Future Of The Curado

[solo_bro]

Just wondering of any reel engineers/R&D guys have any insight on the situation of the Curados returning to a better quality then a cut cost reel. For instance the "e" series has a bit more bells than the "g" series. Some of the things i noticed are crank, spool and bearings. I know its getting tuff for Shimano guys, when a used "e" series hit ebay guys are chomping a the bit in bids. 

[J Francho]

I hear a total realignment in the line up is in the works.  They will restore balance to the Force, lol.

[solo_bro]

Mouth watering, I'm tired of fighting with other fans boys on ebay for a used "e" or bantam series. Its really like a dogfight on ebay and I come out getting my b@ss! kicked a few times. Paying upwards of $140-150 for a used reel, the revo stx and winch have been catching my eye lately. In my heart I been all Shimano. I don't want to jump ship just yet, however I can't bring myself to buying a "g" series either.

[J Francho]

Auction sniper, bro.

 

http://www.auctionsniper.com/?who=eE9TmkwvpBKNbVGjISfWUg%3d%3d

[Raul]

IMHO, the 200 size D series were the absolute best Curados ever made, the only "issue" with them was the weight. Size 100 D series were just slightly better 100 B series but 200 size were a completely different animals ----> Chronarch quality features at Curado price. I´ve got an E and like it but I don´t see what the fuzz is all about, haven´t even considered getting a G, I´ve got a strong attachment to my older than dirt B series ( they are special ), but when I grab my D series it makes me wonder why on Earth I paid 100 bucks more for my Chronarchs; the only Chronarchs I feel were worth the extra money were those fantastic  Chronarch 50 Mg.

[War Eagle 44]

In 2014 we will see a new Curado and Chronarch. I'm not an "insider" or anything like that I just happen to know someone who works for Shimano. This is all I know as of now, I don't have any info on what they are going to look like or specs of any kind. Good news is they are going the right direction with both series quality wise. 

[War Eagle 44]

IMHO, the 200 size D series were the absolute best Curados ever made, the only "issue" with them was the weight. Size 100 D series were just slightly better 100 B series but 200 size were a completely different animals ----> Chronarch quality features at Curado price. I´ve got an E and like it but I don´t see what the fuzz is all about, haven´t even considered getting a G, I´ve got a strong attachment to my older than dirt B series ( they are special ), but when I grab my D series it makes me wonder why on Earth I paid 100 bucks more for my Chronarchs; the only Chronarchs I feel were worth the extra money were those fantastic  Chronarch 50 Mg.

I agree 100%, the D series was the best Curado's to date. I however can't totally agree with you on the E series, I'm very fond of those reels as well. As far as the Chronarch being worth the extra money I think in most cases they are, my first Shimano was a Chronarch 101A, still have it and it fishes great. Also have a B series I use tons and it's fantastic as well. Never got around to the D series Chronarch's, kinda wish I had because of all the great reviews on them.

[Rangerjoe]

The G is just as good if not better then the 200SF, that everyone thought was a great reel. I would like to know if the bashers have ever opened a G and compaired it against a 200SF or for that matter an E?

I am not sponsered by Shimano, and in fact have more Diawa's then anything else, but know that Shimano has manufactured a quality reel in the G series.

[Flukeman]

The G is just as good if not better then the 200SF, that everyone thought was a great reel. I would like to know if the bashers have ever opened a G and compaired it against a 200SF or for that matter an E?

I am not sponsered by Shimano, and in fact have more Diawa's then anything else, but know that Shimano has manufactured a quality reel in the G series.

The only people I have heard of "bashing" the G are long time curado owners. I am sure they have looked inside a few of them and handled all of them. They know what they like and expect from a curado.

[*Hootie]

I have 2 Curado G200's. They work great, and I've never had a problem with them. You think I should take them back and get them fixed so they are no good? All kidding aside, from all the negative reviews on the G series reels, I'm beginning to think that I got the only 2 good ones Shimano made. I also have 2 Chronarch E200's, which I also like. So apparently I am missing something. And before it's mentioned, I do have an E series Curado, the 50E.

