setyr rods for the money you can not beat them. doug

Another vote for G. Loomis.  I have tried several different rods and I think Loomis is the best out there.  They may be expensive but wow, they are awesome.  On the downside they are not the best bang for the buck.  The Shimano Crucial gets my vote for best value.

i have no favorite brand. the two that i use the most would be st. roix and kistler.  

Right now it is a toss up between Lamiglas's higher end stuff and Shimano Crucial/Clarus. I love my old workhorse Okuma though.

st croix and all star

Bought my first St.Croix and love it!  

My shirt says it all. Kistler Helium LTA all the way. IMHO, nothing comes close.

Another vote for St Croix

I've always liked St Croix, however, I bought a rod from Powell this summer and it has blown me away.

The Powell Max 683c is now my favorite baitcasting rod. Without consideration for price, I would choose G.Loomis but this Powell rod lists for only $170. I got a deal on it for $159, but if feels like an upper $200 - $300 rod. Since I haven't tried other Powell rods I can't pick them as the best, but if their other rods are this good they are a force to be reckoned with.

Their is no question that CASTAWAY Rods makes the best rods for every app.

I use them for rippin, flippin, castin, crankin, froggin, wormin, swimbaits and just plan lookin good on the deck of my Stratos.

St.Croix or Loomis for crankbaits and Orvis, sage & reddington for Fly-fishing. I also have beem known to use Lamiglass.

i love an all-star but i think G-Loomis rods are best.

Loomis baby  8-).  I use their entire line, from the flippin' sticks to their crankbait rods, I feel Loomis is unparalleled in quality, warranty, and customer service.

Obviously, G Loomis, St. Croix, and Kistler are top of the line rods and will perform great, but, I bought a Cabelas XML rod and fell in love with it.  Now I own 7 of them and since they are relatively cheap, I don't worry as much if I accidentally drop one on the pavement (plus they have a 25 year warranty, which for me might as well be a lifetime warranty).

Spinning: Pinnacle

Bait casting: Arrius (spelling?)

G Blanks......try one.

I have rods from Falcon, AllStar, Castaway, Browning and Daiwa.  If I had them all stolen and had to restock from scratch without spending a mint, I would go with the Team Daiwa Light & Tough.  Awesome rods that don't cost a fortune.

I have tried tons of rods, including many upper end kistlers, g loomis, and customs. I must say that gblanks are nice, but i tried to contact the owners to buy a rod and they were kind of unresponsive through email, and that is really only what I have time to do- but they may be better these days.

I'd have to say that Airrus offers a wide selection in the price range, and have mademore incredible innovations to the rod making industry than anyone else has. In their new puls-r and N-Sync rods, a new technology involving nanotubes (i dont want to take 3 paragraphs to explain how it works) which makes the rod considerably lighter and more sensative.

Not to mention, most of their rods have the built in weight balance port, which allows the user to insert weights to balance the rod (making it feel like a feather, and decrease fatigue).

All in all- they have won the ICAST (Huge tackle show in CA) BEST OF SHOW for the rod category in 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2006. That must mean something!!!

Check them out, they have a rod to suit anyone's budget. Call Ken the owner (# on website), and he would love to help you pick out a suitable rod!

. . . and YES, I AM sponsored by them, because I belive in Airrus' products.

www.rodsbyairrus.com

Born and raised with Phenix Rods.  

I have rods from Falcon, AllStar, Castaway, Browning and Daiwa. If I had them all stolen and had to restock from scratch without spending a mint, I would go with the Team Daiwa Light & Tough. Awesome rods that don't cost a fortune.

You said a mouthful!

It goes without saying, the Team Daiwa Light and Tough can't compare to a Loomis, St Croix or Kistler, but neither does the price.

Rather than modulus overkill, the team daiwa L&T uses IM6 with an incredible lure range of 1/8 to 1 oz, that casts 1/16 oz with ease!

Roger

As for me, All Star and Gator Rods are what I use and love them. I am in the mood for experimenting this year and am looking into Warrior Rods as well as Outlaw Rods. Honestly though, for the money, its hard to beat either of the two mentioned above. The owner of Gator Rods is a stand up guy so check them out.

G Loomis, All Star and yes, Fenwick rods are way under rated.  I love their Techna Rods.  

Having lived within spitting distance of the Lamiglass factory in SW Washington, I grew up loving thier rods.  I even backed over one with my truck, (it was an accident)  took it back to them, I actually told them the true story, and they still handed me a brand new rod, free of charge...  it was an 8.5 ft graphite salmon rod, original purchase price was like 200.00.  Next trip into them, they had it hanging on the wall,,, with some smart a$$ quote about driving over your rod.....

After Lamiglass,, it would have to be G Loomis.... They do some quality work,,,, they should since the guy who started it, if my memory serves me correct, worked for Lamiglass first...