Lews Vs Shimano Baitcasters 2024
22hertz reply :
Hi guys
Im looking at buying my first caster and I have my eye on these two reels:
-Lews Team Lite Speed Spool
-Shimano Curado I
Can you offer details that set each apart from the other.
The Lews is lighter but does it sacrifice durablity or performance to get it?
All my spinning gear is Shimano and I trust them, but since Im jumping into casting I wanted to get some opinions on alternatives before blindly buying more Shimano gear.
fishinphilly reply :
I've been looking at getting the team lite but i can't afford it right now so make me happy and get the lews
bootytrain reply :
I've recently got the team lite(silver one) haven't gotten to fish it yet. One thing to take into account is that the Lews spool is much lighter so in theory the casting range should be better than the curado. I'm very pleased with my first Lews. It looks really sharp.
RBK reply :
I can't comment on the LEW'S but I just picked up a Curado200 I and it's just as smooth as my Chronarch CI4+. I also own 4 other Shimano Casting Reels plus a half dozen Shimano Spinning Reels. Never had a problem with any Shimano Reel.
Rick
Krappiehog reply :
I started out with 2 lew's and cut my teeth on them 2 years ago. A year after they started get tight. I sent them back, the called me, I explained my dealer/tackle shop had told me to oil the gear box port.... They said NO, never do that.... They fixed and sent back. By the way I am not here to bash Lews, they were great to me. There customer service is awesome! They told me to clean and lube every month, a little much for me, so I did about every 3 mo. A year later back to the same thing, tight all over. Cleaned, and I mean full strip and degrease and clean, set over night and dry and carefully re-lube and re-assemble.... Better but not awesome... I got rid of them... They were the SS1.
I am a Shimano guy, all my spinning stuff is Shimano, most of my bait casters are Shimano, rest are Abu's. I perfer Shimano's. They feel, the fit in my hand, they seem to cast better.
I want all know lews stepped up, they did what they said and fixed under warranty, and even fixed something they did not have to. A problem that I created, I was new to casting reels and that was my fault. But they stepped up. So I Give them kudos for taking care of me, as they did not have to. Lews is a good company I think. I think maybe I had bad luck. For me I would not be a fraud to buy a Lews but I would step up to the tournament series reels.
For me I just prefer Shimano's.
AQUA VELVA reply :
All my spinning reels are Shimano and my bait casters are all Quantum. I'll be purchasing a Curado I this year with the help of a $100 gift card for Cabela's so I guess I'll find out if they are as good as Iv'e been hearing.
OK Bass Hunter reply :
Both are quality products that you can't go wrong with.
Krappiehog reply :
On 3/26/2015 at 9:19 AM, AQUA VELVA said:All my spinning reels are Shimano and my bait casters are all Quantum. I'll be purchasing a Curado I this year with the help of a $100 gift card for Cabela's so I guess I'll find out if they are as good as Iv'e been hearing.
I have last years model, it's a very nice reel, but Cabela's is having a sale on Chronarch's 159, and I got one, even nicer.... If you can get one I will tell you step up and get it while on sale as it's cheaper the the Curado while on sale, then call hawg tech and get a pair of ceramic bearings for it. It cast well out of the box, but I will never have a reel that I don't upgrade bearings in! My Canean is as good as my Curado and chronarch with bearings in it now and it was 89.99
SenkoGuru reply :
You are looking at two fantastic reel's. You will be very happy with either one. If I was to buy one I would most likely buy the Lew's because that is one of the only models I do not own yet. I already have the shimano and it is a great baitcaster. I know this doesn't help much but what I am trying to say is they are both top notch reels and either would be good, so just pick the one you like the looks of better or if you can hold them, get the one that feels best to you. There is no wrong choice in this one.
bbodkin reply :
Curado I is an AMAZING reel for the price. I don't think you could go wrong with either. But I'd get the curado and use the extra money on baits or something.
tomustang reply :
Two different reel classes.
ChrisWi reply :
I wouldn't say so, both low profile centrifugal braking casting reels.On 3/26/2015 at 11:04 AM, tomustang said:Two different reel classes.
Preytorien reply :
On 3/26/2015 at 9:19 AM, AQUA VELVA said:All my spinning reels are Shimano and my bait casters are all Quantum. I'll be purchasing a Curado I this year with the help of a $100 gift card for Cabela's so I guess I'll find out if they are as good as Iv'e been hearing.
They're as good as you've been hearing 
robster80 reply :
shimano hands down no contest
Delaware Valley Tackle reply :
On 3/26/2015 at 9:41 PM, ChrisWi said:I wouldn't say so, both low profile centrifugal braking casting reels.
I think he means because they're different price points ad features vary. I'd tend to agree they aren't apples to apples feature wise, but as far as quality and durability it's hard to go wrong once you exceed $125 msrp.
