Like the old saying goes, "you get what you pay for." I've bought plenty of the 90-100$ rods and now i've sold off them all on ebay and saved money for Lamiglas esprit and Loomis. How many guides use Loomis, or Lamiglas??? Yes they do fish alot more then the normal angler, but why own a rod for 3 years when you can own it for 6??