later (circa 1989) in the U.S. and very different from the 300.
It was the 350 (first introduced as the Rapid) that was like the 300 only with high-speed gearing.
The 400 replaced the 350 in the U.S. (Garcia Distributed) around 1963/64 and took over as the 300 high-speed version.
The 410 had high speed gearing like the 400, but, also had roller bearings on the drive-gear shaft and on the rotor shaft/axle.
Each model had it's own features which I will not go into here, but remember, they changed over time.

Follow Wallace's advice when taking them apart, he is a world renowned expert to whom we all owe a huge debt of gratitude.

Kind Regards,
Bill