Curado 50E Upgrades 2024
bassh8er reply :
I just bought this reel on eBay, and though it passes the initial eye test, it isn't as smooth as I was expecting after hearing so much about these reels.
I plan on sending this into DVT for a clean, tune and upgrade and was wanting some feedback on what people have had success with as far as upgrades go.
I've heard a lot about OS bearing upgrades; how many bearings do you upgrade? The only other thing I know to do is the Carbontex drag upgrade.
I'm not too concerned about the handle but suggestions there would be welcome too.
I know there's been talk about the drag star as well; is that plastic? Can you upgrade that? I'd assume it's for weight savings, but it feels cheap to me. If it's not a big deal, I guess I can gt over it.
I'd also be welcome to another thread where I'm sure this has been discussed, but I couldn't find it. Thanks in advance.
baluga reply :
You can order a core drag star for $33.00 from shimano..
ww2farmer reply :
I have 2 51E's, and have done nothing to them other than keep them oiled. They actually get smoother with more use.
J Francho reply :
Hawgtech handle.
LgMouthGambler reply :
Boca 7 spool bearings, a good cleaning, a supertune, and check out Mike and the HawgTech boys, those handles are great to get a little more out of the 50.
skeletor6 reply :
The bearing upgrades and supertuning can be nice, but it is not necessary. These reels are pretty easy to take down and clean yourself. The drag on them are better than most reels so the carbontex drag upgrade is not necessary in my use. Furthermore, if you are tight on money just break it down, clean it and oil it yourself. It takes some time to break in those Shimano Reels in my opinion.
If you just want to upgrade it and have it cleaned professionally, having a professional such as DVT would take care of you for those needs. Actually, If I were you I would contact DVT right here on this forum and ask him what he can do for you. He gives a discount to members on the forum here and is timely in his responses. Nice guy overall and will not sell you on products you don't need. Also, if you want any in depth explanation about what the upgraded bearings would do for your specific reel, he would be able to explain it best.
BradH reply :
roadwarrior reply :
On 10/30/2012 at 11:10 PM, skeletor6 said:The bearing upgrades and supertuning can be nice, but it is not necessary. These reels are pretty easy to take down and clean yourself. The drag on them are better than most reels so the carbontex drag upgrade is not necessary in my use. Furthermore, if you are tight on money just break it down, clean it and oil it yourself. It takes some time to break in those Shimano Reels in my opinion.
If you just want to upgrade it and have it cleaned professionally, having a professional such as DVT would take care of you for those needs. Actually, If I were you I would contact DVT right here on this forum and ask him what he can do for you. He gives a discount to members on the forum here and is timely in his responses. Nice guy overall and will not sell you on products you don't need. Also, if you want any in depth explanation about what the upgraded bearings would do for your specific reel, he would be able to explain it best.
I agreee, you definitely don't NEED to upgrade, but it is nice!
OnthePotomac reply :
The star drag on the 50E, according to Shimano, is a modern composite, which is light and very strong. The material was chosen for this reel and others for this reason. It has a degree of flex, which reduces its chance of being broken if stepped on or dropped.
All I did to my three 50E's is add very high quality metal ABEC 7 bearings. I went metal instead of OS ceramics, because I have ceramics in other reels and get tired of the constant care they require to remain well lubed and quiet.
TrippyJai reply :
Flush out he bearings and put some grease on the gears. There is plenty of step by step videos on YT you can look up. If you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself then send it in to DVT. He can also do any upgrades you want.
I no longer use the 50E size reels. They hurt my hand because the clutch bar is too high. I don't notice this until a few hours into the fishing trip, so I ended up selling them and giving the one I upgraded to my GF. She calls it the "baby Curado". Haha.
Here is a picture of the upgraded reel:
OS Boca Abec7 bearings
Carbontex drag washers
Curado E7 aluminum drag star - I did this because I don't like the plastic star, I broke mine from a Citica 200E. It also feels cheap to me.
