I had some extra time today and stopped at the local tackle store and I was snooping through their Diawa rod rack. They had a Daiwa Kage 7'3" All Around model in the rack. It felt like a pretty nice rod, I would say it is just a touch lighter than a Tatula. It has a nice flat black finish & full cork grip. Should be a good quality lineup with alot of specific actions.

I've tried out a spinning model with a reel on it, and it felt fantastic. The Tatula rods are fantastic too.

My Tatula 6'6" medium rod feels just as nice as my old G Loomis IMX SJR rods. I'd say the same about the Kage line too.

I found one in a clearance section of our local tackle shop around Christmas, got it as a gift to myself. I'm pretty excited about it, as it feels so great in the hand. I got the flipping model. It is my first dedicated flipping rod, and I only tinkered with flipping last year. I matched it to a Tatula 200. We'll see.