When it comes to price the
Curado E5 is the most aggressively priced and yet delivers a well rounded
package of features and performance
The Daiwa Zillion Crazy Cranker is by far the most expensive
contender retailing for 269 dollars while the Shimano Curado E5 is the most
affordable at only 179 dollars. A Shimano product costing less than all the
primary competitors, how often does that happen? The Shimano Curado E5 makes use of
less metal (aluminum) than the other reels in roundup and thus was able to
bring the cost of their reels down. The good news is that even though both
sideplates are made out of graphite we didn't experience gear sloppiness and
Shimano did right by passing on those cost savings on to the consumer in the
form of lower prices. In a last minute surge Shimano edges out the
competition in the price category.
|
Price |
| |
Curado E5 |
Zillion CC |
Revo Winch |
Energy PT |
| Price |
1 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
|
Category Rank |
1 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
It is becoming a two reel race
as the Abu Garcia Winch and Shimano Curado E5 both win a few rounds
convincingly
|
Final Scores |
| |
Curado E5 |
Zillion CC |
Revo Winch |
Energy PT |
|
Specifications |
3 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
|
Ergonomics |
1 |
4 |
2 |
3 |
|
Casting |
1 |
2 |
4 |
3 |
|
Retrieve |
1 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
|
Drag |
3 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
| Price |
1 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
Total
(lower is better) |
10 |
16 |
12 |
17 |
|
Shootout Rank |
1 |
3 |
2 |
4 |
Conclusion: With the final round in
the books the dust settles and towards the latter rounds two reels in
particular really started to separate themselves from the pack. The Abu
Garcia Revo Winch and Shimano Curado E5 both proved that they have the right
combination of features and performance to deliver knockout punches when it
comes to both refinement and muscle. In the high speed shootout the Daiwa
Zillion Limited Edition won, and while the Daiwa Zillion Crazy Cranker is an
equally exceptional reel it carries a high price that hurt the reel's total
value in a segment where all of its major competitors retail for 60-70
dollars less. The Winch proved to be extremely good at some categories and
somewhat lacking in others, playing both sides of the extreme, while the
Quantum Energy PT was shown to be a well rounded performer, but lacked the
ability to really dominate any one category.
As the battle draws to a close
the Shimano Curado E5 surges and narrowly edges out the Abu Garcia Winch to
becoming the low speed cranking Shootout Champ
That brings us to the Shimano Curado E5, a reel that on paper didn't look as good as many of the
competitors, a reel that makes use of some lower grade materials and yet
delivers a surprising level of sophistication, a reel that pushes the
envelope of what anglers should expect in a sub 180 dollar baitcaster. All
of the reels in this roundup are worthy of consideration and some are better
at certain attributes than others, so matching the right cranking reel up
with your fishing application and style will ultimately make the decision an
easy one. The Energy PT delivers aggressive styling and an overall balanced
feel and performance, the
Winch is a monster cranker capable of being used in
big bait as well as inshore applications and the Daiwa Zillion Crazy Cranker
is the most refined as long as you don't mind shelling out some extra coin,
but when it comes time to crown a all round winner it is the Shimano Curado
E5 that surges ahead in the most categories proving that this little "Green
Machine" really is so much more than just the sum of all of its parts.