84mm handle from a Chronarch D
Big septon handle knobs
skeletor6 reply :
On 10/30/2012 at 6:12 PM, LgMouthGambler said:Boca 7 spool bearings, a good cleaning, a supertune, and check out Mike and the HawgTech boys, those handles are great to get a little more out of the 50.
Do you know the weight differences between the handle you are mentioning and the stock handle of the curado 50e?
LgMouthGambler reply :
No. I would guess maybe 1/2 the weight. Check them out, they are sponsor here. HawgTech. I have them on my Curado and Chronarch 50's. They are longer, so they help with more speed. You can also use the factory knobs too.On 10/31/2012 at 5:56 AM, skeletor6 said:Do you know the weight differences between the handle you are mentioning and the stock handle of the curado 50e?
The American reply :
On 10/31/2012 at 6:01 AM, LgMouthGambler said:No. I would guess maybe 1/2 the weight. Check them out, they are sponsor here. HawgTech. I have them on my Curado and Chronarch 50's. They are longer, so they help with more speed. You can also use the factory knobs too.
You say they help with more speed? Are they shorter than the factory handle?
LgMouthGambler reply :
longer.On 10/31/2012 at 6:20 AM, The American said:You say they help with more speed? Are they shorter than the factory handle?
The American reply :
Interesting. It seems to me like the longer the handle, the greater the distance my hand has to travel to get one rotation in. Would say, a 20' handle speed up my retrieve?
retiredbosn reply :
Speed is not affected by longer or shorter handle, unless its more comfortable to reel faster the speed is a matter of gearing. I don't care if the handle is 20 or 90mm, the gearing shaft is only going to turn once with every handle rotation. Which will turn the spool 5 times on a E5 bringing in 20inches of line.
retiredbosn reply :
On 10/31/2012 at 6:28 AM, The American said:Interesting. It seems to me like the longer the handle, the greater the distance my hand has to travel to get one rotation in. Would say, a 20' handle speed up my retrieve?
Handle length will not make a reel faster. It will put more torque to the gear shaft, torque to the spool again is a matter of gear ratio. A longer handle on a deep cranking reel will help with angler fatigue
tomustang reply :
It does, the longer the handle, the longer the revolution is, which slows down the speed.
retiredbosn reply :
On 10/31/2012 at 6:40 AM, tomustang said:It does, the longer the handle, the longer the revolution is, which slows down the speed.
It may slow your revolution but it doesn't affect the reel's speed, the reel will still have the same gear ratio. I see what you are saying in that it slows the angler, but we should careful the way it is worded. The way I've read the posts is that the reel will speed up or slow down, which is wrong. To speed up or slow down a reel you have to change gears.
Besides we are talking a few mm difference, it will not greatly affect the anglers speed, you are talking tenths of a second. That may make a difference at Mach 1, but negligble on fishing.
BASSHUNTER1961 reply :
On 10/31/2012 at 6:28 AM, The American said:Interesting. It seems to me like the longer the handle, the greater the distance my hand has to travel to get one rotation in. Would say, a 20' handle speed up my retrieve?
WOW.... The longer the handle the faster the retrieve. Think of how bicycle gears work.
retiredbosn reply :
On 10/31/2012 at 7:41 AM, BASSHUNTER1961 said:WOW.... The longer the handle the faster the retrieve. Think of how bicycle gears work.
With the amount of confusion exhibited I don't think it will help, lol. 
piscicidal reply :
John/Dwight/Matt,
Thanks for your positive comments.
Skeletor,
The Hawg Handle is 94mm long and weighs 26grams. The stock curado 50e handle is 80mm long and (I believe) weighs about 32grams (interpolating.....curado 200E handle is 84mm and 34.5grams)
Carbon fiber allows you to go longer while reducing weight. Its true that speed is unchanged (IPT remains unchanged) but the amount of effort required to achieve that speed is much less. So to many, the CF handle "feels" faster.
Virtually 100% of the people using our handle have responded favorably to the added length. The longer length really helps with fatique and the length/cork grips really help your hand stay engaged when a big fish slams your bait. Steve Daniel (elite series pro, and top Okeechobee guide) commented to this in our interview with him a couple weeks ago. I can post up the link to that later.
