# New Shimano Reels



## bragwell (Apr 15, 2010)

These new Shimano reels are very cheaply made as compared to the older models. I used to be a Shimano guy but recently sold my Shimano products on Ebay (for a great return) after I found a Quantum Energy PT E101HPT Burner at a pawn shop for $40. I bought one more of these Quantums after the initial reel because of how smooth, strong the drag is, and how it feels in my hand. I fish salt all the time, and these reels have held up nicely so far after 2 years of heavy use. I know this is mainly a Shimano reel forum but does anyone else on here own and primarily use this Quantum or any other models with any reviews?


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## lure buddy (Sep 30, 2009)

Problem is its very hard to get parts for Quantums a few years later. Shimano, Abu and Daiwa have parts available for a long time after they discontinue the reel.


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## bragwell (Apr 15, 2010)

lure buddy said:


> Problem is its very hard to get parts for Quantums a few years later. Shimano, Abu and Daiwa have parts available for a long time after they discontinue the reel.


I see. Thanks for the response.


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## rjc1982 (Sep 27, 2005)

I don't mean to be argumentative but I would have to disagree with your assessment of the newer Shimano reels. No doubt that the older models were absolute workhorses as your return on investment thru e-bay seems to indicate. I have 2 CU200's that are still working as good as new, but I also have a couple of 200e7's that I believe are every bit as well built as my older Curados. I love the smaller frame and lighter weight and after 2 years of heavy use I have no reason to believe that my 200e7's will not give me as many years of service as the older reels.


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## bragwell (Apr 15, 2010)

rjc1982 said:


> I don't mean to be argumentative but I would have to disagree with your assessment of the newer Shimano reels. No doubt that the older models were absolute workhorses as your return on investment thru e-bay seems to indicate. I have 2 CU200's that are still working as good as new, but I also have a couple of 200e7's that I believe are every bit as well built as my older Curados. I love the smaller frame and lighter weight and after 2 years of heavy use I have no reason to believe that my 200e7's will not give me as many years of service as the older reels.


I agree with you %100. The E7's are excellent reels. They are smaller and super smooth, hold lots of line etc. It's the brand new Curado G, and Chronarch that are lacking in my opinion. The internal working parts are plastic. I just don't feel like supporting Shimano anymore if that's the direction they are going in.


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## Lexy1 (Jul 12, 2012)

lure buddy said:


> Problem is its very hard to get parts for Quantums a few years later. Shimano, Abu and Daiwa have parts available for a long time after they discontinue the reel.


x2

This goes the same with other brand like Lews as well.
Another problem is they can be smooth as silk out of the box but after a few trips, the performance is downhill like car without brake.


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## Lexy1 (Jul 12, 2012)

STRIKEHOOK said:


> I agree with you %100. The E7's are excellent reels. They are smaller and super smooth, hold lots of line etc. It's the brand new Curado G, and Chronarch that are lacking in my opinion. The internal working parts are plastic. I just don't feel like supporting Shimano anymore if that's the direction they are going in.


I think 99.99% of fishermen (specially Shimano fans like me) know this very well.
Shimano did this to attract more public noobs fishermen ($160 for a well known Curado reel).
I'm not sure what their sale for this year looks like but I think that they don't look too pretty compared to previous years.
Another rumor I heard is Shimano do that to get people change to new reels more often (shorter recycle period).

Maybe Bantam1 can give some more info about this ???


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## rjc1982 (Sep 27, 2005)

STRIKEHOOK said:


> I agree with you %100. The E7's are excellent reels. They are smaller and super smooth, hold lots of line etc. It's the brand new Curado G, and Chronarch that are lacking in my opinion. The internal working parts are plastic. I just don't feel like supporting Shimano anymore if that's the direction they are going in.


I may be mistaken but I believe that I read on this forum that the new Chronarch was the same reel as the Curado E with a different paint job. I've never looked inside the new Chronarch, I'm just relying on my 54 year old memory here:smile:. Maybe Bantam can confirm this.


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## Lexy1 (Jul 12, 2012)

rjc1982 said:


> I may be mistaken but I believe that I read on this forum that the new Chronarch was the same reel as the Curado E with a different paint job. I've never looked inside the new Chronarch, I'm just relying on my 54 year old memory here:smile:. Maybe Bantam can confirm this.