Hootie

Hootie

[SoCalFisher]

The bad reviews are only because the G is being compared to the E but really the G should be worse since it it cheaper. Also the chronarch 200E hate is stupid also, I like mine more than my curado 200E.

[lmbfisherman]

Hootie,

 

I'm in the same boat as you, I have 2 Curado G Series.  Don't have any issues with them and use them just as much as my E Series and Chonarch E.  I don't have any issues in casting and catching fish with them and I don't feel I'm losing anything when switching them up.  So we must have the only 4 good Gs in the whole lot. 

[Rangerjoe]

I don't know what Shimano is going to do with the Curado, but if they make it like the old E the price point to going to be $200.00 at least. The only other way is to have it manufactured by an OEM in Korea or China.

[iceintheveins]

I have a curado E and its my best baitcaster. I was really unhappy when I found out how much worse the G series was. I hope they just return the old design. Don't really want to spend 200.00 on a chronarch.

[solo_bro]

The only people I have heard of "bashing" the G are long time curado owners. I am sure they have looked inside a few of them and handled all of them. They know what they like and expect from a curado.

 

LOL i guarantee you that all the owners, including myself, have compared them visually. I'm more concerned about the "g" series quality and long term durability, I know it works but not as well as "e" series or earlier series.

[*Hootie]

I guess I could see your point about durability if I was the type to buy something and use it for 20 yrs., and there is nothing wrong with that. But I will usually move on to something else long before it has a chance to fizzle out on me. My daughter keeps saying, Dad, will you ever keep a car till it's actually broken in? She's an accountant, so she wouldn't understand....lol

Hootie

[solo_bro]

I guess I could see your point about durability if I was the type to buy something and use it for 20 yrs., and there is nothing wrong with that. But I will usually move on to something else long before it has a chance to fizzle out on me. My daughter keeps saying, Dad, will you ever keep a car till it's actually broken in? She's an accountant, so she wouldn't understand....lol

Hootie

 Right! Could the "g" be used 15 years from now like "b" and "d" have been used. The "e" series is already making a name for itself but I don't see it happening to the "g" series. Maybe its beacuse Shimano Curado was my first love in baitcasting reels, so I'm more critical on the quality and durability. I'm kinda ole skool with reels I stick with one brand and possibly one model. I can't be jumping ship every 2 or 3 years like some guys.

[craww]

I hope they do revamp the line up. For no reason than after 2 years of threads like these will go away...I can't understand why people are so tore up over this. All they did was change some names, give you more ratio options and offer a new reel at a lower price point...A pretty dang good reel at that. Can anyone actually say the G series has given them any trouble? Have you had it long enough to say it won't hold up?

Lost in all this is the fact the curado E/Chronarch E is IMO untouched by any sub $200 reel...people are missing out on a great reel.

[SoCalFisher]

I have a curado E and its my best baitcaster. I was really unhappy when I found out how much worse the G series was. I hope they just return the old design. Don't really want to spend 200.00 on a chronarch.

 

The Curado E and Chronarch E are very similar, I would say the Chronarch is better and I have both. Also, the curado E was also $200 unless you got it on sale.

[The Next KVD]

I would have to say its a toss up between the "D" series and "E" series being the best.  Both are rock solid reels and I own multiples of Curados and Citicas.  The "B" series is a good reel and I would say that even though they are old they still are the farthest casting reels I own.  Maybe not the smoothest, but farthest especially after they are supertuned.  Sad to say I'm not fond of the "G" series,  its an okay reel but I'd actually place it in last place among the series.

 

On the Chronarch side I'm alittle bit behind in only owning a 100A and 3 "B"s.  I've held a "D" and I woulda loved to have that reel.  Have yet to pick up an "E".  The B series though there is just something magical about that reel.  I don't know if its the awesome metallic gunmetal color or how the reel fits in my hands but it is "it" in my mind.

 

I really hope Shimano goes back towards something like the "E" series.  Surely they know that its not all about being price competitive as most of us are probably willing to shell out an extra $20-30 for something over the competition in their current price range.

