Well, it's always said in tenkara circles that if you want a really GOOD rod, you have to pay at least a couple of hundred dollars for a Japanese product, and I've found that to be pretty much true--until I pulled this rod out of its packing and case and flipped it around a few times...I couldn't believe it! this is a short rod with just the right amount of backbone, but nevertheless quite flexible for excellent casting. It is so close to a $300.00 rod I bought a while ago that I can hardly tell them apart--except that, if anything, the Wild Water Shorty cast slightly better. My eyes and arm almost refused to believe it! I'm a small mountain stream 3" brookie sort of guy, and you will know that in the Appalachian mountains headwaters streams that mean lots of brush. You're not going to use a 10 or 12 foot rod here. And at its shortest length, the Shorty really isn't as long as its advertised length. It's really 6' 9" instead of 7', which is good. That missing 3 inches can actually help. I can't wait to get this rod out on a stream in May! And I will be spreading the word everywhere. You don't have to pay $300.00 for a great short rod! Get the Shorty kit for $112.00 and you will be thrilled!