Tmmytomato reply :
I have about thirty baitcasters, the high percentage are Shimano but I aklso have three Abu Morrums and one Lews Pro Speed Spool. The first Lews (after using Lews thirty years ago) had a problem with the handle nut being stripped on the shaft. Actually it may have been the shaft that was stripped. Regardless, it was either bad machining or cheap steel. I returned it to Tackle Warehouse and they replaced it immediately. A friend of mine had two Lews that had the same problem. He returned his also. The Lews is definitely smooth, fairly light and has a large line capacity, if that's of any concern.
I actually like using my Lews reel for certain techniques.
I have the newest Shimano Curados, Chronarch CI4s, Cores, Metaniums and Calais reels as well as two Calcuttas. The Curado is outstanding. They now have finer machined gears and are silky smooth as are all the other newer Shimanos.
The true measure of a reel is not how smooth it is the first month you use it but if it can stand up to rigorous use over the course of a year or two or ten. And don't get caught up in how many bearings any reel has. There are super hard anti-rust bearings and then there are mediocre bearings. Shimano has super hard bearings that stay round and smooth over time resulting in smooth casts and long life. My confidence is with Shimano because of my long standing experience with their quality. The Curado I series won best of show at ICAST and I see a lot of seasoned bassers using them. They hold up. They have solid gears, excellent drag systems and are somewhat bullet-proof. As you can tell I lean very heavily toward Shimano although Lews seems to have corrected thier flaw.
Just my opinion.
Cgrinder reply :
Six of one, half-dozen of the other. The knobs on the new Team Lite are sweet, though. If Lews would sell me those handles, I'd put them on my Daiwas immediately.
robster80 reply :
lews just felt cheap to me. had issues with the breaking system after a few days of use. i like the I much much better. id have all Curado I's if i didnt still like some of my older shimano reels
carlm01 reply :
Ive switched over to all Lews and have had no problems so far,, I have the BB1 pro ,Tournament Pro , The Team Lews lite and the Lews Tournament lite that I added a carbon fiber handle to ... I personally like these reels a lot and have fished many brands ...But as they say to each his own LOL.. Good Luck...
Arv reply :
I can't comment on the specific reels you listed, but I've used several reels from each company and will confidently say that both are quality brands. I prefer shimano. My advice would be to try and get them in your hands, or even better, on the rod you will put it on, and see which is more comfortable. I have a hard time believing that one reel is going to put the other to shame.
Vayned reply :
I picked up an Lew's Speed Spool LFS, I think it's better than my old Abu Garcia Black Max. The Abu Garcia did come in a cheap rod and reel combo though. Lews feels better quality to me.
Krappiehog reply :
On 3/28/2015 at 11:40 PM, carlm01 said:Ive switched over to all Lews and have had no problems so far,, I have the BB1 pro ,Tournament Pro , The Team Lews lite and the Lews Tournament lite that I added a carbon fiber handle to ... I personally like these reels a lot and have fished many brands ...But as they say to each his own LOL.. Good Luck...
Lews has excellent customer service I will brag on them all day! I hear you have to buy there tournament series and up .... Like DVT said 125 and above is pretty good stuff. I think as said above it starts to come down to small things that you like more or less.
PitchinJigz reply :
I love my Lew's Team Lite. Thinking about buying a few more eventually. That would be my pick.
new2BC4bass reply :
On 3/26/2015 at 1:40 AM, bootytrain said:I've recently got the team lite(silver one) haven't gotten to fish it yet. One thing to take into account is that the Lews spool is much lighter so in theory the casting range should be better than the curado. I'm very pleased with my first Lews. It looks really sharp.
I would agree that a lighter spool should handle light lures better than a heavy spool. I would also agree that a lighter spool should handle a greater lure weight range than a heavy spool. I won't agree that a lighter spool will cast further than a heavy spool. I've got spools ranging from the Presso and 105H (and a ZPI spool for the 105H) to the Zillion and Trion. If you were to cast a true 3/16 oz. lure on both reels, then the lighter spool should achieve a greater casting distance. Put a 3/8 oz. lure on both, and you probably couldn't tell the difference in casting range on the water. You probably would see as great a difference in casting range from 2 different reels of the same model. At least with me doing the casting.
Alonerankin2 reply :
On 3/29/2015 at 8:30 AM, Krappiehog said:Lews has excellent customer service I will brag on them all day! I hear you have to buy there tournament series and up .... Like DVT said 125 and above is pretty good stuff. I think as said above it starts to come down to small things that you like more or less.
With Shimano you won't & don't need customer service! Of course I'm joking, sort of, lol..
