I have an assortment of Wally Marshall, B&M, and Crappie Max. Range from 18 down to 9 ft. All have served me well and none have outperformed the other. If you check the sale boards you can get a good deal on gently used items. Also, I noted that the Crappie Max rods go on sale quite often at BPS. It is a blessing and a curse working 5 minutes from them. Also academy seems to clearance out their products a lot as well.