I bought a new Curado 7 today and already caught a couple fish with it. The thing made the best first impression of any Shimano in a long time. I generally buy Chronarchs and love them, I also have three 50 mgs, two Core's, a couple old green Curados, a couple of last years Curado D's ,etc... I have about 12 Shimano baitcasters and I guess as low as I guy is the old reliable green Curados and the most I'll spend is for a Core.

I think Shimano hit an absolute homerun with this reel!!! It is silky smooth, casts a country mile and is really a joy to fish with. I had a couple bad professional overruns when I casted a little too much into the wind but other than that it was a 10 out of 10. Nearly a perfect real IMO. The ONLY minor complaint I have is that the compartment that holds the braking system (opposite the handle) doesn't feel quite as solid as with other Shimano models. I remember this same effect sometimes when I used a Revo. After a few minutes you don't really notice it. I think for $179 it is a steal.