Put simply, most reels and rods on the market will work. You could walk into Wal-Mart and buy a Zebco 33(even though they are awful now) and an Ugly Stik, and you would have minimal issues with all types of baits, excluding big swimbaits and tiny 1/16oz flies. That's only because of the difference in weight -- you wouldn't be able to cast the fly more than a few yards, and the swimbait could potentially break your rod in some instances. Even then, when I was a kid, I used this kind of gear fishing for everything from tiny bluegill to 20lb blue catfish.
Most of the discussion on this forum about using this specific line in this application, with this specific rod and reel with this exact gear ratio -- it's about creating absolute perfection. You don't need a 7'6" Heavy frog rod, 60lb braid, and a reel with a high speed gear ratio. If you have time and money, or if you fish professionally, yeah, it makes sense to create a dozen different setups with optimal rods and reels for each bait you use. Other than that, though, it doesn't really matter that much. What you gain by having all of these different optimized setups is minimal, so the choice is yours. If you want to spend thousands of dollars on fishing gear, go for it. If you don't, that's fine too.
You're exactly right. The market is designed to make people think that they need 10 rods and 10 reels, every soft plastic in 40 different colors, 15 types of topwater baits, etc. The truth is that there are dozens of reels around or just under $100 that will do just about everything that a $400 reel will do. The main difference is the feel. More expensive reels will often be lighter, or have more bearings, better handle knobs, different gears(Shimano Micro Module as an example). All of these features are based around the way the reel feels. The spool will spin more smoothly, the handle will turn more smoothly, the actual gears meshing will feel different("better" here is subjective).
The most valuable information is going to come from what the different brands offer. As someone above pointed out, several reels from different companies are made in the same factory. They're fine options. Magnetic brakes, the important spots have bearings, the gears and drag washers are fine. None of them are particularly special, especially on the lower end, but they will all cast things like Senkos, crankbaits, frogs, Whopper Ploppers, etc.
Then, you have people like Daiwa and Shimano, both of whom do things differently. Daiwa uses the proprietary Magforce(slight variations as you spend more money) brake system. You can find videos explaining the idea, but it's something that, to me, is genius. It's simple but elegant, and it works fantastically. Their more expensive reels are even more unbelievable. The same thing goes for Shimano. They use a centrifugal brake system using pins, that are typically set and forget, much like the Magforce. I don't understand it on a fundamental level, but essentially it utilizes pins to create friction, preventing the spool from spinning too fast. This is different than magnetic brakes, which work, but may need to be adjusted more frequently based on their effectiveness. The DC system is astonishing, much like Daiwa's more expensive stuff. For those reasons, I am partial to Daiwa and Shimano, and I believe that's why they have emerged recently as the top dogs in the market. That's why they're recommended so much, because of the VBS braking system of the past, and because of the introduction of Magforce.
Beyond that, there are companies like KastKing and Piscifun. They're targeting the absolute entry-level market, using cheap Chinese parts/labor(it's just a fact, I'm not hating). They typically have bearings everywhere, carbon drag washers, some have carbon fiber handles, waffled spools, and slick paint jobs. On paper, they should be every bit as good as some of the cheaper Doyo stuff at the very least, but one drawback of the Chinese market is that quality assurance is lacking. You're more likely to get a rod/reel that's DOA or that has some kind of catastrophic failure quickly. For that reason, despite the specifications, these reels are not recommended as much as Daiwa, Shimano, Abu Garcia, etc.
Now... I'm going to try to tackle some specific things you brought up. As someone mentioned, the Fuego CT and the Tatula CT are almost the same reel. They use many of the same parts(and some of the parts have different model numbers solely because of the paint job), and they use the same frame. The differences are the T-Wing System, two bearings in the handle knobs themselves(so I'm talking about the actual knobs on the handle, not the whole thing), as well as an aluminum side plate, although that last point might be false. There is actually no indication in the marketing that the side plate is aluminum, and you can find a post of someone complaining about the Tatula CT having a composite side plate(on the handle side), with pictures to prove it. Also, the parts diagram for the CT Type-R shows the same honeycomb pattern on the side plate that is in the Fuego's diagram. In short, the main difference is the T-Wing, which is enough for some people to suggest the extra $30, whether it's because of marketing hype, or the potential for "longer" casts, etc.
Back to general differences among reels. Corrosion resistant bearings cost more than standard ones. Aluminum, Magnesium, metal alloys in general cost more to machine and develop than composites do. Clicking spool tension knobs, metal drag stars, proprietary things like the TWS from Daiwa and X-Ship from Shimano also carry a price bump. Some of these things are important depending on what you need. If you're fishing in saltwater, corrosion resistant bearings are important. If you're fishing for big fish, a metal frame is a good idea because some composites can flex under stress.
