Breaking Rods is one topic I am definitely an expert on (Just ask the guys at Teds they will tell you). I have near 20 rods and they are all Loomis or Sage. As you go up the line in the Loomis Rods they get more fragile. They also get lighter and more sensitive. I use to fish with cheap rods and have decided that the better rods are worth the money. The only time Loomis ever charged me anything on the rods I returned was when I did something stupid to the rod (I let one bounce out of the boat on the way home and it got ran over cost me $50 to get a $225 rod replaced) . Most of the time they just fixed the damaged piece and sent it back no questions asked.