Rob maybe you could correct me if I am wrong but it is my understanding that unlike fiber glass the higher you hold your graphite rod ie. getting the rod angle above 11 o'clock when fighting a fish or snag you greatly increase the chance of breakage. I see a lot of people bending the tip of their rods over to thread them change lures or the like. This type of bending while it doesn't require a lot of force by the fishermen it puts huge amounts of preasure on a very small area of the rod.