Curado DC............Catastrophe?

[Chance_Taker4]

I have seen since Thursday countless posts on social media and it seems to be spreading to YouTube a negative review of the first batch of Curado DC. The number one complain no matter how you tune it it always backlashes. So I went to my local authorized Shimano shop this morning to chat and found put that they received 12 in stock 10 are sold. Out of the 10, 6 have came back defective. Shop owner talked to Shimano and was told this is something that they are experiencing a lot. I have been at the shop for about 3 hours and we have been messing with one of the unsold reels and it is doing exactly what everyone is experiencing, the brakes aren't working. Now the other unsold reel works 100%. It looks like Shimano has run into a little hiccup possibly trying to rush out the new Curados.

[BrianinMD]

I got mine and did some yard cast to see what it would do. It will cast great, a normal straight cast and no thumb until it lands, distance is very good. But I purposefully cast into something or try to skip across gravel like some where testing with no backlash and no luck there, explodes into a backlash.

[Angry John]

I am addicted to daiwa but this is one reel that I wanted to try.  I might still get one but will wait until the kinks are worked out.  For some reason I love the sound of DC whine and my fishing partner has one that I just enjoy Listening to.

[kenmitch]

The weak thumbed will be dissapointed it looks like.  Thumb rules!

[burrows]

Really “catastrophic” well any defective reels could be easily tracked by the shift and date they were produced most likely it was just one shift of poor quality control, unfortunately I’m sure a whole shift of product could easily be 20 pallets with each box holding anywhere from 6 to 8 reels.This is just my assumption but I wouldn’t call this a catastrophe little over the top of you ask me. I doubt this will be an issue.

[BrianinMD]

22 minutes ago, BaitFinesse said:

If there is a problem they will get it hammered out like the thumb bar fix on the regular K.  This is why it is risky to early adopt.

 

Even on mode 4?

well I played around a little more and figured it out....

 

I had the cast control knob just tight enough to keep the spool from moving back and forth. I tightened it up and found a sweet spot. In mode 4 it is slightly less distance than another MH similiar to the test rod (test was 6ft 6in, regular use rod is 7ft), switched mode to 1 and the distance is WAY longer. Best part is there was no backlash at all with no thumb at all. Switched it back to mode 4 and tried skipping down a gravel driveway, no thumb and no backlash. Only way I can get backlash is to literally smack it straight into the ground.....

[burrows]

I used to work as a machine operator for a very big Company that produces products that are in many households across the nation although not a fishing company our main objective was to produce! Sometimes we got pushed we got fatigued there were machine brake downs their were problems with palletizer machines the QC workers were exhausted things definitely get overlooked. Imagine now in Malaysia where there hours are longer their breaks are less monitored, if at all imagine how much product their pumping out every shift ? I could see how factory defects can easily occur and Really this gos for all the major companies that are being pushed to produce as much product as humanly possible. 

Again I wouldn’t call it catastrophic I would call it the norm hopefully things get sorted out.

[CrankFate]

2 hours ago, kenmitch said:

The weak thumbed will be dissapointed it looks like.  Thumb rules!

Thumb rules. The no backlash claims usually mean subpar casting distance and as soon as you aim far and throw hard it’s to the birds.  

[Chance_Taker4]

32 minutes ago, Burros said:

I used to work as a machine operator for a very big Company that produces products that are in many households across the nation although not a fishing company our main objective was to produce! Sometimes we got pushed we got fatigued there were machine brake downs their were problems with palletizer machines the QC workers were exhausted things definitely get overlooked. Imagine now in Malaysia where there hours are longer their breaks are less monitored, if at all imagine how much product their pumping out every shift ? I could see how factory defects can easily occur and Really this gos for all the major companies that are being pushed to produce as much product as humanly possible. 

Again I wouldn’t call it catastrophic I would call it the norm hopefully things get sorted out.

As I stated in my original post. I hope and assume this is a QC error. The reason I posted the word catastrophe is because of the amount of people that have commented on other posts that said I wanted one but I'm not taking my chances for that kinda money. Or the shop owners who posted as well as the shop owner I'm friends with that say I replaced the defective DC reels with "another brand" (locally it's the Tatula SV as the replacement). There's a lot of people out there that will judge this reel by first impressions and Shimano may lose potential sales over this.

[Stephen B]

I have yet to hear of a problem from countless people (more than 10 people) that I fish with locally. I have been enjoyed them with no issues.

[Chance_Taker4]

Well before the thread gets locked due to fan boys I'll copy paste what I am seeing to comply to forum rules. All from Ohio Fishing B/S/T

 

"Buyer beware! I bought the new Curado DC and it doesn't live up to the hype. I have spent wasted time and casts trying to tune this thing and it will not cast without a backlash. I contacted Shimano and tuned it to the way they told me over the phone and I was able to cast but lost distance. They said it was probably a defect and would send me a new one if I sent this one back but couldn't know when a new one would be shipped out. Don't buy the DC sick with the Curado K. I plan on uploading a video on YouTube tonight to show what this reel really does."

