I'm considering purchasing a Citica I for a few reasons:

1-I need another "6" speed.

2-Love the Curado I's as a workhorse, and from what I can tell they're very similar to the Citica.

3-I don't have one yet and they look cool. I'm shallow like that when it comes to reels.

I know the Curado I's well and I think they're an excellent workhorse. Very little difference in performance to those and my Chronarchs or Met.

I know the specs that are different... Citica has normal Shimano bearings instead of the two anti rust bearings in the Curado, the spool isn't painted, and to me the drag star looks less beefy.

Can anyone who has fished both the Curado and Citica I's extensively compare from a performance standpoint?

Thanks in advance.

 

I have both. Performance they are identical. Only difference is the 3 arb bearings in the curado. People will say the handle and drag star are different but side by side they are identical except the color. Spool Is identical except the color. 

I don't think the curado is worth paying any more for than the citica. There's a reason why shimano hasn't posted the schematics for the citica on their site yet. 

Right until the D series choosing between a Citica and a Curado was really easy for me, it was Curado, but at the D series it has been increasingly difficult for me to justify purchasing a Curado over the Citica, they have become so much better. Actually I haven´t purchased a Curado for a very long time, my last Shimanos have been Citicas. So unless I look for something really very specific that can be found only in   one ( like GR ) I would choose one over the other.

1 hour ago, Raul said:

Right until the D series choosing between a Citica and a Curado was really easy for me, it was Curado, but at the D series it has been increasingly difficult for me to justify purchasing a Curado over the Citica, they have become so much better. Actually I haven´t purchased a Curado for a very long time, my last Shimanos have been Citicas. So unless I look for something really very specific that can be found only in   one ( like GR ) I would choose one over the other.

I feel the same way for the most part. I thought with the E's especially the Citica was a very nice reel, but it didn't handle light baits quite as well as the Curado's. Then, the G's seemed almost identical in my hands. If there's no drop off in performance with the I's, I can't see why you'd buy a Curado I unless you were fishing saltwater or you just wanted the name/aesthetics. Admittedly, I'd probably fall into that name/aesthetics category if I didn't already have two. I think that's a major reason the Curado continues to sell better than the Citica. 

Performance wise you'd be hard pressed to find a difference. I haven't seen a schematic of a CII but in pat models a bearing supported main drive shaft was one of the refinements the curado offered but easily added for $7 during a service. 

48 minutes ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

Performance wise you'd be hard pressed to find a difference. I haven't seen a schematic of a CII but in pat models a bearing supported main drive shaft was one of the refinements the curado offered but easily added for $7 during a service. 

Yeah in the e series like you said the curado had a bearing on the main shaft vs a bushing in the citica, and a different handle and spool etc. The new I series are identical minus the 3arb bearings in the citica. They both have the same number of bearings. The citica has 5 stainless steel bearings  and the curado has 2 stainless steel bearings and 3 arb bearings according to the box.   I've had both mine apart and couldn't tell where they arb bearings were at in the curado. 

 

2 hours ago, smallie.mike said:

Yeah in the e series like you said the curado had a bearing on the main shaft vs a bushing in the citica, and a different handle and spool etc. The new I series are identical minus the 3arb bearings in the citica. They both have the same number of bearings. The citica has 5 stainless steel bearings  and the curado has 2 stainless steel bearings and 3 arb bearings according to the box.   I've had both mine apart and couldn't tell where they arb bearings were at in the curado. 

 

My experience with Shimano reels is that at least two of those ARBs will be spool supporting bearings.

I have a Curado I and I love it looking to get a Citica I soon.

I just got both reels on "black Friday" and so far I do like them, that being said, I just order a new Lew's tonight just to try other reels. I am sure you will like the citica.

I had a curado I 201 and hated it. Felt bulky and unrefined. 

I like the Casitas better. Smaller profile, palms better, and costs less. 

In any case I prefer Lews reels for anything sub $200.

For $250 and up I prefer JDM Shimano and Daiwa.

6 minutes ago, ibobpeb said:

I had a curado I 201 and hated it. Felt bulky and unrefined. 

I like the Casitas better. Smaller profile, palms better, and costs less. 

In any case I prefer Lews reels for anything sub $200.

For $250 and up I prefer JDM Shimano and Daiwa.

Let's not turn this into a brand discussion. Those all turn out the same.

Just now, bassbassontherange said:

Let's not turn this into a brand discussion. Those all turn out the same.

Didn't mean to turn this into a brand discussion but I did mention the Shimano Casitas which I think is a better reel than the Curado and Citica.

You're the first I've seen that's owned one. What do you like better about them?

Ive had both for awhile but Ive havent gotten to fish the Citica yet LOL. The spools weigh the same which was not the case in the previous generation. So this tells me the performance will be the same which is great. If you want to save the $30 bucks get the Citica and use the money for some line or lures. 

Btw OP says be has chronarchs and metanium reels. 

 

Winter has set in.  I am happy I live in California and can fish year round.  

OP:  I haven't fished extensively with both of the reels so I can't offer much difference in hand myself.  I will tell you my opinion is I really can't notice a difference in real world fishing PERSONALLY between the two.  

I have two good friends who have both the citica I and curado I.  One of which has been fishing much longer and at a different level than the other.  Long story short, they both are not able to tell a difference when using the reels side by side throughout the day.  One of these two is my team partner and I trust him as much as I trust myself...  He is hard on his gear and has never liked Shimano reels in the past, but he is a huge fan of the I series.  

Hope this is helpful.  

ibobped:  I don't think you were too out of line with your response.  Hope you'll still participate in other threads. 

Was just in the market for a new baitcaster, and was torn between the Curado I and the Citica I.  In the end, the $30 difference seemed negligible, so I spent the extra and went with the Curado.  Haven't had a chance to throw it, yet, so we'll see.

3 hours ago, Racerx said:

Was just in the market for a new baitcaster, and was torn between the Curado I and the Citica I.  In the end, the $30 difference seemed negligible, so I spent the extra and went with the Curado.  Haven't had a chance to throw it, yet, so we'll see.

Your gonna love it!  I think you would of had to pay 230+ just 5 years ago to get a reel that performs like the I does. Just my opinion

On 1/7/2016 at 2:15 PM, ibobpeb said:

Didn't mean to turn this into a brand discussion but I did mention the Shimano Casitas which I think is a better reel than the Curado and Citica.

Thanks for the review on the Casitas. I've been kicking around the idea of trying one since I need another 6 ratio reel. Messed with one a bit in the store and it feels like it would do what I need it to do without popping for another Curado. I don't have a hard time believing they can produce a quality reel in that price range. Wasn't all that long ago they produced THEE reel at that price range.