Delaware Valley Tackle reply :
A lighter spool starts easier and is a requirement in a finesse reel for light baits. A heavier spool will cast further due to inertia assuming you have the weight and Rod to get it started.
fishangdood reply :
On 3/28/2015 at 5:51 AM, Cgrinder said:Six of one, half-dozen of the other. The knobs on the new Team Lite are sweet, though. If Lews would sell me those handles, I'd put them on my Daiwas immediately.
d**n it man, you're on the same waiting list as me. Last I called, about two weeks ago, Clint, probably the most layed back and helpful tech you can ever speak to on the phone, told me that me that about six others called that same day for them.
bootytrain reply :
On 3/29/2015 at 10:22 AM, new2BC4bass said:I would agree that a lighter spool should handle light lures better than a heavy spool. I would also agree that a lighter spool should handle a greater lure weight range than a heavy spool. I won't agree that a lighter spool will cast further than a heavy spool. I've got spools ranging from the Presso and 105H (and a ZPI spool for the 105H) to the Zillion and Trion. If you were to cast a true 3/16 oz. lure on both reels, then the lighter spool should achieve a greater casting distance. Put a 3/8 oz. lure on both, and you probably couldn't tell the difference in casting range on the water. You probably would see as great a difference in casting range from 2 different reels of the same model. At least with me doing the casting.
In theory maybe a heavier spool will cast farther than a lighter spool with normal weights, but nobody told my Metanium that lol. I can tell it casts a little farther than my curado I. 12 gram spool vs 16 gram spool.
Hooligan reply :
That isn't theory. You're comparing two very, very different items. A heavier spool, all other attributes being equal, will cast further than a lighter spool.On 3/29/2015 at 12:54 PM, bootytrain said:In theory maybe a heavier spool will cast farther than a lighter spool with normal weights, but nobody told my Metanium that lol. I can tell it casts a little farther than my curado I. 12 gram spool vs 16 gram spool.
Hooligan reply :
And in response to the OP, the Lite is a very nice reel. I tend not to like the Lews much for a variety of reasons, the least of which is they use a bit lower quality bearing. The greater reason I am not fond of them is the fit.
That said, either of the reels you're looking at are very good reels.
bootytrain reply :
On 3/29/2015 at 2:26 PM, Hooligan said:That isn't theory. You're comparing two very, very different items. A heavier spool, all other attributes being equal, will cast further than a lighter spool.
Think about it, while a full lighter spool may spin for 10 seconds, and the full heavier spool 20 seconds, the lure is only going to be in the air for 3-5 seconds tops, so all that extra inertia isn't going to help the heavier spool any. That's the way I see it.
Sam reply :
My friend who repairs rods and reels tells me that the two best reels on the market today are Shimano and Lews.
So you really can't go wrong with either one.
Sam reply :
On 3/29/2015 at 2:53 PM, bootytrain said:Think about it, while a full lighter spool may spin for 10 seconds, and the full heavier spool 20 seconds, the lure is only going to be in the air for 3-5 seconds tops, so all that extra inertia isn't going to help the heavier spool any. That's the way I see it.
Physics. Now we are discussing physics.
Physics in bass fishing?
Really?
Now this is a great topic that needs its own thread. Physics in bass fishing.
And the only physics that I thought mattered was in baseball.
ChrisD46 reply :
Best Value : Daiwa Tatula ; Lews a solid choice.
About the time the Tatula came out Shimano's quality had definately slipped .
A number of people now say Shimano had their "wake up call" after the competition brought their A game against Shimano - now word is the 2014 and 2015 Shimano offerings are a better built product .
bootytrain reply :
On 3/29/2015 at 7:13 PM, ChrisD46 said:Best Value : Daiwa Tatula ; Lews a solid choice.
About the time the Tatula came out Shimano's quality had definately slipped .
A number of people now say Shimano had their "wake up call" after the competition brought their A game against Shimano - now word is the 2014 and 2015 Shimano offerings are a better built product .
I think you are confusing "quality" for "features". Shimano was simply doing their normal revamp of their line up starting in 2011 with the Calcutta D and 2012 with the new Antares and so on. Some of the new features just trickled down to their mid and lower offerings.
22hertz reply :
Thank you for the replies.
I went to the store and put a few different reels in my hand and played around.
I couldn't tell much of a difference in the operation of each reel. I played with Quantum, Abu, Shimano, Diawa and Lews. The Diawa might have been a little smoother than the rest but hard to tell and if so not by much.
In the end the big difference I found was the ergonomics of the Shimano was superior compared to the others. The Curado fit my hand perfect.
Couple that with a lower price and my faith in Shimano's quality I think I found my first baitcaster 
Lip 'em! reply :
I have both, get the lews if you will be throwing moving baits that you want to make a long cast with. Go with the shimano for flipping/pitching. Either are great reels!
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