You're correct. The new Chronarch E series is pretty much the old Curado E series, repainted and renamed to Chronarch so Shimano can raise up another $20 in price. ($199.99) The public thinks they lower the Chronarch reel price from $299.99 to $199.99 ...
Personally, I prefer the green color of the Curado E series.


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## TheSamarai (Jan 20, 2005)

People complained when they replaced the b series with the d series, then the e series with the d series. Now the "g" series replaces the "e" series. I have the new "g" chronarch series and its a fine reel. for 199 (almost the same price as the old curado), it cant be beat.


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## Bantam1 (Jun 26, 2007)

Internet rumors strike again! Sorry guys but I am going to vent. I have been seeing these same statements in emails and on other boards. I even had dealers tell me this. I just got back from Kentucky where I took a couple of tackle store employees fishing with the Curado G. Exact words from the store manager "Wow I have to say my opinion of the Curado has completely changed. I had no idea they were this nice. I believed all the complaints on the internet and refused to try one. Now I am glad I did. I think I am going to order a few for my tournament season." Hmmm...

The Chronarch E is built on the same tooling as the Curado E. The same parts that have been plastic for years are still plastic. Idle gears, clutch cam, yoke and worm shaft shield. The main gear and pinion gear are still brass alloy. The drive shaft is still metal. The handle is still cold forged aluminum. When I was working the Holder show earlier this year I had a guide tell me that the main gear in the Curado G was made out of plastic. I asked him where he heard that. The internet and other "guides" of course. I reminded him that we are Shimano and we stand behind our products. Why on Earth would we change to plastic without telling the world why it was better? He couldn't answer that and then realized that we did not have plastic gears in our reels. 

Strikehook-Where exactly are the plastic internal working parts that you speak of? Have you fished the new reels? Have you taken one apart? How do you know they are less durable? The reels have been out exactly one year now. Did you perform long term durability tests on the gears and drag washers like we did? Oh wait the reel is made in Malaysia! That must be the reason! Asian Muslims are building the reels in a state of the art factory that is built by Shimano and run by Japanese engineers and QC teams. The reels must be junk since they are made in a country that most Americans have never heard of. All the while we are secretly changing the materials to plastic because plastic is terrible material! Its light and strong with reduced waste of excess materials. 

We should stop all use of modern polymers in everything. Better rip that intake manifold off of your new vehicle. Like that polymer framed pistol? Everything should be metal! I want my reel, engine, car, truck, boat, TV, cell phone, sunglasses...to be made out of metal. Plastic has no place in modern society! The Ford Model T had its time and place, but I prefer good fuel mileage, fuel injection and air conditioning. Get over your fears of plastic and catch up to the modern world. 

The reason for the price increase is because of the weak US Dollar vs. the Japanese Yen. The Curado E would have seen a price increase. For that increase we changed the drag material to improve performance to try and offset the additional cost. Hopefully the economy will turn around and we can make some changes. 

Curado G is lighter and slightly less expensive since we removed 2 bearings from the reel (handle paddles). It has the same amount of drag and cranking power. The reel actually casts better in my opinion. I prefer the shape for my hands. 

We did not drop the quality of the products or change materials to reduce quality of the reels. We change our products often to take advantage of new technology. This is very obvious in the spinning side. I'm sure we will see some changes on the low profile side in the future. We have already started in the conventional and round reel market.


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## TheSamarai (Jan 20, 2005)

*Reel*

Thanks Bantam for the reply. Like I stated, I love the new chronarch series which in my opinion is just in the same price range of the old curados. Ive never been disappointed in any of my shimano reels. whether it was a cheap sonaro or the expensive calais. You didn't know that if you read it on the internet, it must be true. LOL.


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## rjc1982 (Sep 27, 2005)

Well said Bantam! Although I gotta say that I'm not a big fan of the new Chronarch color scheme. I guess I've been using green reels for too long or maybe I'm just too old for changes like that. :rotfl:


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## Bantam1 (Jun 26, 2007)

I use Core, Calais, Curado 300 and Stella for my freshwater and inshore reels. The Chronarch changes did not affect me.


