I just purchased the Lamson Konic 2 reel. The first impression was that of the reels finish. It looks like bead blasted stainless steel although It isn't.
I decided to compar it directly against the Lamson Litespeed to determine if they maintained their quality and here is what I saw.
The finish is definitely different than the glossy Litespeed. It is an attractive reel none the less. The dull gray finish takes away from the tight lines of anodized aluminium. It seems to be more rugged and should hold up longer than the finish on the Litespeed.
The fit matches that of the more expesive Litespeed. I found no issues with the fit. The spool fit is tight and the clearances are uniform.
The drag is advertised to be the same as Lamsons other reels. I did not completely disassemble the drag but it appears that the Konic has the same roller clutch and drag material as the Litespeed. The only difference that appeared to me was that the Litespeed has an internal bearing that supports the spool shaft where is the Konic had a bronze bushing. I did not dig out the bushing to prove this but I could read the bearing numbers on the Litespeed and found no numbers on the Konic and it appeared to be a bushing instead of a bearing. The other difference in drag is that the Konic could not go as light as the Litespeed. This may be a function of wear but right now I cannot back of the drag as much as I can on the Litespeed. The drag does back out enough for what will be required of the reel but I just wanted to note the differences in reels.
I have to say for the price the Konic is definitely worth its money. In fact I think it is a great deal. You get super quality and a great drag for 1/2 the price of a comparable reel. I recommend this reel to anyone who needs a new one.

Lampson Konic Reel