Unbiased endorsement of Shimano

[m cress]

I have always been a Daiwa guy. Mostly because I'm seriously into watches and Daiwa is owned by Seiko. They make one hell of an automatic watch movement so I figured reels have to be engineered well. However I just fished a friends Curado..I don't know the model number off hand but it was the 200.00 one with the 7-1 ratio. Holy s@#t, that was the most balanced feeling reel I have ever operated. For a six bearing reel the smoothness was incredible. By far the best reel I have ever used. EVER. I was comparing it to my Daiwa Capricorn 110, which has nine bearings and one roller so it's no slouch of a reel at 160.00. The Shimano just "felt" right. I don't know how else to describe it, but I would highly recommend anyone who is looking for a higher end reel to get it without delay. And to those who already own one....... I'm envious.