I'll start by saying that Although I own more Shimano baitcasters than any other brand, I'm not only a Shimano guy. I own the Tatula type R that I just purchased this year and several other Daiwa, Abu, and BPS reels. This focuses on what I consider to be the new flagships for Shimano for some time to come.
Undoubtedly, more people will own the Curado I. I've owned and still own Curado B's, D's, and E's (and a G that I sold), and I can honestly say the I series, at least from a first year performance standpoint does pretty much everything better than previous generations. The I's cast farther and more smoothly, they handle both light and heavy tackle exceptionally well, they're more adaptable to different weather situations, and the retrieve is smoother than it's ever been with other Curado's. It's my contention that at it's price point (anywhere from $120-$200), there's not a better all purpose reel on the market. That's not to say it's the best at everything. My Daiwa Tatula R is smoother, my Abu Winch is better for heavy cranks, but really, there's hardly a reason to go with a different reel in this range unless you're a tournament fisherman or you just like having the absolute perfect reel for every application.
Time will tell if it holds up like the older Curado's, but I'm very optimistic. I've used mine heavily and they're better than new out of the box (mine all took a little break in). A tiny bit of maintenance every couple of months and you're good to go. Excellent reel in all gear ratios.
As for the Chronarch Ci4+... first off, it's usually around $90 more, and can usually be had for $200-$270. I think it's justified that it costs more. I'm trying to be as objective as possible here, but the Chronarch is a better reel, hands down. I often see people say the Curado is smoother or casts better or is built better. I can't say from my personal experience that's the case at all. They're both good reels, but the Chronarch is just... slick. It's as smooth as any reel I've used (I own a Daiwa T3 and a Shimano Metanium), it casts as well or better than anything I've casted, and it gives you plenty of power for all but the heaviest applications. Some people don't care for the light construction, but I love it. It's light, but not slight, and is as solid as any reel I've used. I can't say I've banged it against a concrete wall, but it's never given me a single issue. People sometimes call the Chronarch a finesse reel for flipping and pitching, and although it can be used and excels as such, it's much much more.
Both excellent reels. I own two of both in different gear ratios, and I use them for everything but the heaviest applications such as deep cranking and in heavy cover, where a lower geared reel like the Abu Winch or my older 5.1 or 4.1 Curados provide more torque. I usually keep 3-5 reels on the boat, and these compromise all but one or two every time.
Do I think the Chronarch is worth the extra dough? Yeah, actually I do. Consider that these reels will probably be in your inventory for the next 15-20 years or more. That's an extra $4-6/year. Absolutely worth it for a reel that's competitive with anything I've owned right out of the box. I know people mod the Curado to get it there, and that's awesome. I'm talking stock.
Try both. You can't lose with either. If you're in the market, I believe they're the best all around reels at their respective price points, with the Chronarch competitive with anything out there.
