Cheeky Boost 400 Fly Reel Review

Mar 15, 2018 · 2 min read

Blue anodized Cheeky Boost 400 fly reel with black skeletonized spool and large ported aluminum frame

Please remember that there are no ads on this page and 100% of our funding comes from your purchases, so if you find this review to be informative, please help us keep the reviews coming by purchasing your next fly reel from us. Last time around, Cheeky came out as one of our favorite reels with the Mojo. This year, we’re testing the value-based Cheeky Boost. Cheeky introduced the Boost to give customers a more wallet friendly option. Can it live up to the legacy? 8-Weight Shootout Full Results

Weight

7.0 ounces. A great weight!

Drag

Blue anodized aluminum open-frame Cheeky Boost 400 fly reel spool with black drag plate and silver spindle

The Boost brings about 3.5lbs of drag to the table, which is… not much. Worse, only about 1.7lbs of it is readily accessible. At the halfway mark, you’re at a mere .4lbs or 11%. The drag probably would have been ok if it had stopped there, but it doesn’t. It goes all the way down to .01lbs. It’s great if you want to get a really, really, long drift…

Drag Test Graphs

Cheeky Boost 400 fly reel blue line graph showing drag force (lbs) vs distance with gridlines and 3.5–4 lb steady range

Sound

The Boost has a silent incoming retrieve and a nice, but muted outgoing.

Spool & Retrieval Rate

One of the best things about the old Mojo was its spool. 5 years ago, it was a leader. The Boost 400 is no slouch either. The spool design is definitely its best feature, picking up line at 9.6 inches per turn, it’s in the top 3^rd of all reels tested. It’s also got a very reasonable amount of capacity.

Looks & Ergonomics

I’ve said this before – Cheeky reels are love’em or hate’em. It’s boldly colored and definitely stands out on the water. Personally, I like it, but then again I don’t own many jet black reels. One thing that I don’t love on the Boost is the drag knob – it’s just too thin and small to grab easily. The handle is decent, but doesn’t really stand out in any way.

Finish and durability

Blue anodized aluminum Cheeky Boost 400 fly reel with black ventilated spool and machined large-arbor design

The finish on the Boost is not the toughest. It was pretty easy to see both drop and drag marks. These issues were just cosmetic though.

Warranty

Lifetime to the original owner + $0. Great! Price: $229

Conclusion

The Cheeky Boost 400 is in a tough spot. It’s priced the same as the ridiculously good Orvis Hydros SL. Get this reel if you’re a fan of Cheeky’s progressive brand and bold looks. They’ll stand behind their product and you’ll have some much cooler looking fishing photos. Buy it with Free Shipping here.

Pros

Looks
Price

Cons

Drag

Written by

Ben Freeman

Ben Freeman founded Trident Fly Fishing in 2012 to cut through the marketing fluff and provide anglers with the technical info they actually need. He’s built his reputation by putting gear to the ultimate test in the world’s most unforgiving fisheries. With fishing stamps from over 22 countries and 17+ states, Ben’s passport is a roadmap of bucket list angling—from landing a 25lb Golden Dorado in Bolivia and 150lb Arapaima in Guyana to sight-casting for Roosterfish off the beaches in Baja. Whether it’s battling 60+mph winds to land a 20lb Rainbow at Jurassic Lake or a full day of casting 8in streamers in Mongolia, Ben has spent decades ensuring his gear performs when a trip of a lifetime is on the line.

At Trident, Ben serves as the lead gear geek, specializing in the deep-dive mechanics of rods, reels, and lines. Over the past 15 years, he's reviewed 250+ fly rods and 150+ fly reels and is likely one of the most prolific rod reviewers in the world. But he doesn't just curate the catalog; he scrutinizes every taper and drag system through the lens of a traveling angler who knows what it's like to have gear fail a thousand miles from home. For Ben, the mission is simple: leverage his experience across nearly 100 species to ensure that when you head into the wild, you’re equipped with gear that has been vetted by someone who has actually been there.

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