Curado ?

[zippyduck]

OK you guys have got my interest in curados. I have been checking out ebay and there are so many models to pick from and I feel clueless.
Also been looking at tats and have the same question.
Which models are better and which have problems I should look out for?

[LgMouthGambler]

Curados= Shimanos workhorse

Tatula= Daiwas workhorse

If you decide on the Tatual, stick with the CT model for a more compact reel. I personally feel the Tatula CT is a better reel than the Curado I series. Now, if you can find an E series Curado, get on that.

[Capt. BassinLou]

Curado I's are great reels. I personally own 3. Mine are all HG's. The only thing you have to be aware of with these reels and people make it out to be more than a big deal than it really is, is you have to make sure that the braking drum stays lubricated. If not, it will screech on you. I have only experienced this 1 time. So every other outing I quickly take a q-tip with ardent reel butter, go around the brake drum once or twice and done. If you really want to upgrade this reel, look into HawgTech handles. This will really add to your fishing experience imho.

[rockchalk06]

For Curado's, I haven't been impressed since the E series. A lot of guys don't mind the I's and the new 70's. You can't go wrong with a 50e.

[cortman]

Curados I've only used the I series, and Tatulas only the Type R.
Both are super good reels. The Curado I just so edged out the Tatula Type R in my opinion, but they were both so close you'll be super happy with either.

[FloridaFishinFool]

I started out with the B series green beans as they were called. I still have 3 of them in use to this day and I love them.

I moved along with Shimano through their various changes to newer models, but I have not been especially thrilled or connected to any since the B series until I got my first i series. I did like and enjoy the D series though, but I did not keep any of those as I have with the earliest B series. And out of the B series of reels I have kept the best models like the SF super free (spooling) model which employed a ball bearing support for the pinion gear which the standard B series curado did not have. And I kept one of the B38 models which as far as I know is the only slow speed curado ever made at 3.8:1 speed which I absolutely love using with certain lures and spinners especially.

I do now have 3 of the i series of curado's and I love them. A great reel for a mid-line priced reel. I recently bought a brand new one off ebay for $120 with free shipping including box, and I just picked up my third one out of a local pawn shop used, but like new for only $50. (The HG is a model reference to the i series and is the high speed 7.2:1 model only).

So if you are just getting into the curado line I would recommend starting with the latest and greatest the i series.

http://fish.shimano.com/content/sac-fish/en/home/products/fishing-reels/baitcast/curado.html

CU200iPG is 5.5:1 speed and only comes in right hand model- no lefty in this speed.
CU200i, CU201i are 6.3:1 speed (right and lefty)
CU200iHG, CU201iHG are 7.2:1 speed (right and lefty)

And down the road if you are so inclined and have the spare funds, invest in some of the older models, even the first B series which are very commonly sold on ebay all the time. The BSF and B38's are the harder to find more rare models though.

A fishing buddy of mine loves his G7 and swears by it. I tried a G7 once and was not as happy with it as he is with his. But to each their own.

I installed ceramic hybrid ball bearings in all of my curado's for a little extra casting performance.

I have tried to go a step higher than the curado once with a chronarch, but I did not find anything in the chronarch that I did not already have in the curado- other than a shiny mirror finish- and so I sold the chronarch and never looked back.

One of the interesting changes to follow through the years with curado was their drag washer materials. In the early B series curado they had a cloth drag washer, and then later models in e and G series I think shimano went with their patented Dartanium II material which is a composite carbon material and really has some good strong friction properties. I still use Dartanium II when I need a stiff drag on a reel. But their new i series has standard cross-weave carbon fiber drag washers.

Over the years before the cross-weave carbon fiber drag washers were common I was ordering up the Dartanium II drag washers for newer curado's and installing that into my old B series reels. What a difference that Dartanium II material had on the drag mechanism too. I still snap up drag washers made from this stuff when I see them on ebay.

So my old B series curado's have to be closing in on what? near 30 years old now??? And they are still just as smooth and nice today as they were when new- granted I have replaced the gears in them though...

Here are a couple of green beans on ebay right now including a rare B38 3.8:1 model:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pair-Of-Shimano-Bantam-Curado-Casting-Reels-CU-200B38-CU-200-/262727267278?hash=item3d2bc3f3ce:g:3QMAAOSw5cNYMcVL

This regular curado B200 does not have the super free spooling ability the SF model does with the ball bearing supported pinion gear. These two models have the pinion supported by the spool axle. Regardless, that B38 model in this good of condition is a hard one to find these days.



The price on the BSF model sure has gone up. I just found on ebay an old BSF model with bids at $111.50 (and $11 in shipping on top of that) which would make this early first B series curado near 30 years old as valuable as a brand new curado i is today on ebay!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Shimano-Bantam-Curado-CU-200BSF-Perfect-mechanic-condition-Looks-excellent-/252642856952?hash=item3ad2b00ff8:g:7QgAAOSwcLxYL~Eq



Notice they reduced the weight of the spool by making it thinner with less metal and drilled wiffle style to reduce weight to improve casting ability, not to mention adding a ball bearing to the pinion gear.

The regular B series pinion gear:



And the improved ball bearing mounted pinion gear for the BSF model:



There is a world of difference between the regular curado B series and the BSF model! I recommend the BSF model.

[88evinrude]

well the e series is a really good reel though i personally feel the new i series is better. the ones i have a much smoother than the es i had and honestly the only issue ive ran into was a squeaky break drum on 1 reel. ill also tell you alot of people hate the g series but from my time using them ive found they arent all that bad and they can be got off ebay fairly cheap. ive never used the old "greenie" curados since i was a kid so i really dont remember much about the. i also cant remember did the old greenies have a aluminum or graphite frame.

[loomisguy]

I like the E series Curado's and Citicas better than the I series. Between The I series and the Tatula, I'd pick the Tatula CT.

[FloridaFishinFool]

i also cant remember did the old greenies have a aluminum or graphite frame.

They have a solid aluminum frame.



If the old curado's had a graphite frame I never would have used them and would not have kept them in use for nearly 30 years.

I have had graphite framed reels and all of them had frame issues over time, mostly with cracking and pieces breaking off. To this day I will not buy nor even use a graphite framed reel. No plastic frames either. They may weigh a little more, but I will only buy and use all aluminum framed reels which is one of the reasons the curado is so reliable and durable over time.

[88evinrude]

my main issue with graphite frames is flex. this is why i also really prefer aluminum frames  because flex in them is little to none. if they could make a graphite frame that didnt flex now i feel it would be a moot point.as far as longevity goes dad has some older graphite reels that work just as well as day one according to him and im pretty sure they are from the 80s. maybe he got lucky or maybe they were made better i dont know.

[ccr425]

I'm like Lou. I have 3 I's and all are the HG model. What a fantastic reel! I guess that I've been really lucky because none of my 7 reels with the svs infinity brakes make noise. I also oil the drum at least once a month on all of them. They just need a light film of oil on the drum and that's it. The E series are also great reels. I have a couple of them and have fished one of them really, really hard. It's still my main toad reel today. That said, I started doing my own maintenance and repairs so they all stay clean and lubed well. Can't go wrong with either model, but I feel that the Curado I is the winner.

[coldfront]

There is a world of difference between the regular curado B series and the BSF model! I recommend the BSF model.

that's the truth.  the BSF models were awesome!  now, I'm an unabashed Shimano guy... they've treated me very well.  I avoided the D series and the G series... now have all E's... a mix between Curados and Chronarchs (got the chronarchs on sale - only 'downer' is they're all E6's...  really prefer the 7's...  dang fish are getting faster as I get older   )