Abu Silver Max

[Gomer Pyle]

I bought the Abu Garcia Silver Max baitcaster at Wally World recently and finally got the chance to fish all day with it yesterday. I was really impressed with its smoothness and casting ability. Granted, this is the first purchase of any new reel in over 20 yrs, however, I was truly impressed with the performance of the reel that cost me <$80. My question, just how much better is the Shimano Curado ( a reel in which I may purchase next week) over this Abu Garcia? It can't be that much smoother can it? I got a chance to reel the Shimano while at BPS, it didn't feel near as smooth to reel as the Silver Max...maybe it's just me : Any comments or opinions?

[ALbasser]

My dad recently picked up 2 silver max at a local store for $15 a piece. It is a nice reel for the price (great reel for $15) but the Curado E is in a completely different class. I could not get the silver max to cast near as far as a his curado. Basically you get what you pay for. I was really impressed with the silver max at it's price point, but its not in the same league as the curado IMO. If you are looking for a good smooth reel you can't go wrong with the new Curado E's.

[The Rooster]

The Curado has better bearings on the spool shaft and that will really add distance to the cast for sure, or at the very least it will make hitting the same distance a heck of a lot easier to do. I was impressed with the Silver Max for that price as well, looking at it close up in the store that is. I didn't buy it though cause I have this thing about a baitcast reel needing an aluminum frame before I really get interested in it enough to buy it. Good reel for the money though. I'm all about good value, but every once in a while I'll see something I like and have to have, no matter the value or lack thereof. If I was going to spend that much money on a reel, the Curado would be one of those times.

[Jake.]

The Silver Max will feel smoother because the tolerances are less tight than the Curado's. The Curado also could have had its spool tensioned tightened down which also makes it feel less smooth.

Another factor to consider is the frame materials. The Silver Max has a "composite" (plastic) frame while the Curado's frame is aluminum. The aluminum frame will keep the gears more correctly aligned after heavy use.

The bottom lie is, while the Silver Max will probably serve you OK for a while, the Curado will last longer and perform better over the long haul.

[Gomer Pyle]

I'm definitely buying the Curado, I was just making a point that for the money I spent, I was very impressed with the performance of the Abu Garcia. The Curadu will definitely be the crown jewel of my collection...thanks for the replies guys....

[The Rooster]

If you like that Abu Garcia they also make reels on the same design that compete with the Curado.  The STX and several others are high end Abu's of the same design but have aluminum frames and other better features as well.  You can even upgrade bearings to improve the performance of them, even though they come out of the box already pretty high up the performance ladder.  

[cart7t]

I'm definitely buying the Curado, I was just making a point that for the money I spent, I was very impressed with the performance of the Abu Garcia. The Curadu will definitely be the crown jewel of my collection...thanks for the replies guys....

The two reels have some similarities.

The Abu is made of plastic, the Curado, graphite.

[The Rooster]

Sideplates only.  Frame on the Curado is aluminum.