Adam: No disrespect taken. But there is NO WAY a Sage or Thomas and Thomas is even close to the field of a custom rod maker such as Morgan or Sweetgrass. Have you seen and cast/fished them? Until you do, there's no way to compare. I've cast/fished Sage, T&T, Temple Fork and all the rest, but they don't compare to Morgan on finish work and craftsmanship. No comparison. Rod action is a different beast altogether. That's not to say I don't like some of the rods in the mass-produced market, but you get something extra on a crafted rod. And Morgan CAN'T make his blanks because he is a quadrapelegic. He uses his knowledge of rod design with the imput of a few other makers/anglers and gets the blanks that fit his taste, from Loomis/Gary. So his rods reflect his idea of the perfect fly rod, which of course may differ from anyone's perspective of the "perfect" fly rod.

And again, it's all whatever makes us happy (and what we can afford...) in the end, yes! :bigthumb:

I hope I don't sound too fanatical about the crafted carbon-fiber rods, but it's really only been since having cast custom rods made on custom mandrels, or cut to a specific maker's preferences, that I've become aware of how good carbon-fiber can be. But, that's also what I love so much about bamboo--the absolute control of the product by a maker(s), to produce the "perfect" rod as seen by the imagination of the creator. And they're sexy! But I digress...

Respectfully,

Zac