I have a 9' 5wt Fli and 9'6" 8 wt and like them both. Definitely fast action, although I haven't casted the likes of the XP or Z-Axis for fast action comparison. I also have a 9'6" 8wt VT2 and the Fli is noticeably faster; doesn't have that rod tip wobble at the end of stroke as the VT2 does. The faster action is also seems to be quite an advantage when casting sink tips and heavy flies.