SuperWetBlanket

I've installed a metal one from the steez A. Looks so much better. If you want to just fix yours, remove the cap, rubber ring, and lift the collar. Then put a small amount of gel super glue, and put it back, it should be good to go.

The unfortunate truth.

The 21 looks pretty slick. The newest one looks like a downgrade in the bling department.

Glad they aren't using the ugly red accents anymore.

In the og alphas cult too🤣

Its no different than a standard baitcaster. These mag sealed bearings are nothing but marketing in my opinion. Shimano and the rest don't have em, and who's complaining? Nobody. Use the reel until the mag bearing is crunchy, then replace it by a standard bearing of the same size, and be done with it. That is what i'd do at least.

I do agree that there's a cult behind these. The Core has a cult as well, and so does the Pixy, in which i've been in since 2016😂

That is more expensive than i thought it would be. Still, $180 back then did not feel anywhere near as expensive as $320 now.

Was able to find a Curado 50E locally in barely used condition for a crazy good price, and i am really impressed by everything on it. It really doesn't have any flaws at all, everything, including the paintjob, looks and feels great. So i decided to google the original MSRP, and for a Made in Japan reel, these launched for $180. With inflation its probably a bit higher now, but still, this is a really good price for what you're getting. So it made me wonder, is it even a possibility for Shimano (or Daiwa for that matter) to release a Japan made baitcaster for the USDM, and be around the $180-200 range? Or is a Curado E-like in 2026 would be a Bantam, sold for $395?

The only negative that i could think of being right handed and casting with the right hand is that the handle side of a reel isn't always as good to cast as the palming side. On the 09 Conquest DC 100 for example, there's that thumb screw that will rub against your index finger on every cast, which is more annoying than what i want my reels to be.

Use what you're comfy with, everything else is fluff and not important. I am righty, and use a right hand retrieve reels only, which makes me swap hands, which is something i've never even thought of being bothersome until i saw some people saying how you're losing time switching hands. Ridiculous, unless chunking large heavy baits, i usually swap hands while the lure is still in the air, so there's no time wasted on anything.

Can you post high res pictures of them? Because i don't believe there are reels out there that are identical, and sold under the shimano name while being clones.

You won't find any.

I don't believe there is a single fake daiwa or shimano. When you read the AI answers, you need to visit links it gives you. Plenty of times it'll give you a link that has nothing to do with the question you've asked, and the source ends up being a random reddit post, or something stupid. Cloning reels to look as good as what Shimano and Daiwa releases is simply not worth it for those companies. Profit margins are minimal, better invest that time and resources into cloning Omega's & Rolex's, and swim in cash. Did some googling, and as i assumed, when AI tells you that there's plenty of conterfeit calcutta's for $50-150, its referring to those noname brands that "borrow" the shape of it, to make it look similarlish. Its nowhere near identical looking, so unless you have no idea how the real thing is supposed to look like, it's impossible to be fooled. This is what AI considers are a clone that is identical to the real thing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iyYWX8EwCg

Zodias line is a noob trap. Has been saying this since like 2017. 300% not worth the asked price.