Left out of previous post, another reason I won't pay retail for a high end graphite rod is because of evidence regarding how cheap they are, or can be, made. The ads may tell you a quality graphite rod is rocket science, but how many of you believe ads about any products? It ain't rocket science. Almost all, if not all, good rods are the result of trial and error. Jimmy Green was rod designer for Fenwick and a consultant to Sage before he died. I had the opportunity to roll graphite rod blanks in his basement and see first hand how graphite rods are made, basically the same as fiberglass, but graphite pre-preg fabric is more expensive. Even with the highest end, most expensive pre-preg, a graphite blank is cheap. I think that is why there are so many quality rods rolled off shore these days. I also had the opportunity to spend some time in the Thomas and Thomas rod factory a few years back, and while it was a couple steps up from Jimmy's basement, it still wasn't rocket science.

Another reason was the chance I had to buy a then top of the line Sage rod that retailed for $315. I got it for $129 tax and shipping to my door, and the person who sold it to me assured me that both he and Sage made a profit on the transaction. While I understand that profit is the lifeblood of business, I decided that I don't need to help Sage live that much better than I myself do. Even so, I do have a few Sage rods, and am building one from one of their discontinued discounted blanks at the moment. Z-axis at the right price can be a very good rod.

And Berkley Buzz Ramsey rods on sale at $20 (got 2 on closeout a while back) and $40 are a great value IMO. If a $200 or $400 rod performed even 15% better, I might be able to justify it to myself, but it hasn't happened yet. Another thing that set me off against high end rods once was inspecting some $700 G. Loomis rods that had cork quality no better than the $60 Cabela's rods I mentioned above. Sheesh! Value for dollar is one thing, but rip offs turn me off.

Sg