Curado G My Opinion

[John Puckett]

LAGVPI99, yes they are wider than the E series of reels. Just "bulkier" in general but man they are sure built like tanks.

100D is not that much bigger than the E or G.

Sorry I should have been more specific, I was referring to the 200 size in both series.

[dragon1]

No worries...just wanted to let others know that there is a smaller sized D in case they want to try and procure one.

[LAGVPI99]

I cheaped out and bought the Citica instead of the Curado 100D. Had I bought the 100D I probably would still have them.

[DanfromMD]

Curado G is a great reel, I have them all. The 101 d is my favorite. Peoples misperceptions are great for me, brings the prices way down. Just got a g7 for 65 bucks including shipment. Got a great price on the D when they first came out, since folks whined about it as well.

[Cagey]

The one thing I did not like about my brand new G7 was that I could feel the gears under load. My old curado B series reels are perfectly smooth, but I was wanting a faster reel so I bought a new CU-201G7.

I sold that G7 about as fast as I bought it because rough gears right out of the box is a turn off. I did not like the feel of the reel that much anyways.

I replaced it with a broken Bass Pro Johnny Morris gold series reel JMX10SHLA I bought off ebay for $15.00. Bought a $5.00 part for it, and now I have a decent 7.1:1 reel that is smooth and easy to handle. I know its not a million dollar JDM reel, but neither was my G7 with the made in Malaysia stamp on it, but at least the Johnny Morris reel is smooth under load. I can live with that.

I needed a quick fix for 7:1 speed and the JMX10SHLA was just too good of a deal to pass up. I have since purchased some similar Browning MI10SHLD high speed reels that work fine too. They even have a better drag setup than the curado did- which was one dartanium II drag washer, and the Bass Pro/Browning reels all have triple carbon fiber drag washers. And the Bass Pro reels have both centifrugal and magnetic anti-backlash braking and just as many if not more bearings than the curado does. So they perform as well as the G7 for me once I overhauled each reel to my standards along with ceramic hybrid bearing upgrades.

When I break the G7 down to individual parts- and the Bass Pro/Browning reels- honestly, there is not a whole lot of difference when you get right down to it other than drag washers and braking. All are built on solid aluminum frames, bearing use is the same, lightweight drilled out wiffle spools are very similar, but Bass Pro is giving me a little bit more in features than the curado does and so I moved away from curado G7 for these reasons.

I gave the shimano curado G7 a chance first and it did not last a week before I put it on ebay and sold it. And so far I have been very satisfied with the Bass Pro and Browning replacements even if they are not as pricey as the curado was. And those Browning reels fit my hand perfectly where the G7 was bigger and bulkier and sat up higher on the rod while both Bass Pro/Browning reels sit much lower and fit in my palm much better, but I am not a big fan of the chrome mirror finish on the Johnny Morris which is similar to my chronarch reels and is slippery when wet.

The G7 is not a bad reel. It fits some better than it fits others. My experience with the G7 is why I moved away from the curado line all together.

I am looking at Daiwa reels right now and might try one of those soon...

[lifeofRiley]

So the Chronarch E has a plastic drag star?

[facelessnewsouth]

So the Chronarch E has a plastic drag star?

Yup.

[Fishing4Fun]

So the Chronarch E has a plastic drag star?

Correct. The Curado 200E does actually have an aluminum drag star. I belive the 50E Curado and Chronarch both have plastic stars.

[fishingandfords]

So the Chronarch E has a plastic drag star?

Not really a big deal. Not like your going to break it that easily and it cuts weights