Until you've fished with a super sensitive rod a few days when they are barely inhaling a jig its hard to appreciate what a really good rod feels like. St.Croix makes some very nice rods, I have a UL avid and have a few I use to bass fish, they are very good sticks. There is a reason that G.Loomis is one of the few if not the only rod builder in U.S. that builds their own rod blanks here in the states. Two places where $ really count are shoes and fishing rods.