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## mas360 (Nov 21, 2006)

Hello Bantam, 
Reading your post I got the impression you represent Shimano. Are you a Shimano dealer or associated with Shimano? 

I have never owned a Shimano, heard a lot of praises for the Curado and am looking into it.


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## Bantam1 (Jun 26, 2007)

I am the product support specialist for Shimano American Corp. We used to have a Shimano product forum on this board that I maintained. That is now gone, but because I like this site and the people here, I post on my own time as a favor to our customers.


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## mas360 (Nov 21, 2006)

Bantam1 said:


> I am the product support specialist for Shimano American Corp. We used to have a Shimano product forum on this board that I maintained. That is now gone, but because I like this site and the people here, I post on my own time as a favor to our customers.


Your avatar threw me off a bit....:ac550:

Was expecting a Shimano rep to have a Shimano avatar...:spineyes:


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## Dipsay (Apr 28, 2006)

Bantam1 said:


> Internet rumors strike again! Sorry guys but I am going to vent. I have been seeing these same statements in emails and on other boards. I even had dealers tell me this. I just got back from Kentucky where I took a couple of tackle store employees fishing with the Curado G. Exact words from the store manager "Wow I have to say my opinion of the Curado has completely changed. I had no idea they were this nice. I believed all the complaints on the internet and refused to try one. Now I am glad I did. I think I am going to order a few for my tournament season." Hmmm...
> 
> The Chronarch E is built on the same tooling as the Curado E. The same parts that have been plastic for years are still plastic. Idle gears, clutch cam, yoke and worm shaft shield. The main gear and pinion gear are still brass alloy. The drive shaft is still metal. The handle is still cold forged aluminum. When I was working the Holder show earlier this year I had a guide tell me that the main gear in the Curado G was made out of plastic. I asked him where he heard that. The internet and other "guides" of course. I reminded him that we are Shimano and we stand behind our products. Why on Earth would we change to plastic without telling the world why it was better? He couldn't answer that and then realized that we did not have plastic gears in our reels.
> 
> ...


I was just waiting for "The Man" to step in on this one! LOL Kept reading thinking to myself..****, I'm almost out of popcorn and it's fixing to get good! Well said B..


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## Bantam1 (Jun 26, 2007)

mas360 said:


> Your avatar threw me off a bit....:ac550:
> 
> Was expecting a Shimano rep to have a Shimano avatar...:spineyes:


I'm an avid shooter and work never said I had to use a Shimano avatar


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## bragwell (Apr 15, 2010)

Bantam1 said:


> Internet rumors strike again! Sorry guys but I am going to vent. I have been seeing these same statements in emails and on other boards. I even had dealers tell me this. I just got back from Kentucky where I took a couple of tackle store employees fishing with the Curado G. Exact words from the store manager "Wow I have to say my opinion of the Curado has completely changed. I had no idea they were this nice. I believed all the complaints on the internet and refused to try one. Now I am glad I did. I think I am going to order a few for my tournament season." Hmmm...
> 
> The Chronarch E is built on the same tooling as the Curado E. The same parts that have been plastic for years are still plastic. Idle gears, clutch cam, yoke and worm shaft shield. The main gear and pinion gear are still brass alloy. The drive shaft is still metal. The handle is still cold forged aluminum. When I was working the Holder show earlier this year I had a guide tell me that the main gear in the Curado G was made out of plastic. I asked him where he heard that. The internet and other "guides" of course. I reminded him that we are Shimano and we stand behind our products. Why on Earth would we change to plastic without telling the world why it was better? He couldn't answer that and then realized that we did not have plastic gears in our reels.
> 
> ...


Bantam I have held and casted the G, and no I have not taken apart the new G series, but several of my friends own them and have, and a reel repair guy I know told me he would not buy one, which gave me the impression I now have on the G series. There are a lot of questions that you asked me that only a shimano rep would know the answer to. And no I am not a rep for quantum, just an average saltwater wade fisherman who personally likes my quantum reels. You are a rep for shimano so I'd expect you to defend your employer. I get the impression that this is not a reel forum but a shimano forum, please excuse me. And Bantam, yes I have heard of Malaysia and their state of the art factories (did not know the factory workers were asian muslim though), very interesting... Tight lines.