 

 

Replies to said thread

 

" I own two and have zero problems with them. But my teammate got his and has had the same problem and was told the same thing." 

 

"I got one to and I'm not impressed. I may try one again once all the bugs are worked out but I haven't see anything special from it." 

 

" I seen a video on YouTube that the uploader had the same problem. Must be a bug in the first batch."

 

"I wouldn't be going out and replacing any Curado Ks or Is that I had with the Curado DC yet. But if I was in the market for a new reel I'd look at them."

 

 

There were OBVIOUSLY about 40 comments praising the reel and people offering their positive review of the reel. And another couple that had swear words that I wasn't going to post.

 

Now please explain to me where I was promoting any brand I stated that my shop was offering to swap defective DC reels with SV reels, Revo STXs or Custom Speed Spool since Shimano couldn't send replacements out due to the high demand and now issues with the first batch. 

That specific post was posted at 7:38pm the three different posts in saw this morning have been removed by a moderator.

[kenmitch]

It looks like a nice reel for those who fear the baitcasters nasty nest of despair. Kidding aside it looks like it's a nice reel for anybody that's in the market for one as long as it fits the budget. 

 

[puddlepuncher]

13 hours ago, BrianinMD said:

I got mine and did some yard cast to see what it would do. It will cast great, a normal straight cast and no thumb until it lands, distance is very good. But I purposefully cast into something or try to skip across gravel like some where testing with no backlash and no luck there, explodes into a backlash.

 

10 hours ago, BrianinMD said:

well I played around a little more and figured it out....

 

I had the cast control knob just tight enough to keep the spool from moving back and forth. I tightened it up and found a sweet spot. In mode 4 it is slightly less distance than another MH similiar to the test rod (test was 6ft 6in, regular use rod is 7ft), switched mode to 1 and the distance is WAY longer. Best part is there was no backlash at all with no thumb at all. Switched it back to mode 4 and tried skipping down a gravel driveway, no thumb and no backlash. Only way I can get backlash is to literally smack it straight into the ground.....

 

I think these two posts sum it up in a nutshell.  Consumers overly excited with slightly unrealistic expectations (myself included) that a reel is going to solve every problem associated with using a baitcaster.  After some trial and error the reel performs after all.  Thanks for sharing the updated post BTW.

 

I think the title is a bit misleading, no disrespect to chancetaker.  There is no such thing as a new product that will satisfy everyone.  Only time will tell with this reel but I'm still confident in my hard earned cash and the decision to spend it on this reel.

 

Let's not forget this technology isn't new whatsoever to Shimano.  It's been proven for 14 years now in Japan and let's be honest the Japanese consumer is not one to accept sub par, especially at the much higher prices it has commanded.  It is however new to the US market and with unfamiliar technology comes a learning curve with the consumer.  

 

Lastly not all reviews of products are to be trusted either be it user error or just straight for the lack of a better term 'Trolling'.  With the anonymity of the internet people will post things that certainly would not be uttered face to face.  I think this thread has a few examples of that.

 

I'll be the first to eat my words if I find this reel to be unsatisfactory in any way.  

[Stephen B]

2 minutes ago, puddlepuncher said:

 

 

I think these two posts sum it up in a nutshell.  Consumers overly excited with slightly unrealistic expectations (myself included) that a reel is going to solve every problem associated with using a baitcaster.  After some trial and error the reel performs after all.  Thanks for sharing the updated post BTW.

 

I think the title is a bit misleading, no disrespect to chancetaker.  There is no such thing as a new product that will satisfy everyone.  Only time will tell with this reel but I'm still confident in my hard earned cash and the decision to spend it on this reel.

 

Let's not forget this technology isn't new whatsoever to Shimano.  It's been proven for 14 years now in Japan and let's be honest the Japanese consumer is not one to accept sub par, especially at the much higher prices it has commanded.  It is however new to the US market and with unfamiliar technology comes a learning curve with the consumer.  

 

Lastly not all reviews of products are to be trusted either be it user error or just straight for the lack of a better term 'Trolling'.  With the anonymity of the internet people will post things that certainly would not be uttered face to face.  I think this thread has a few examples of that.

 

I'll be the first to eat my words if I find this reel to be unsatisfactory in any way.  

Perfectly said. I agree. You deserve a trophy haha. 

[puddlepuncher]

1 minute ago, Stephen B said:

Perfectly said. I agree. You deserve a trophy haha. 

 

Keep the trophy, I deserve my reel that I paid for a month ago.

[Maico1]

19 hours ago, Chance_Taker4 said:

I have seen since Thursday countless posts on social media and it seems to be spreading to YouTube a negative review of the first batch of Curado DC. The number one complain no matter how you tune it it always backlashes. So I went to my local authorized Shimano shop this morning to chat and found put that they received 12 in stock 10 are sold. Out of the 10, 6 have came back defective. Shop owner talked to Shimano and was told this is something that they are experiencing a lot. I have been at the shop for about 3 hours and we have been messing with one of the unsold reels and it is doing exactly what everyone is experiencing, the brakes aren't working. Now the other unsold reel works 100%. It looks like Shimano has run into a little hiccup possibly trying to rush out the new Curados.

