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The Lean Green
Cranking Machine, meet Shimano’s Curado E5
(continued)
 
Durability cont'd:
Fishing Pyramid Lake was a good anti-corrosion test for the Curado E5 as Pyramid
is classified as a salt lake with approximately 1/6th the salinity of seawater.
While landing fish in the lake there were times when the Curado E5 was fully
submerged within the water, and the only maintenance we did after the trip was a
quick rinse under the tap on the external reel. One week later we inspected the
reel and found some remnants of salt inside the reel as well as some rust
spotting on the gearing. After a quick wipe these were gone and the reel
continues to feel just as good as new when it comes to fluid retrieve.
We target Lahontan Cutthroat trout
in our tests
Price & Applications:
As the Curado E and Citica E series are so similar in design Shimano decided to
further set the two reel series apart by making all the Citica E reels with the
multipurpose gear ratio of 6.2:1, and the Curado in both the burner 7.0:1 and
cranking 5.0:1 speeds. This essentially makes the Curado series more application
specific than the Citica. The Citica is already such a stellar value that
Shimano had to further differentiate the two reels or else suffer too much
cannibalization within their own line. But the truth is that most anglers are
willing to spend more money and buy the Curado. The combination of the gear
ratios, added refinement, and popular “Curado” brand are enough to put the reel
over the top when it comes to demand from anglers.
The Curado E5 features oversized
PV power grips for more comfort and leverage
The Curado E5 is a good reel for deep cranking, slow rolling spinnerbaits, or
tossing lightweight plastics. While most anglers will use the Curado E for bass
fishing we also found it to be an excellent reel for targeting big trout as
well. Personally I have become quite fond of the enlarged power paddles on the
Curado E, and also use the reel foe fishing topwater frogs as well. The minute a
fish explodes on the frog I know that I can crank down on the oversized knobs
and get the leverage I need to dig fish out of the weeds.
The Curado E5 is made in Japan on
the same line as the Citica E reels
From a performance standpoint is the Curado E worth the extra 60 dollars over
the Citica E? If you are fishing big deep diving crankbaits like we were during
our crankbait rod wars testing then the more powerful gear ratio makes a huge
difference both when deep cranking and muscling up fish from deeper water. There
is no doubt that the Curado does feel smoother and more refined than the Citica
E, and one other area where the Curado wins hands down is the casting of lighter
weightless rigged plastics. Another example of the refinement differences is we
noticed more backplay in the Citica E, and the Curado E’s drilled handle shank
is not only more durable but better resists torque.
Finally a fish that tested the
power and drag of the Curado E5
The other thing that the Curado E5 has going for it is the aggressive price
versus the competition. It is hard to find a reel with this many features and
this level of refinement for only $179.00. The bottom line, if you’re looking
for something more specific to either of these applications the Curado E is
absolutely worth the extra money, but if you are looking for a well rounded
mainstream reel the Citica E still represents the better value.
Ratings:
(We've
re-calibrated our
ratings standard for
2008 and have
included a key at
the bottom of the
following matrix as
a guide):
|
Shimano
Curado
200E5
Ratings
(?/10)
|
|
Construction/Quality |
Good
overall
build
quality
that is
a notch
better
than the
Citica E
in terms
of
materials
used.
The reel
still
has
graphite
sideplates,
and even
though
we were
concerned
about
the
graphite
durability
we found
the
plates
held up
over the
long
term
very
well |
8.5 |
|
Performance |
Performance
of this
reel was
exceptional.
At first
it feels
near
identical
to the
Citica E
but
after
fishing
for just
a short
while we
noticed
it felt
smoother
and was
better
able to
cast
weightless
rigged
plastics |
9 |
|
Price |
While we
ranked
the
Curado E
lower
than the
Citica E
in terms
of price
it is
still an
amazing
value
compared
to other
reels on
the
market.
Kudos to
Shimano
for
bringing
out a
better
reel and
keeping
the
price
down |
9 |
|
Features |
The
Curado E
is the
better
reel
when it
comes to
features
when
compared
to the
Citica
E. The
higher
bearing
count,
better
grips,
and more
refined
drag
star all
add up
to a
more
refined
reel |
8.5 |
|
Design
(Ergonomics) |
The
Curado
E5 is
far
better
than the
previous
D
version
when it
comes to
ergonomics
and is
near
identical
to the
Citica E
in form
factor
but is
slightly
lighter |
8 |
|
Application |
The
Curado E
is more
refined
than the
Citica E
and is
more
application
specific
with the
low (or
high
speed)
gearing
depending
if you
opt for
the E5
or E7.
We used
the
Curado
for both
Bass and
Trout
and the
reel
performed
beautifully |
8 |
|
Total
Score
|
8.5 |
Ratings
Key:
1 =
terrible
: 2 =
poor : 3
=
lacking
: 4 =
sub par
: 5 =
mediocre
: 6 =
fair : 7
= good :
8 =
great :
9 =
excellent
: 10 =
unbelievable!
For More
Details
of the
updated
rating
system
visit
our
explanation
here |
Pluses and Minuses:
|
Plus
Minus
|
|
J
Improved
ergonomics
and
weight
reduction |
L
Graphite
sideplates
instead
of
aluminum |
|
J
Major
improvement
over
previous
generation
reel |
|
|
J
Small
but
powerful
thanks
to HEG
gearing |
|
|
J
More
refined
than the
Citica
E,
better
handles
weightless
rigs and
crankbait
fishing |
|
|
J
Still
and
exceptional
price |
|
Which will you
choose? The Citica E
is the better value
but the Curado E5 is
the more refined
reel and better
suited for power
crankbait fishing
Conclusion:
Shimano went to the
drawing board and
put an emphasis on
improving ergonomics
and weight reduction
with the new Curado
series, and not only
do they manage to
achieve their goals,
but they do so
without sacrificing
power and drag
performance. Our
initial skepticism
regarding use of
graphite in the
handle-side sideplate was
alleviated after
fishing with this
reel over the entire
season. The Curado E
is so good that it
will make anglers
wonder if spending
that extra money for
the new Chronarch is
even necessary. The
E5 is a great
crankbait reel and
can also slow roll
spinnerbaits and
finesse fish
plastics. If you are
working jerkbaits or
topwater lures that
require speed to get
on plane then the
faster E7 model will
be preferable. We
previously awarded
the Citica E our
Editors Choice Award
and it is hard not to
do the same for the Curado E. While the
Curado E costs more, when
I ask myself which
reel I like better
overall I
still find myself leaning towards
the Curado, as the
extra refinement,
ability to better
cast finesse baits,
and power knobs
are enough to
justify the slight
premium in price.
Overall the reel
still manages to
come in at a very
aggressive price
point. The Curado D
may have lost some
ground to competing
reels
in the previous
season this
latest version is
poised to retake
that marketshare and
then some, and when
it comes to cranking
reels at the 200
dollar price point
this little mean
green reel has just
became the one to
beat.
Looking for a
Shimano Curado E5, check out
Tackle Warehouse
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