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## george.maness86 (May 29, 2012)

I think you might have me convinced. I might try one of those G series curados to see what they are all about, and of course tear it apart and maybe post pics of internals. I don't see how the main and pinion gear would make sense to be plastic because, the wear on the gears with a big fish would make the gearing fail pre maturely and I don't believe shimano would make such quality. The worm gear and the idler gear have always been plastic and never had any problems with that. All it does is guide your line back on evenly and not much pressure on that. I will have to admit though, my first opinion of the G series curado was not very good but I was "believing" all on the internet without trying it myself.


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## alldaylong (Mar 6, 2011)

*Set the record straight!!!*

_*I started out with Zebco's, moved up to Abu Garcia and graduated into Shimano and that's all I own now. I have 12 all together from the Citica to Chronarch, not to mention the 3 new CI4's from the 1000 to the 4000. I've had as many as 20 at one time, but decided to streamline and keep things a little more practical. I had a Calais but, recently sold it though. It was to pretty to fish with :rotfl: besides I'm a Chevy man and that's definitely the Bentley of reels.

Thanks Bantam1 for setting the record straight!!!
*_


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## Bantam1 (Jun 26, 2007)

Today I'll grab a Curado G and post some pictures of the internals. I'll create a new post to make it easier. 

Strikehook this is not a Shimano forum. It is a reel repair and maintenance forum. I stayed on this board to provide assistance to our customers because I enjoy this site. This used to be a Shimano product forum but it changed. Several members on this board still use our products so it may appear to be slightly biased.


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## greenhornet (Apr 21, 2010)

Any guess as to why I had the same problem with caenan, citica, and curado? Within 6 months or less all of them stopped enguaging after a cast. They all started doing it occasionally and progressed to inoperable. I'm not instigating I just want to try to avoid it with the chronarch I just bought as I really enjoy fishing it.

I have several shimano spinning reels that I love and have been good to me many years, gave the baitcasters a try about two years ago but just haven't had the same durability yet.


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## Bantam1 (Jun 26, 2007)

On the Citica and Curado I would suspect the pinion support bearing. Corrosion can cause the pinion gear to hang up. On the Caenan I am not sure what would cause it. You do not have this bearing and the frame is graphite, so there is no chance of corrosion. I suggest sending them in for warranty evaluation.


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## ComeFrom? (May 21, 2004)

Not to hijack anything from this thread, but I want to mention my wife and I are heading for the coast in two days on annual vacation. I have had a Calcutta TE DC 100 and a Stella 300 in my possession for almost two years that I haven't even so much as made one cast yet? To say, "I can't wait!" is an understatement. CF?


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## Fishin Tails (Mar 21, 2007)

Bantam1 said:


> Today I'll grab a Curado G and post some pictures of the internals. I'll create a new post to make it easier.
> 
> Strikehook this is not a Shimano forum. It is a reel repair and maintenance forum. I stayed on this board to provide assistance to our customers because I enjoy this site. This used to be a Shimano product forum but it changed. Several members on this board still use our products so it may appear to be slightly biased.


I like all the input that Bantam provides on this forum. Bantam gives inside knowledge that few of us would have learned. Thanks Bantam!


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## j wadd (Sep 21, 2009)

greenhornet said:


> Any guess as to why I had the same problem with caenan, citica, and curado? Within 6 months or less all of them stopped enguaging after a cast. They all started doing it occasionally and progressed to inoperable. I'm not instigating I just want to try to avoid it with the chronarch I just bought as I really enjoy fishing it.
> 
> I have several shimano spinning reels that I love and have been good to me many years, gave the baitcasters a try about two years ago but just haven't had the same durability yet.


if you are talking about the citica 200e i will gladly take them off your hands.. i fish a ton of redfish tourneys a year and just love this reel... i change the bushing out on the handle shaft with a bearing and make it a little smoother.. it will cast a country mile with a little tuning i like to do and can throw it around the boat and not wory about hurting it one bit... imo it is the best reel you could ever buy for $120... now i do not wade fish with this reel cause i trade em off for the core 50 for the reduced weight, but all the negativity about the shimanos is ubserred..... i used to clean reels for a local tackle shop here in town and got to the point whwere shimanos is all i wanted to work on.. 99% of them go back together the same way