Just curious what was it you/we did messing with the unsold reel to diagnose the digital brakes were not working.......

[Chance_Taker4]

15 minutes ago, Maico1 said:

Just curious what was it you/we did messing with the unsold reel to diagnose the digital brakes were not working.......

We where pitching into buckets and light sidearm casting in the store.

[BrianinMD]

6 hours ago, puddlepuncher said:

 

 

I think these two posts sum it up in a nutshell.  Consumers overly excited with slightly unrealistic expectations (myself included) that a reel is going to solve every problem associated with using a baitcaster.  After some trial and error the reel performs after all.  Thanks for sharing the updated post BTW.

 

I think the title is a bit misleading, no disrespect to chancetaker.  There is no such thing as a new product that will satisfy everyone.  Only time will tell with this reel but I'm still confident in my hard earned cash and the decision to spend it on this reel.

 

Let's not forget this technology isn't new whatsoever to Shimano.  It's been proven for 14 years now in Japan and let's be honest the Japanese consumer is not one to accept sub par, especially at the much higher prices it has commanded.  It is however new to the US market and with unfamiliar technology comes a learning curve with the consumer.  

 

Lastly not all reviews of products are to be trusted either be it user error or just straight for the lack of a better term 'Trolling'.  With the anonymity of the internet people will post things that certainly would not be uttered face to face.  I think this thread has a few examples of that.

 

I'll be the first to eat my words if I find this reel to be unsatisfactory in any way.  

Everyone needs to realize also that nothing works up to its potential straight out of the box, it has to be setup properly to achieve success. I knew I did not have something right but was missing it on my initial attempts. Once I hit that sweet spot thru trial and error the reel proved how good it is. 

 

I have used baitcasters for years, not the best but can do pretty well with them. I got the reel to try something different, would never pay the high cost before for a DC reel. This price point is doable so why not. With the way it cast it will find a home in my regular rotation easily. The regular setup I used as a reference point for distance I have used a lot for 6 or 7 years. This reel on day 1, setup properly, out cast it distance wise. Now need to hit to water to see fishing performance. 

[new2BC4bass]

As stated, Shimano has been making DC reels for several years.  I find it hard to believe that the newest iteration doesn't function at least as well as older models.  I know they have put out different versions of DC, but only have experience with one...an Exsence DC.

 

Nor do I believe is it a problem due to a learning curve on this side of the ocean.  The curve is very short.  At least with the Exsence DC.  I've never even seen another DC model much less fished one.  One of the settings for the Exsence is a drag setting...from Max to Min.  As long as the setting is on Max drag or any of the other 3 settings there is no need for a thumb.  And this is with spool tension set like a Daiwa...to the point there is a bit of side-to-side play.

 

I couldn't say whether or not this is true if you skip with it.  I've yet to try skipping.

[Maico1]

15 minutes ago, Chance_Taker4 said:

We where pitching into buckets and light sidearm casting in the store.

Certainly not how I would test a DC reel for brake failure however it makes total sense to me. A DC reel requires a startup inertia in order to get the DC Module to perform . For someone not familiar with a DC reel and to apply light casting tactics out of the box you will get the same result and think the Module is not performing. DC reels have not been known for there light casting techniques because it needs that startup inertia however that can be accomplished if you play with them long enough. So in all do respect you have not convinced me and should not convince anyone else based on how you tested the reel there is a problem with them...Being someone who has fished with DC reels since they have come out I also question how much the Authorized Dealer you state actually knows about them.......

[new2BC4bass]

From what little I know about DC reels, I would have to agree with the above.  Mine is spooled with 12# AN40 and will only be used on MH rods.  I don't use 1/4 oz. weights on a MH rod even though it is rated that low.  None of the lures I have used thus far with my DC reel has caused any kind of a casting problem.....as long as I don't go below Max on the drag setting without making a cast control adjustment.  And no, I don't have the greatest thumb control where I could use Min on the drag setting without first tightening spool tension.

[Mike Boitnott]

Great info, Thanks for the heads up!  This reel was on my to buy list, was looking forward to it coming out.

[Tywithay]

I'm curious if it just takes several casts to get a full charge on this particular DC system. 

[BrianinMD]

29 minutes ago, Tywithay said:

I'm curious if it just takes several casts to get a full charge on this particular DC system. 

Not that I have noticed, I could not resist making a few cast this morning and it worked perfectly on the first one. 

[OnthePotomac]

The Shimano Malaysia facility is not an independent operation which marches to its own drum.  It is supervised by senior Shimano technicians, some from Japan, and  abides by the same quality control standards as the facility in Japan.

This is what Shimano says.