[SoCalFisher]

Some people just don't get it. They have the Chronarch E now, this reel is by far the best reel for $200. They pretty much just changed the name of the Curado.

[tomustang]

Looking forward to something, hope it's not what they did last time to look like they did something.

[ww2farmer]

Well if the supply of good used D series reels ever dries up, I'll worry about what Shimano is doing.

[The Rooster]

I don't know what they'll do, but it won't be a return to the E frame. Companies just don't do that. That would be saying they made a mistake publicly. That could actually work, but it still won't happen. It'll be something totally new as far as shape is concerned.

I don't know how you guys feel, but here's my take on it. The Curado E was retailing for $180 before being discontinued. That was a real stretch for someone like me to obtain one at that price. But it seemed worth it for the kind of solid reel you would get. Next, they changed it, or invented a whole new one, or whatever, and lowered the price a little bit, and called it by the same name. I'm not saying the new G reel is bad, but since most people are identifying with this reel as still being the Curado, then they see it as downgraded, with a slightly less comfortable to hold shape, which it is on both counts when compared to the old E. That's where a lot of the upset comes from. Some of us see the new Chronarch E and recognize it as just a Curado with a new paint job, and that is what it is, no question. But guys like me see it with the price increase of $20 over the last nearly out of reach retail price and then it's just too much at that point (for me anyway). On the other end, the Citica was not downgraded at all. The new G reel has all the same features as the old Citica E, but the frame shape is worse now, so that's a negative with it, plus it got a mild price increase. Then the Chronarch lovers apparently had a gripe with the new version of it, saying it was a step down from what it was before, price and all! Overall, it seems Shimano did nothing right with this last round of changes, even though all the currently offered reels are good in their own right.

I had become a Shimano guy with the purchase of two of the E reels. I really like them more than most others. They lack having 4 handle bearings which I like in reels, even though my Curado actually has two, but my Citica has none. But for what I got in the reels, I can overlook that since the rest of it was so good. But since they changed it and made it less comfortable, upped the prices on the two models I'd have any interest in at all (Citica was changed and price hiked, and what is the Chronarch now was once the Curado, but also price hiked), and they introduced a mid point model to be the Curado that doesn't measure up for what I was able to get before when spending about that much, then I've lost interest in staying with Shimano only, and now other reels are getting my attention. Abu's new design is very palmable, and Lew's seems very good as well, and a lot of those are about the same or less than the Shimanos, and seem to offer more, and there's no denying the BPS PQ is a home run hit for them, a very solid reel, which, by the way, I can add handle bearings to.

I think there is a group trying to follow after Shimano much like the ones who follow blindly after Apple and buy everything that comes out with an "i" in front of the name. That's the group most upset by the changes. I had started to be one of them a couple of years ago, but I turned back from that road. I'm starting to love my old BPS Extremes again, and recently upgraded them all to have 9 bearings, and next it will be new drag washers. After first trying to set up all my rods with Shimano reels, I realized their pricing on the models I'd want is just too far out of my range for me to be able to get all the reels I want or need before they up and pull a switcharoo on me, like they did. By the way, I hate the new Symetre. There goes my spinning reel plans. Anyway, like I said, there is a following, and Shimano needs to recognize it and market more towards it. If they understood that market better, they wouldn't have so much heehack every so often when switching things around. People buy into the names on the reels and seem to understand and recognize them as being at certain levels, and won't accept much deviation of that. Some actually see owning certain models as status symbols, hence the Chronarch upset. I actually read from one board member here before that since the reel was no longer $300 that it didn't represent what made someone want to buy a Chronarch in the first place anymore. When there's that kind of recognition, you'd be a fool not to market to it and profit from it. Apple does, and look where they are now. Look where they were 10 years ago. That's what can happen. In the process, they'd be leaving crap alone that people like and finding ways to add to it and get better, not taking it away and pulling a snow job to cover for it.

[The Rooster]

Well if the supply of good used D series reels ever dries up, I'll worry about what Shimano is doing.

The supply of new D reels hasn't even dried up yet. My Walmart still has several new in box. No price drop though, can't believe it either.