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## bragwell (Apr 15, 2010)

I do not buy into this whole, this reel is too heavy to wade-fish with misconception when you are comparing reels with the difference in weight of 1-3oz. 
I use a Calcutta 100b for wading all of the time which weighs 9oz = a HEFTY 0.562 lbs!!! 
I wade all day with this reel. I don't own a boat or even a kayak so I have to work for my fish. My arm never hurts any more than when I used my overpriced Core 100mg7 (which I sold on e-bay).
It's getting ridiculous now a days with peoples idea of what you can and cant use to fish with. Quite possibly a gym membership could save you from feeling like you just have to spend $400 dollars for an acceptable wade fishing reel.
Your arm will not fall off if you wade-fish using a Citica or even the amazingly hefty 9oz, 0.562 lb Calcutta 100b. :cheers:


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## j wadd (Sep 21, 2009)

STRIKEHOOK said:


> I do not buy into this whole, this reel is too heavy to wade-fish with misconception when you are comparing reels with the difference in weight of 1-3oz.
> I use a Calcutta 100b for wading all of the time which weighs 9oz = a HEFTY 0.562 lbs!!!
> I wade all day with this reel. I don't own a boat or even a kayak so I have to work for my fish. My arm never hurts any more than when I used my overpriced Core 100mg7 (which I sold on e-bay).
> It's getting ridiculous now a days with peoples idea of what you can and cant use to fish with. Quite possibly a gym membership could save you from feeling like you just have to spend $400 dollars for an acceptable wade fishing reel.
> Your arm will not fall off if you wade-fish using a Citica or even the amazingly hefty 9oz, 0.562 lb Calcutta 100b. :cheers:


 WOW........ i dont know how to answer this response.. better yet i have a combo that i wade fish with that weighs less than just your calcutta and there is no way you can say that you dont get more wore out throwing that calcutta over the lighter stuff on the market.. let me guess you probally throw topwaters with a 8 ft rod and never get tired of that either.. not trying to bash on you for using your gear just saying there is no way that you can throw that heavy stuff all day and then throw the lighter stuff and say theres not a diffrence


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## bragwell (Apr 15, 2010)

j wadd said:


> WOW........ i dont know how to answer this response.. better yet i have a combo that i wade fish with that weighs less than just your calcutta and there is no way you can say that you dont get more wore out throwing that calcutta over the lighter stuff on the market.. let me guess you probally throw topwaters with a 8 ft rod and never get tired of that either.. not trying to bash on you for using your gear just saying there is no way that you can throw that heavy stuff all day and then throw the lighter stuff and say theres not a diffrence


Actually a 12ft steelhead rod. :cheers:

No I cant really feel a couple ounce difference after fishing all day. I use a 6'6'' St Croix rod which is plenty light. I'm more a fan of bulletproof as far as reels go. I can cast my (super tuned) Calcutta 100b farther. And Cores are a $400 corrosion magnet. Just my opinion, not trying to offend.


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## bmccle (Jun 10, 2012)

*Confused*



Bantam1 said:


> Internet rumors strike again! Sorry guys but I am going to vent. I have been seeing these same statements in emails and on other boards. I even had dealers tell me this. I just got back from Kentucky where I took a couple of tackle store employees fishing with the Curado G. Exact words from the store manager "Wow I have to say my opinion of the Curado has completely changed. I had no idea they were this nice. I believed all the complaints on the internet and refused to try one. Now I am glad I did. I think I am going to order a few for my tournament season." Hmmm...
> 
> The Chronarch E is built on the same tooling as the Curado E. The same parts that have been plastic for years are still plastic. Idle gears, clutch cam, yoke and worm shaft shield. The main gear and pinion gear are still brass alloy. The drive shaft is still metal. The handle is still cold forged aluminum. When I was working the Holder show earlier this year I had a guide tell me that the main gear in the Curado G was made out of plastic. I asked him where he heard that. The internet and other "guides" of course. I reminded him that we are Shimano and we stand behind our products. Why on Earth would we change to plastic without telling the world why it was better? He couldn't answer that and then realized that we did not have plastic gears in our reels.
> 
> ...


