Loomis are excelent rods but yes they are very spendy. Ill let all you guys in on a little secret...dont pay full price, check ebay. so what if the rod is used, if it gets broke, you have a brand new rod for about $100 less than new. I have broken my fair share of loomis and lami rods, some my fault, some not. I had my 1141IMX explode on me, never seen that hapen before. Pre-existing stress fracture, who knows but I returned it to loomis and had my replacement back, ready for the winter steelies, in about a week. I have yet to have a problem with loomis's return policy. But i guess in the end its all preference and personal finance that will cause you to make the decision on what rod manufacturer you choose, and use.