LgMouthGambler reply :
Sorry, I may have worded that wrong. I meant faster by a more controlled retrieve. Instead of the smaller handle the 50's come with, you get a larger circumfrance of a turn, which helps to reel faster in more controlled fashion. Either way, believe me, its a must have. Mike did a great job on this product.
bassh8er reply :
Thanks for all the replies guys.
Can't say that a handle upgrade is too high on my list.
Do you just need to replace the 2 bearings behind the tension know and in the sideplate?
LgMouthGambler reply :
Yes. Try a clean and flush first, then decide.
tomustang reply :
Unpack n Play!
Some are rough from the factory, which need a clean/relube. If not you can go to town on it
skeletor6 reply :
On 10/31/2012 at 8:18 AM, piscicidal said:John/Dwight/Matt,
Thanks for your positive comments.
Skeletor,
The Hawg Handle is 94mm long and weighs 26grams. The stock curado 50e handle is 80mm long and (I believe) weighs about 32grams (interpolating.....curado 200E handle is 84mm and 34.5grams)
Carbon fiber allows you to go longer while reducing weight. Its true that speed is unchanged (IPT remains unchanged) but the amount of effort required to achieve that speed is much less. So to many, the CF handle "feels" faster.
Virtually 100% of the people using our handle have responded favorably to the added length. The longer length really helps with fatique and the length/cork grips really help your hand stay engaged when a big fish slams your bait. Steve Daniel (elite series pro, and top Okeechobee guide) commented to this in our interview with him a couple weeks ago. I can post up the link to that later.
Thank you for the comparisons in weight and length. Being longer and saving weight is nice. I appreciate the information.
The added length would cause a greater diameter of the circle that is made in the revolution of the handle. So in theory it would take a greater distance to complete a revolution therefore it would be slower. In practice I do not think it will make a difference and actually would be more comfortable. The size of the spool and gear ratio are the main factors that effect speed or line pickup (ipt)
The American reply :
On 10/31/2012 at 7:41 AM, BASSHUNTER1961 said:WOW.... The longer the handle the faster the retrieve. Think of how bicycle gears work.
False. Bicycle gears are.. um... gears. Handle length would be more like the length of the pedals.
(IPT remains unchanged) but the amount of effort required to achieve that speed is much less. So to many, the CF handle "feels" faster.
This^^ makes sense, this is torque. T=F*R. The longer handle® torques the axis more, causing less effort(F) to turn the handle.
BUT, the longer handle slows the rate at which you can turn the reel down, effectively slowing the reel down. Think of it like inches your hand moves per1 full rotation of the handle. The longer the handle, the more inches your hand has to travel. When you work it out, you have to turn your hand 502mm with the stock handle, and 590mm with the longer handle.
When it all gets down to it though, ~90mm isn't going to slow you down that much at all, and the advantages of the greater torque on the central axis probably overcomes the slight increase in distance.
piscicidal reply :
True, not only do you get the benefit of increased torque, but also decreased weight and improved smoothness (cnc tolerances/4 stainless steel bearings). In terms of just pure "speed" its probably a wash for most people (somewhat dependant upon physicality). But in terms of power, weight, and smoothness, the cf handle wins easily.
QUAKEnSHAKE reply :
You can put core 50mg7 gears in to get 7:1 gearing.
Bantam > You will need:
BNT4046
BNT4050
BNT3941
kickerfish1 reply :
Longer handles are generally used for increasing leverage and torque. For me this would be deeper cranks or bigger spinnerbaits. For most other techniques standard handle legnths suffice just fine.
roadwarrior reply :
Moderator Edit:
Simmer down now. There is no reason to get nasty.
The last two posts have been removed.
-Kent a.k.a. roadwarrior
Global Moderator
bassh8er reply :
Back to the OPs (my) original thread... Which is about 50e upgrades...
Thank you for all the helpful posts and no thanks to the last page and a half of junk.
Thanks for the PM as well DVT, I'll be contacting you soon,
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