I was told by the academy salesman that Shimano changed the build/quality of the reels and they were made 'cheaper' but you charged the same price. I didn't look at the specific reels after this but I'v bought two Curados in the past and still have both of them. One of them is probably 10 years old, used exlusively in saltwater, and maintained pretty poorly by me and still casts and reels like a dream. It has become a bit 'noisy' but it doesn't seem to have impacted its performance at all. My other Curado is probably 5 years old and is fantastic. It too has been poorly maintained by me. I only rinse them off after using...and some trips I forget to rinse them. Anyway, the fact that they still work at all is pretty amazing. 3 -5 years ago I bought my boys and my wife Citicas. These held up pretty good until last year. My son and a friend of his took them surf fishing. They weren't performing very well so they decided to dunk them (Crystal beach water) to 'rinse them out'. To make matters worse, they didn't bother rinsing them off when they got through. One of them was destroyed and the other one is barely hanging on to dear life. Anyway, that is why I am shopping for new reels. And, the Academy rep told me no on Shimano. He did say the higher end ones (white??) were still good but the ones just under that weren't any good. I am trying to recall but I think he said that the citica's were now Curado, and the old curado was now a Chronarch?

Finally, you say above that you did change the Curado E to 'improve performance and reduce the cost'. Normally, those two things don't go hand in hand? what did you change and how would it reduce the cost? On the Curado G you said you removed two bearings. You went on this big long rant talking about how you wouldn't change things, and the quality is great and so on..then you say you did change things? I am confused. Why would removing two bearings improve performance? What did you change on the drag and why is it an improvement? I love my old Curado reels and if I can be convinced the new models are the same or better I would love to buy a couple of more. If anyone has suggestions on other reels I should consider please let me know. My reels are used solely for saltwater and I want bait casting. I've cannot stand spinning reels, I hate how the line will just come off of them and create a mess. Plus, the whole design of them is just way too cumbersome.


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## Jean Scurtu (Dec 6, 2011)

STRIKEHOOK said:


> Actually a 12ft steelhead rod. :cheers:
> 
> No I cant really feel a couple ounce difference after fishing all day. I use a 6'6'' St Croix rod which is plenty light. I'm more a fan of bulletproof as far as reels go. I can cast my (super tuned) Calcutta 100b farther. And Cores are a $400 corrosion magnet. Just my opinion, not trying to offend.


I agree with you"STRIKEHOOK".

I am fishing from the bank at ROLLOVER PASS with artificial many times using all day one telescopic spinning rod 16.4 feet and i am not tire(and i catch fish too).The weight of this 16.4 feet TRIANA rod is ...6.7oz.!!!!
I am not young i am 67 years old man.

If somebody don't believe is better to check this links :

http://www.fishingworld.com/News/Read.php?ArtID=000010663

http://www.fishingworld.com/News/Read.php?ArtID=000010715


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## jimbojr (Nov 11, 2012)

Wow, that is fishing at it's finest. Thanks for posting the articles.


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## Bantam1 (Jun 26, 2007)

BMCCLE-

We moved production to help reduce the cost on the reel. Due to the current yen to dollar exchange rate, it would have cost much more. Our factory in Malaysia is actually more advanced than the factory in Japan. We have newer machines and equipment there. We took several dealers there to see the operation and they were all impressed. Talk to Shane from Southwestern Parts & Service if you question this. 

I made a post showing the reel and internals. This included the improvements that I found that were not listed as a "feature". The older green Curado B models had looser tolerances and less power. You cannot compare the old models to the new models. Think of an engine. If you de-tune it, it will last a lot longer. If you make it a race engine parts will wear and fail. The Curado B was the de-tuned reel. It did everything, but needed to be updated. Fast forward to the G model. We lightened the reel and gave it more power and drag. We addressed some corrosion issues and made several improvements in this area. 

Everyone associates the price with the quality. A new "cheaper" Curado is what I hear a lot. Just because we got the price down, it is not of any less quality. Compared to the E model, we dropped 2 bearings. Aside from this the reels are similar. We used the same materials for the side plates, frame, gears, handle, drag, line guide, etc.


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