Reel teardown: Shimano Curado 201G7

[Fishwhittler]

I was recently sent one of these to clean after it got dunked, and I took notes and pics while I was at it. 

Here's what the clutch looked like at first:


A few things taken out:


Obligatory drag-stack shot:


Brake case:


Handle shank:


Close-up of the drag key washer:


Now for the notes:

I went into this reel teardown hoping to be impressed.  Ever since the Curado G bashing began I've been wanting to see inside one to see for myself—I've posted my opinion on the Shimano name mashup before and won't go into it here.  I came away a little nonplussed with the Curado G; it's solid, but I'd rate it below the Citica E in almost everything.

The fit and finish is not as smooth as the Citica E.  The palm-side plate can be tricky to slide into place—inspection of the frame showed that the holes the hinge shaft slides through don't fit as closely as they might, so there's some lateral play.  That's what causes the problems with closing the palm-side plate.  Once the side plate is in place the quick-access latch closes just fine.  The paint on the Citica E is also smoother and feels better.

If you look closely at the second pic from the top, you can see a small dark spot in the upper half of the hole the crankshaft bearing sits in.  That's actually a hole that's exposed from the outside when you remove the spool.  It won't affect performance, but it's another place where dirt can get inside the reel.  Don't know if it's an isolated incident or normal for these reels, but I don't like it either way.

The drag is typical for Shimano.  The pic shows it before I cleaned it up; you can see the residue left by the dartanium drag washers.  I'm not a fan of dartanium because it leaves that residue and can even cause pitting in the gears if left untended.

The brake case is plastic.  That's normal for the Citica E though the Citica D had a metal brake case, but the Curado/Chronarch E has a metal brake case.  You're probably not going to notice any difference in performance between the two, but I'm wondering more and more why this reel costs $30 more than the Citica G.

The handle has four bushings and so is upgradable with four bearings.  That's a definite improvement over the Curado/Chronarch 200E, which can have 2 handle bearings max in the stock handle.

Last pic:  The drag key washer's edges were not smooth.  This along with other things really made me feel as though the Curado G was not on the same level as the Citica E.  The finish on the components just wasn't as good; the AR ratchet and key washer had sharper edges than the ones in the E, and the grey plastic used in the clutch felt cheaper than the white nylon plastic used in the E-series.  I also noticed some machining marks on the drive gear, though the drag surfaces were smooth.

The side plates also seemed a little more flexible than the Citica E's side plates.

The only places I'd rate a stock Curado G over a stock Citica E were the handle knobs, the upgradable handle, and the crankshaft bearing.  The drag is also stronger thanks to increased surface area, but the Citica E's drive gear actually has the capability for a more powerful drag.  The drag washer diameter is bigger on the E though the G has more surface area stock.  A carbontex drag for the E-series will send the drag into orbit, and I'd recommend replacing any Shimano dartanium drag with carbontex due to dartanium's long-term problems.

I actually find the G's profile slightly more comfortable to palm than the E.  I find the E to be too flat when used with cutout reel seats, believe it or not.  My hands aren't particularly large, but I like a somewhat taller reel for use with ACS or Minima reel seats.  This is a personal preference issue, nothing else.

So, what does the Curado G offer over the Citica G to warrant the extra price?  Bigger knobs, one more bearing, a different spool...that's pretty much it.  The Citica G's handle has the capacity for four bearings just like the Curado G's handle. 

In my opinion the Curado doesn't warrant the extra $30.  The knobs are $10, a stainless steel crankshaft bearing is maybe $7, and the spool difference has debatable effect on casting.  The Citica E's casting is superb.  So is the Curado G, but not enough to make me want to spend $160.  You can find Citica G's for less than $100 if you look, and that's a much better buy.  You can spend the saved money on upgrades and end up with a reel that's better than a Curado G.

If you're in the market for a Shimano baitcaster, I'd go with the Citica G before the Curado G for the reasons outlined above.  Even better, if you look around you can probably find a Citica E for $85 or so. 

I would say the Citica E is a better reel than either G-series baitcaster.

Tight lines,

Ben

[LgMouthGambler]

Yeah, its hard to beat the E series. I haven't had the chance to take a G apart other than the CiticaG. My friend has a CuradoG, but he is hesitant to let me supertune it for him just in case there is a problem with it and he has to send it back. The hole where the crankshaft bearing is is normal. I don't like it either, but I believe its some kind of breather hole, who knows. Great write up, very informative for those that don't have one. I tried the CiticaG but sold it since I don't like the way it plams for me. I wanted to see if Shimano was going to make a Curado50G, but they never did. Oh well, I guess Im gonna have to wait for all the good stuff to come out that was at iCast. With all the old stuff going out, there should be some good deals on equipment.

[Makaira76]

And I been telling people about the current Curado G is not all that when compared to the older series and Citica for awhile now. Thanks for the tear down and pictures.

[H8R]

Nice info man! I appreciate the insight. I was never impressed by the feel of the CuradoG but the Citica I liked. I bought one but somehow or another the cheap plastic drag star snapped off and I sold it to my buddy for 40bucks ( too much of an eyesore for me ).

[Mike Cork]

Nice info man! I appreciate the insight. I was never impressed by the feel of the CuradoG but the Citica I liked. I bought one but somehow or another the cheap plastic drag star snapped off and I sold it to my buddy for 40bucks ( too much of an eyesore for me ).

Put me on your buddy list.... I would have gave you $41

[Down4ttown]

Put me on your buddy list.... I would have gave you $41

That was what I was thinking

[LgMouthGambler]

Nice info man! I appreciate the insight. I was never impressed by the feel of the CuradoG but the Citica I liked. I bought one but somehow or another the cheap plastic drag star snapped off and I sold it to my buddy for 40bucks ( too much of an eyesore for me ).

Wow! That was a total loss! You could have got a metal E star for $20.

[Down4ttown]

Wow! That was a total loss! You could have got a metal E star for $20.

[H8R]

Wow! That was a total loss! You could have got a metal E star for $20.

I've known him for 26 years and I'm only 30... Id say we go back a bit. I just didn't want to mess with it and he needed a reel in a hurry . Lets just say it evened out, he runs an archery shop and I needed some arrows!

[JD.Littleford22]

I love the E Series but would like to try the G Series. On that break down pic, BETTER YOU THAN I.

[Fishwhittler]

I love the E Series but would like to try the G Series. On that break down pic, BETTER YOU THAN I.

After this, the Citica G is the only one I'm considering.  I do like the way the G fits my hands and I really like Shimano's VBS braking, so if I can find a Citica G for cheap enough I might pull the trigger.

On the other hand, it's not really likely I'd find one for a lot less $$ than a good-condition Citica E, so...

[Diggy_]

My friends curado g was gravy until a snakehead blew up the gearbox

He has since gotten it replaced but it seemed like a nice reel prior to that

[Fishwhittler]

My friends curado g was gravy until a snakehead blew up the gearbox

He has since gotten it replaced but it seemed like a nice reel prior to that

That shouldn't happen to a $160 reel, even for a snakehead.  How did the reel fail?