With all of that said, if you're fishing for bass and you don't need to cast a mile or go to a tournament, you could close your eyes and pick a reel. You don't need a lot of drag, you don't need fancy bearings or even a metal frame. Everyone has their own bias, though, so some people will recommend buying a Casitas because of its stunning performance, while others will recommend something like the Fuego CT because of the braking system and aluminum frame. At that point, it comes down to what your biases are. Are you the kind of person who won't buy a Glock because it's "plastic"? Are you the kind of person who will spend an extra $20 on a pair of sunglasses for the brand name? All we can do is give you our recommendations. It's up to you to discern what's the best option for you.
I'm also a "beginner". Before this summer, I hadn't fished in ~10 years when I was in high school, and I kind of used whatever back then. I've read all of the same threads that you have, and if any of them were recent, I probably commented in some of them. There are many technical things that I've learned, but I've also seen people directly contradict empirical data despite it being right in front of them, I've seen people make heavy-handed comments on a particular brand of fishing line, or composite reels as a whole, based solely on their personal experience despite others disagreeing. It's important to see through the rhetoric and the bias, and to look at technical differences, and you also can't read a comment and take it as a universal truth. All of that has to be examined, and checked against logic and what you already know.
Pay attention to the things that are important in a reel:
Max drag -- Are you fishing for largemouth and smallmouth bass or something bigger? Choose accordingly.
Braking system -- Do you change lures often? Does the weight vary by a large margin? If so, decide if you are fine with turning a dial every time, or if you want to find a happy medium and forget about the brakes.
Ergonomics -- This isn't mentioned a lot, but reels come in all different shapes and sizes. If you can, play with reels in person so you can see if the handle is long/short enough, if it sits too low or too high on the seat, if there's some kind of lever or knob that's going to bother your finger.
Durability -- Saltwater? How long do you want this reel to last? Do you drop things often? How often are you going to breakdown the reel to clean it? Metal is typically more durable especially if you're a klutz, sealed corrosion resistant bearings will last longer, etc.
Gear ratio -- My opinion might be unpopular, but this really doesn't matter too much for me, but that might have to do with the things I throw on the water. Lower gear ratios will bring in less line per handle rotation(the spool diameter and depth also factors in, but only slightly), so if you need to burn something out on the water, a high gear ratio like 8:1 or 9:1 would require less work. The same goes for punching around specific pieces of structure or using a frog, where the sweet spot can be relatively small, and you reel in to recast often.
Once you've figured out what you need, technically speaking, everything else is subjective. If you like the looks of one reel over another at the same price, and there's a difference of 2 bearings, who cares? Buy the one you want -- you can always buy bearings for a few bucks later. If you see a huge sale on a reel that fits the criteria above, get it. If you want to go all out on something exotic(JDM, DC, Steez), no one's stopping you. In most(if not all) relevant metrics, these reels will be better than a Curado K or a Fuego/Tatula CT, but there's no real barrier of entry. You won't be able to cast light lures on a Curado K as far as you'd be able to with an Aldebaran, but it won't be like fishing with a soda bottle.
I won't keep rambling on for much longer because this post is comically long already, but I'll end with this. Decide what you're going to be fishing for, and what you're going to be using. If you're fishing for something big or with sharp teeth, size up on the rod and use abrasion resistant line. If you're in some finesse application looking for panfish or some kind of skittish game fish, get an appropriately light rod, a reel with a light spool, and thin fishing line. If you're going to be throwing heavy swimbaits, get a heavy rod that to accommodate. However, if you want to cover most of your bases in a single setup, grab a durable reel like the Fuego CT(better deal than the Tatula CT, period, with the exception of the T-Wing's advantages which I mentioned above) in the 7.3:1 gear ratio, and a MH rod around 7'. My next purchase would be a M/MF rod and the same reel in 6.3:1 for treble hook applications, and then I'd go with a H rod with the same reel in 8.1:1 for frogs and heavy punching. Those three setups will cover nearly everything from weightless senkos, to crankbaits, topwater, flipping and pitching, even swimbaits. Rod length as it relates to action and power, is something that I don't know a lot about, but generally speaking, longer rods will be able to cast further and in some cases, handle heavier baits better(everything else being equal).
EDIT: It took me an hour to write all of this and there have been more replies. Regarding the Curado, it is the de facto workhorse reel. It's a fantastic reel in general, and it is undeniably better than a Tatula CT. Whether or not the differences are worth the extra money spent is going to be up to you -- how much money you want to spend, how much the "feel" matters to you, etc. I'd personally rather spend less money and get the Fuego(think of it as the Tatula without the T-Wing), because I don't care too much about the Micro Module gears, and the Magforce Z braking system is just as good as the SVS(if not better, which can be argued). Still though, I would use a Curado without a second thought.
