Anyone have any experience with upgrading Shimano reels to ceramic bearings? I heard great things about them a year ago but seems like nothing since then. Any reviews at all would be helpful and appreciated.

It's called the "point of diminishing returns". They aren't worth the extra money over what ABEC-7's will do for you.

http://heartlandtackleservice.com/ceramictest.stm

OH...by the way, if you haven't disassembled your Curado, cleaned it and reassembled it, you'll need to do that prior to considering a bearing upgrade. The bearings come packed in grease, not oil, and that procedure alone will make a huge difference. I just received 4 new ones in the mail today and I tore them all down, soaked the bearings in lighter fluid then lubricated them with oil and reinstalled.

I put one on a pencil prior to removing the grease and spun it. It spun about 4 seconds. That same bearing after cleaning would spin about 15 seconds. That simple act alone makes a huge difference!

Thanks for the info Kelly! To be honest, I haven't cleaned/lubed my reels yet. I'm in the process of doing getting things back in order while things are slow right now, and I thought maybe I'd upgrade the bearings when I have things taken apart. From the limited report on that link, it looks like maybe the ceramic bearings are overkill unless the jet skiers are just one rod length out of range, LOL! Thanks again for posting your review!

It takes less than 15 minutes to do a new reel. I just remove the bearings, soak them, spin them dry and reinstall. Also, if you've never done them, remember they only need 1 drop of oil!

If you go to www.lakeforktacklerepair.com you can buy a video that will teach you how to clean them. For the price of cleaning 2 reels, you can buy the DVD and do them yourself. I've spent the last 2 evenings, and have completely gone thru all my Curados.

I put ceramics in my chronarch. I don't really think it makes much difference. It'll freespool a good while but practically speaking for freshwater fishing a good clean and oiled abec 5 or even a 3 will suit my needs. Now I do have ceramics in an Abu 6500C3CT for my 13ft breakaway rod that will put a bait out around 100 yards.

Thanks again for the info fellas! Going to degrease and re-oil them all this week and see how that treats me. After that, maybe I'll put the ABEC 7's in it from heartlandtackle. I appreciate the help!

UPDATE: Most amazing thing happened tonight. I was taking apart my curados and must have fallen into a coma...came to with a brand new Curado and brand new Citica!

Must have been sleep walking to Academy, found the receipt in the Curado box...

thanks kelly for your great support.You have learned very well how to take care of your rods and reels. We sell lots ABEC 7 ceramic bearings. When purchasing ABEC 7 ceramic, be sure they have CB stamped on outside or ask for some type of verification from seller,and be sure to request bearing to be dry so you can clean and service with your choice of oil.Some bearings will have a grease in them that you think you have cleaned out, but grease will return. The ceramics we sell have CB stamped on outside. We have found that the ceramic bearings will make your reel pretty fast, you will either like them or you don't. The trick with all bearings is the care and maint. There is nothing wrong with bearings that come with reels, they are ABEC 3. Anglers just like to jazz up their reels like they do any of their toys. Seems we all looking for that slight edge.
Merry xmas. conniek

Good to read these post, I just ordered my DVD from Lake Fork Tackle REpair! Thanks Kelly